Dear fabulous Pepita supporters,

Healthy, happy Pepita enjoyed another month of newsless good health. That’s not to say there’s no news on Planet Pepita. There’s the full return of springtime and “solarium season,” which means lots of time enjoying the wonderfulness of the fresh breezes and observing the outside activities.

But wait! Pepita has REALLY BIG news to share:  Tabby’s Place is expanding! This incredible news has caused ripples of joy throughout Tabby’s Place, as it will be the first expansion since the sanctuary opened fifteen years ago.  Pepita and all her furry friends are over-the-moon excited that more cats can experience the wonder of Tabby’s Place and, in particular, cats who find themselves in the hopeless situation of having feline leukemia virus, or FeLV.  FeLV+ cats require significant individualized care, and so they are typically euthanized at animal shelters.  Tabby’s Place will become a haven for these kitties, providing them with the care and vigilance that will enable a good quality of life.  Read more about the expansion here.

Though Pepita doesn’t know the whole story of how this came about, she knows there is a wonderful kitty named Quinn at the center of it all.  She hopes you want to learn more and share in her joy, by reading all about it! Quinn’s Story

I was talking with Rose’s correspondent the other day and asked if she had any great Pepita stories to share with sponsors, as I know she spends time with Pepita on her regular visits to the sanctuary.  Now that Rose is stationed in the lobby (after her ear/brain infections and miraculous recovery), her correspondent often will bring her into the solarium for visits, as it was always a favorite place for Rose when she was living in Suite A. She told me a story of one visit into the solarium with Rose when she brought a beach chair to sit on instead of sitting on the concrete floor. Apparently, Pepita thought the chair was for her (why wouldn’t she?), so she immediately jumped into the chair before Rose’s correspondent could get to it.  I think she was dreaming of sunning on a soft, sandy beach somewhere, so maybe she needs a beach chair all her own!

Kitten season has begun!  The little ones are starting to roll in, often with their mamas, and typically taking up residence with a foster family until they are big enough to come to the kitten room and ready themselves for adoption.  I was at Tabby’s Place one Sunday when two ultra-tiny, three-day-old kittens were brought in without a mother cat. I was able to witness the most amazing labor of love as our Operations Director, Danielle, tube fed these babies every few hours (when they got a little bigger, they could be bottle fed) and kept them warm with heated disks in their crate. Their eyes and ears were not yet opened, and they were only about 3-inches big.  That care from the get-go is so critical to helping the little ones survive.  Here’s a photo of them (Dahlia and Calla) after being wrapped burrito-style.

Can you believe that Pepita has been at Tabby’s Place for over five years now?  I’ve been volunteering for that long, and Pepita stole my heart the first day I arrived.  Our Development Director, Angela, observed that “I can hardly remember a time without her in our lives.” She brings such joy to everyone who meets her and has a fan base rivaling Taylor Swift!

Many of you have been her sponsors since the beginning, and we can’t begin to properly thank you for opening your heart and being there for her for half a decade now.  For those of you new to sponsoring Pepita, your love and support of her make all the difference in her health and happiness. Every single one of you is an amazing friend to Pepita.

I look forward to bringing you more updates in May. Meanwhile, enjoy springtime in your neck of the woods!

Your correspondent,
Sheila