Happy October, Team Pepita!

Angela here, Tabby’s Place’s Development Director. Getting to guest-write for Pepita is like getting a full-size chocolate bar at every house on Halloween. I have been smitten with our little pumpkin seed from the hour of her arrival, all those years ago.

Would you believe Pepita came to us in April 2014? That’s nearly a decade of devotion here at Tabby’s Place.

No, I don’t mean our devotion to Pepita (although that’s as real as life itself). I mean Pepita’s devotion to us.

To the drowsy, busy world, Pepita is a “Special Needs cat,” known for what she asks and what she lacks. Her pipes don’t work quite properly. She is small and needy.

But to eyes like yours, Pepita is grander than the Great Pumpkin.

She is enormous with affection, zanier than the wonderful warty gourds that appear every October. She is giddy to give her love, as syrupy-gold as October itself. When you settle into her solarium, her shining eyes land upon you, and those little legs get galloping. Whether Pepita has known you an hour or nine years, she is glad you’re here.

And Pepita’s gladness is good magic indeed.

In the presence of an unassuming black-and-white cat who assumes you — yes, you — are the highlight of her day, you feel yourself light up. Pepita nuzzles you and weaves infinity signs between your ankles. She listens to your songs and your silences.

In nine years, she has carried so many of our stories in her heart. In a way, she has carried us.

When Pepita puddles in my lap, the sun shines. I will tell you, dear sponsors, that I have told her many secrets. She doesn’t judge a single one: not my shameless affection for candy corn, not my intention to continue dressing as a Halloween unicorn in my forties, not the fact that emails from donors make me weepy every week.

As the T-shirts and bumper magnets ask, “who rescued who?”

That’s an especially apt question this particular October, as Pepita’s dreamy solarium — and every tendril of Tabby’s Place — grows busy and buzzy with history. This month, we celebrated our twentieth anniversary of saving cats from hopeless situations, as well as the Grand Opening of our Quinn’s Corner expansion for cats with feline leukemia virus.

October 7th brought over 400 beautiful folks to Tabby’s Place (not including our staff, volunteers, and Board, all of whom are quite lovely too). Perhaps you were here with us? Light-filled people joined us via live stream from six continents. Life itself laughed at littleness, at “lack,” at every lapse in love that ever left a cat in need.

Love was the master of ceremonies. But then, that’s true even on an ordinary day.

(Shameless shout-out to your spectacular correspondent and my beloved friend, Sheila: if ever you would like to see love in action, tireless and tenacious and tender as pumpkin pie, you need to glimpse this one-woman force of grace. Sheila’s work on the Grand Opening was nothing sort of spectacular. The joy of the day has everything to do with her.)

As much as Pepita loves to love people, four hundred new best friends is a bit much for a single day. So, we were mindful of our feline introverts, keeping the tidal waves of tour groups out of the suites. Only our boldest social butterflies remained in the Lobby (we’re looking at you, Prescott and Hips), thrilled to be skritched by eight hundred hands.

But I do believe our pensive pumpkin seed enjoyed the day. Pepita has always struck me as an optimist, that little upturned face skilled at spotting the sunbeams. How else to explain her ever-expanding joy over these 9+ years?

Dear sponsors, I’d frankly like to be a bit more like Pepita. And at the hinge of Tabby’s Place’s third decade, I can’t imagine a sweeter inspiration than the little girl with the lioness heart.

Actually, you might say that you remind me of Pepita. For twenty years, Tabby’s Place’s donors have believed that the best dreams are telling the truth. You have hopped over the word “hopeless” so you could hold our cats in your arms. You have embraced our impossible mission with ferocious, unconditional love.

You have loved, and loved, and loved, and loved.

So many of you tell me that Jonathan, our Founder and Executive Director, is your hero, and I nod like a bobblehead. He’s mine, too. He’s given his life to building a sanctuary for cats that is also a sanctuary for humans. He’s the epitome of what a heart should be.

But Jon would tell you that his heroes walk on four legs. And I can confirm that one of Jon’s favorite heroes is a little Oreo-colored optimist with a bum bladder.

I told you Pepita was powerful.

I’m also happy to tell you that Pepita is enjoying excellent health, hale and hearty amid the hubbub of October. Last month’s urinary tract infection cleared up nicely with antibiotics, which we have since discontinued. Autumn’s second half is shaping up to be full of comfort for our precious Pepita.

Beloved sponsors, thank you for your love and generosity. You are the reason we’ve been able to nurture Pepita for these nine years. You are the reason why we are dancing in advance for the next twenty years and beyond.

You are my heroes, too.

With love and gratitude, your guest correspondent,
Angela