Dear Pepita Enthusiast,
Upon reading these words from Tabby’s Place’s Development Director, Angela, I knew I must share her deeply happy vision of this end-of-the summer month with you:
“I like August, because it hosts square dances for fireflies, and their flutterwheels dazzle the comets above.” Can’t you just see those fireflies dancing?
Welcome to another update on your special sweet girl who dazzles us all!
Our lovebug has been out in the solarium despite the heat. She usually loves to burrow in a soft kitty blanket on the chair or bench, but lately it’s been so hot that all the fur babies have taken to the cool concrete floor. We’ve had some “feels like 105′” days here, so I understand her actions completely.
One of Pepita’s regular visitors caught this photo of her on the floor and said, “She could have laid on just the floor, but instead she found a little corner of a blanket to make it softer for her. She loves her solarium! She still greets people with a smile and a chirp, and she arches her back up for pets. She’s looking good.”
Though she’s looking good now, Pepita did give us a bit of a scare late last month. Our vet observed, during a physical exam, that one of Pepita’s kidneys felt very small. Dr. C ordered an abdominal ultrasound, which confirmed that this kidney is indeed shrunken and shriveled. We suspect that, at some point, Pepita experienced some sort of blockage that cut off circulation to the kidney. The good news is that her renal values are still within the normal range.
In further good news, our girl’s urinary tract infection cleared up, so she is no longer on antibiotics. This is a good thing for her GI system, as antibiotics tend to make her stool loose.
Our staff continually monitors Pepita’s hydration, giving subcutaneous fluids as needed. In addition, Pepita now gets crated overnight so we can ensure she’s eating full meals and maintaining her weight. We’ll recheck her weight weekly going forward, rather than monthly.
All the attention, medical expertise, and love showered on Pepita are only possible through your loving generosity and kindness. Sponsoring an Advanced Needs kitty shows your deep understanding that cats with chronic conditions can have a truly happy life with the right support. Thank you for your boundless love for this particular beautiful feline.
In other Tabby’s Place news, we will soon be launching our annual Linda Fund Matching Challenge. This fundraiser (named for a kitten whose legs were badly burned, but who now thrives in a forever home, 14 years later) helps prepare for cats who arrive in crisis and need extraordinary medical support immediately.
These are the cats in the most hopeless situations, and the Linda Fund allows us to give them hope. If you can, please share the information with your family and friends when you receive it. (Watch your inbox for an email announcement on Monday 8/18.)
Though donations are essential to meeting our mission, so too are our volunteers. This amazing community is dedicated to a myriad of tasks that keep Tabby’s Place running—cleaning, feeding, laundry and dishes, socializing our shy cats, providing stroller rides and enrichment activities to keep the cats active, running various outreach programs, writing sponsor updates, hosting events, and too many administrative tasks to mention.
This past year, our volunteers logged an incredible 33,000+ hours to the work of Tabby’s Place. Though we celebrate these amazing souls throughout the year, we hold a special Volunteer Appreciation picnic in the summer.
Until our next update, Pepita and I send you oodles of love and barrels of thanks for all you do for her and Tabby’s Place!
Your correspondent,
Sheila