Happy August, devoted Pepita admirers!

Ah, the crazy heat waves of August have been in full swing. Heat and humidity, combined with torrential downpours, make for most interesting weather this month. Luckily, the heat and humidity don’t seem to have much effect on our sweet Pepita and her love of the solarium.

Tabby’s Place provides two wonderful things for the kitties in the solarium: a ceiling fan (which has been on constantly this month!) and cool blue chilling pads. These are rubber-ish mats that get placed on the floor, and they provide a cool place for the kitties to sprawl out on hot days. As you can see in these pictures, Pepita is happy to take advantage of this cool tool, whether it is on the floor or on her favorite place in the solarium — the sunshine-soaked chair.

Last month, I mentioned Abe and Jimmy, newcomers to the suite. The suite has been a little messier than usual with adorable Abe’s stubborn diarrhea, but our staff and volunteers are keeping on top of it. Pepita spends most of her time in the solarium, and Abe spends most of his time in the indoor portion of the suite. Hence, our furry baby is avoiding most of the mess most of the time. Smart girl!

Our gentle love has enjoyed a happy, mellow month of good health. I think she is missing one of her regular buddies from the solarium, Rose. Rose quite suddenly was afflicted with a challenging inner ear infection, which then penetrated her brain. She also has a lesion on her spine. She is on a heavy dose of antibiotics and is battling hard. Brave Rose is miraculously fighting all that, and with the dedicated care of the Tabby’s Place vet team and a veterinary neurologist, she is getting stronger each day. We pray that continues, as she is young and one of the sweetest cats in all of Tabby’s Place.

Rose’s dedicated correspondent has been spending many hours here, giving her a ‘Rose Picnic’ with a big blanket on the hospital room floor each day, feeding Rose (her appetite is good), playing with her, and then taking her into the solarium for short stints. Visitors abound in the hospital area, too. All the love seems to be working, so please send positive thoughts Rose’s way.It is times like these when we thank our donors for such devotion and generosity to the cats and their care. Your devotion to Pepita ensures she will get the best medical care whenever she faces health challenges.

It also reminds me just how important our fundraising for medical care is, above and beyond the donations you give as a dedicated sponsor of our Special Needs cats. Our Linda Fund Matching Challenge is underway right now, to raise funds for kitties’ emergency and specialty care. Every dollar donated is matched by a generous pool of money graciously given by benefactors and corporate sponsors. It is so great to donate an amount and then know it is doubled automatically! If you want more information, just visit the Tabby’s Place home page. And please spread the word about this fundraiser, and the difference it can make in giving our cats the best life at Tabby’s Place.

Sweet Pepita sends you many thanks for your deep interest in her and your love and grace in providing for her care each month. I know if she could talk, she would be shouting out her thanks directly to you. For now, let me be the one to convey just how much you mean to her.

Enjoy the rest of the dog days of August. More news to come in September?