Dear Pepita Fans,

It’s Stroller Season!!!! The weather is fine and the strollers and volunteers are ready to go. You will likely recall that Pepita was a regular last season, with many stroller walks around the Tabby’s Place property under her belt.  The coordinator of the Stroller Program mentioned that Pepita had been out one day recently, and then she sent me this, which I had to share with you:

We strolled this past Tuesday when the weather was so lovely.
Just Sandy and me.  Just Wilbur and Pepita.
Carrot was invited.  He said he had other things to attend to, as he chased a tail up the indoor ramp.
Wilbur was ready to roll.
We just needed one more cat.
Pepita was lounging in her chair in the outdoor solarium of her suite. She watched as I moved the stroller towards her invitingly.
She, too, tried to give me the slip and started in the direction of HER overhead ramp.
I begged.  I pleaded.  I told her she was going to love it, and that people would be stopping by to visit with her outside.
She finally gave it a second thought, at which point I swished her into a big hug and then down into the stroller.
Pepita had to agree later that she enjoyed her time outdoors with us.
Not much has changed in the stroller walk world at Tabby’s Place!

Pepita’s suite is now back on a regular diet and your sweet girl gives this a joyous paws up!  All of her suitemates who required another diet have been moved to other locations at Tabby’s Place, making this possible. To them, she sends purrs and whisker kisses.  And she, along with Malora who has been in the suite for some time, welcomes a whole slew of new suitemates, including Shiloh, Fiona, Ash, Snowy, and Poblano.  Pepita promised me on my next visit that she will properly introduce me to all of them, and she promises to help them all settle in properly, too.

On the health front, our gentle one had a urinalysis in the middle of the month that showed both increased white blood cells and bacteria. The vet staff sent a sample to see what antibiotic might be best for her. The lab results came back as non-pathogenic bacteria, indicating no need to put her on a course of antibiotics, so that is great news. Her skin has healed up again so the vet team has tapered down her dose of steroids. When I saw her last week, she looked marvelous—her fur thick and fluffy, her eyes twinkling. Her first greeting was: “Please sit on the chair so I can jump on your lap and give you love!”

Speaking of expressing her love, today I was talking with another volunteer who is a big fan of Pepita’s. She told me that the cutest thing is when Pepita is in the solarium when she visits and is on the tower, and when this volunteer goes over to see her, Pepita reaches out with her paws and gives her a little hug. How sweet is that!  Needless to say, Pepita has almost everyone who visits her wrapped around her little paws.

Construction continues at Tabby’s Place, as improvements are being made to the lobby and other areas in the original building.  This is much closer to the suite where Pepita lives (as opposed to the construction on Quinn’s Corner), so the kitties hear much more of the noise that comes with ripping up floors, painting, and doing electrical work. You may remember those signs you would see on the road, “Temporary inconvenience…    …permanent improvement.” I tried that on Pepita, but she wouldn’t have it!  Luckily it’s only another day or two before much of that work is done and there really will be a vast improvement.

In case you hadn’t heard, Tabby’s Place is holding its first-ever Cherish the Kittens Fund Drive to focus specifically on the kittens:  emergency and specialty medical care, life-saving nourishment, training for foster families, and the creation of an on-site kitten nursery, with incubators for orphans and specialized housing for nursing moms. Often the littlest and loneliest need so much of our intensive care and love.  The response has been terrific, as these most vulnerable babies tug at our heartstrings in a way like no other.

Pepita and I and all the staff and volunteers at Tabby’s Place wish you a beautiful spring, with sweet smells and pretty blossoms and the sounds of birds chirping outside your window. Pepita is enjoying all of that, and so much more, thanks to your kindness and devotion to her. Her pretty face and eyes tell me the story of her love for you every time I visit with her.

Your correspondent,
Sheila