Dearest awesome Pepita Sponsors,

What better way to start a Sunday morning than to have a gorgeous black-and-white kitty in your lap, purring up a storm and requesting (no, make that demanding!) hugs and pets and all kinds of love?  Well, that was my morning today with Pepita. It started with her crouched up in the tube that connects her suite to her solarium.  I think she was just hanging out waiting for something good to happen.

As soon as I shook the bag of treats right below her and walked toward the solarium door, she was through the tube and down the ramp into the solarium in a flash!

Of course, a number of her buddies were out there as well, enjoying the chilly fall morning, and wanting treats, too:  Lovable “please pet me, too” Steven, shy & adorable “I want to love humans but can’t figure out how” Chewie, severely shy, but “today, I won’t run away but wait and see what the treats are all about” WonTon, and “give me my share” big pawed Rorschach.  They were all looking great and full of energy this morning.

Sweet Pepita was heading for another UTI (urinary tract infection)-free month (!) but alas, that was not to be.  Once again, as is so common in incontinent cats, the UTI appeared and she was started on medication right away by our ace vet team, pending the results of her culture. They don’t waste a moment in addressing medical issues.

UTIs don’t seem to slow down Miss Pepita, though, whose middle name must be ‘personality.’ I do think cats are natural comedians and Pepita is always up to something, whether supervising the thorough cleaning of the solarium from the top of the ramp, micromanaging the floor mopping, or just hanging out on the ladder. Her bright spirit is infectious just at a time when we all need it!

For Halloween, the staff decided to dress up some of the cats in costumes, and of course, your delightful girl was among them. She was deemed to be a fairy and her wings seem so appropriate.

Whereas Anka, the big boy paraplegic from the lobby (who is not at all fond of other cats—there are some long stories there for another time), was dressed as the devil. The staff had a lot of fun with this and we volunteers appreciated all the pictures of kitties in costume.

As we get close to celebrating what will be a most unusual Thanksgiving (we are, of course, skipping “Thanksgiving with the Cats” this year), one thing we know for sure is that ‘grateful’ is nowhere near a big enough word for what we feel in having you as Pepita’s sponsor.  As Gilbert Chesterton, an English writer who was described as importantly and consistently on the side of the angels, noted so well, “Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”  You are a true wonder in your generous spirit, and for that, we are both grateful and happy beyond measure.

All of us at Tabby’s Place wish you a Thanksgiving filled with love!

Your correspondent,
Sheila