June Greetings, Lovers of Pepita!

Well, it has been an interesting month in Ringoes, NJ for humans and felines.  I’m guessing you saw on the news (or maybe experienced firsthand) how the Northeast had numerous days of unhealthy air quality from the drifting smoke from the Canadian fires. It was quite awful—the smell of smoke in the air, the unearthly orange glow in the sky, and the difficulty breathing.

This was not only a danger for humans but for our special felines and other animals, too.  The leadership at Tabby’s Place determined very quickly that all the solariums had to be closed until the air quality came back to normal. We have some cats who have asthma or allergies and the risk of respiratory illness is great for them, as well as even for more healthy cats such as Pepita. The decision was easy.

But this meant that for almost a week our sweet Pepita did not have her beloved solarium time. You can see in the picture one volunteer provided that Pepita was not up for any socialization after a day or two of solarium restriction and clearly was mad at the world!  Thankfully I can report that a day or two later she was her usual loving self when I stopped in for a visit.

Pepita was treated to a stroller ride one clear and sunny afternoon. The stroller volunteers did have to do a bit of coaxing, as Pepita had not been out in the stroller for a while. They sat in a shady spot by the front entrance of Tabby’s Place and enjoyed the pleasant day. She was a bit tentative at first, but then settled in and relaxed, listening to the sweet voices of the volunteers and the chirping birds.

It seems that the Aged to Purrfection (ATP) program, where cats such as Pepita visit with their friends in senior facilities, has become a bit too much for our gentle girl, as well as a few other cats in the program. One of the volunteers who takes the cats shared that Pepita is now retired from the program. The volunteers could tell that during the visits last year and earlier this year that a few of the cats, including Pepita, just weren’t enjoying the whole ordeal of being harnessed, the car trip, and the visit time. I’m sure that the seniors will miss Pepita, but we all go through stages when activities don’t hold the pleasure they once did. Here’s a wonderful blog post from earlier this year where Pepita is featured for her service in visiting the seniors. Even without ATP visits, Pepita has so many visitors and volunteers stopping to see her each day that she won’t want for attention.

As I mentioned in the last update, Pepita started limping mysteriously on her right front leg one evening. She was checked multiple times by the medical team and there was no sign of an injury or physiological issue. She favored it sporadically for several days and then it seemed to clear up. The vet team did give her some pain medication when this was first noted.

After her leg cleared up, then she developed some infected discharge from her left eye—if it is not one thing it’s another! She was on eye medications three times a day for a week and the infection cleared up. I can just imagine how much she enjoyed (not!) getting those eyedrops, as we regularly have to administer them to one of our kitties at home. The vet team here is always so on top of things! And the volunteers who visit with the cats each day have an easy way to immediately let the vet team know if they see something amiss with the cats. It’s definitely a full-on team effort to keep these precious ones healthy.

I’m happy to share that our recent Cherish the Kittens Fundraising campaign hit our goal 3 days before the deadline! The Development Department here is so excited and invigorated by the success of this campaign and in awe of everyone that joined us in cherishing the kittens.

That’s all the news for this month. Pepita wants to remind you just how special you are to her. She knows deep in her heart that she has a lovely life at Tabby’s Place because of you.  See you next month!

Your correspondent,
Sheila

PS: By the way, if you enjoyed the blog post I noted above and would enjoy more stories about our cats, do visit our blog, where we post at least three times every week. I promise you won’t be disappointed!