Happy October, Team Moo Moo!

After kicking off last month with meteorite gazing, dreams of space travel, and nightmares about slug aliens… I came crashing down to earth just a few weeks later.

Oh, my goodness, what a difficult time I had. You may have heard that one morning last month, I was discovered having very labored breathing. It was worse than any asthma attack I ever had.

Our wonderful veterinary staff jumped into action. They immediately examined me and took an X-ray. It showed a lot of fluid in my chest, which can be a sign of heart failure.

True to their being the kindest humans anywhere, they offered me squeeze treats to calm me. True to being me, I ate five of them in rapid succession. Even under dire circumstances, I just love squeeze treats!

I was rushed to the specialty hospital for more diagnostics and treatment. They put me on oxygen and tapped the fluid that was causing me distress. What a relief. The humans made me comfortable and were very nice to me. I slept a lot afterward. Soon enough, I was able to go home to the lobby. Everyone made such a fuss over me when I returned.

Next, I had a visit with a kitty cardiologist for an echocardiogram. It revealed that I do have heart disease, but there’s good news. They prescribed medicine for me that’s working really well, and I get to have an extra pill pocket treat now. I’m feeling much better.

In fact, I’m feeling so much better that I got into a little trouble this week. Remember how my accomplice Colonel Peabody and I broke into the stationery closet a little while back? Oops, we did it again. 

We planned to get out before the staff had a chance to find us. Except we got pretty caught up in closet exploration, and didn’t manage our time well. It seems that our tummy clock works great for knowing exactly when meals are served. Our inner routine clock is excellent for knowing the coming and going times of humans in our lives. When it comes to closet break-ins, we’re too excited to pay attention to anything else. 

This event wasn’t a repeat of the Great 2025 Closet Caper. That was legendary! Colonel Peabody and I are still waiting for monuments to be erected in our honor. In fact, I went ahead and had a bronze statue of myself designed. Maybe with all the upcoming renovations planned for Tabby’s Place, a special niche or fancy pedestal can be added for it.

We’re calling this break-in the Outstanding October Closet Happening, because this time we were accompanied by many other lobby cats! It was fun that a bunch of us were in there together. Hips and Miss Kitty were especially thrilled to get in on the action.

I know I promised to turn away from a life of crime, but possessing the knowledge of how to get in there was too tempting to resist. You see, all of us in the lobby have been a little bored lately. Berry and Trent got ringworm! It’s very contagious, so the staff and volunteers went into overdrive to protect us.

My friends got quarantined for treatment, furnishings were removed, and everything was cleaned and disinfected. The rest of us are being checked regularly. Because humans can get it or transmit it, we haven’t been allowed to have visitors or volunteers pet us. This is very different for us.

Humans who come into the lobby wear booties and gowns. Even people who just walk through have to take precautions. They aren’t allowed to stay with us. I can’t wait for things to get back to normal. We love it when people pet us and play with us.

In my continuing quest to become an erudite cat, I took it upon myself to research ringworm. When I first heard the staff talking about it, I became alarmed. Did slug aliens actually come to Tabby’s Place and try to steal our food? Did ringed worms attach to their flying saucer when they came through a wormhole or past Saturn? Are there worm aliens, too? 

I was (sort of) relieved to learn that ringworm is a common fungus that affects both human people and fur people. It’s pesky, but it can be eradicated with proper treatment and measures.

Because a couple of my lobby pals have it, I was interested to find out what proper treatment they’re getting. I was hoping proper treatment meant that they were being served meals in fine China bowls while classical music played. It wasn’t. Seems it’s more like sulfur dips or shampoos, and medicines. Bummer.

Just in case…. I researched whether ringworm can come from outer space. I learned that although it isn’t possible to contract ringworm directly from a spacecraft, fungi similar to ringworm grow in spacecrafts and pose a health risk to astronauts. A direct link to ringworm infections hasn’t been publicly reported. Maybe not yet!

We’re all having to put in extra shifts on floor duty since we’re down a couple of cats due to the quarantine. Being ever alert to invaders in the lobby, I spotted a spider the other day while I was on patrol with Peabody. I watched it carefully for quite a while, to make sure it wasn’t from outer space. Thankfully, it was an ordinary spider. We ended up playing with it.

I want you to know how grateful I am that you care about me. I got through my health emergency because of you, dear sponsor, and our annual Linda Fund Matching Challenge, which raised the biggest amount ever and is used specifically for critical care situations like mine.

You’re literally a lifesaver. If not for your loving heart and generosity, I wouldn’t have had the emergency care that I needed. How can I ever thank you enough? If I could, I would sacrifice a whole squeeze-up treat and give it to you, and place a prize spider at your feet.

Love,
Moo Moo
(With help from your correspondent, Nancy)