Happy Valentine’s Month, Pepita Sponsors!

Love is in the air this month, but then when isn’t it at Tabby’s Place?

I wish you could be at the sanctuary every day to experience the outpouring of love and care that is a constant. A sanctuary is “a place of refuge and protection,” according to Merriam-Webster. Yes, Tabby’s Place is that, of course, but so much more. The tenderness of heart applied in each interaction with a cat is second to none. And, of course, Pepita gets more than her fair share of that, as her sweet personality draws us all into her heart.

Our big-hearted beauty is enjoying a healthy, peaceful month, free from both UTIs and Rorschach‘s rumblings. His periodic fits of rage have calmed down nicely with a bit of help from behavioral medication. The dynamics in Suite A are nice and stable, and there have not been newcomers to the suite in some time. There are still the usual buddies who love to curl up together: Mary and Hailey, Mary and Chewie, Mary and (fill in the blank)… you get the idea: Mary is the number one snuggle-buddy.

Solarium buddies include Pepita, Steven, Abe, Adam, Chewbacca, and Rorschach (OK, buddy may be a stretch when it comes to Rorschach), who peacefully co-exist in the fresh air and excitedly watch the goings-on outside, in between the most important activity of all: napping!

Pepita is a smart cookie when it comes to the solarium. She monopolizes the small igloo, which is outfitted with a heated pad and soft blanket, on the coldest days, but takes full advantage of lounging on the tower of shelves or the long hammock on the milder days. She clearly loves the fresh air over being inside, but we did find her scampering in and out on the coldest days this past month.

When I visited her this past Sunday (a very cold day), she was in the solarium’s igloo as cleaning commenced; later, I found her sitting inside on the mini-hammock, welcoming all the volunteers who wanted to visit her and bestow love, petting, playtime or treats. I think she knew that the solarium might even be just a bit too chilly for the volunteers and didn’t want to miss out on the love.

Pepita has also proven herself a gentle on-the-job trainer. Tabby’s Place has recently brought on two new staff members, and one key skill they must acquire is expressing cat bladders. Pepita is known to have one of the easiest bladders to express, and one of the easiest temperaments in the universe, so she’s a stellar “starter cat” for staffers working their way up to Olive!

Tabby’s Place is preparing for kitten season. Though we care for kittens all year long, we are down to just a few shy babies in the kitten suite as March approaches, the typical start to the season of tiny fur babies. In addition to assigning specific volunteers to help socialize the shy kitties, we may move them to the Community Room, where there are other cats to serve as role models, and many humans coming and going, providing numerous opportunities to the kittens to shed their shyness.

“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving,” said Mother Teresa. Thank you for the immense love you put into your giving to support Pepita and ensure she gets the best care possible. Enjoy this month of love, and stay warm until the spring arrives.