Happy New Year, awesome Pepita sponsors!

From Ruby Arche:
“Snow is diamonds for a faery’s feet;

Blithely and bonnily she trips along,
Her lips a-carol with a merry song,
And in her eyes the meaning… Life is sweet!”

Life continues to be sweet for Pepita as we enter the new year and a bit of wintry weather, which, of course, does not keep our girl from the solarium. It was a merry month for our gentle girl, as Pepita received special Christmas gifts in the mail from sponsors—thank you for thinking of her this holiday season! She was predictably delighted by the toys and treats. But, then, Pepita is one of those cats whose default emotion seems to be “delight.” Through all her ups and downs, Pepita remains a source of sunshine.

Happily, she had a sunny month of stable health, too, which delights us all. The vet team here at Tabby’s Place keeps a close eye on all the kitties and ensures that Pepita gets her regular “express” sessions for her bladder, as well as whatever meds are needed to keep her healthy and happy. And all the volunteers are always on the lookout in their interactions with the cats they have come to know so well, for anything that might indicate a health problem. You can be sure they are quick to let the vet team know if any furry baby seems a bit off. We even have special medical issues lists and behavior issues lists to record what we are seeing. Imagine hundreds of volunteers collectively watching out for these precious ones and you now have a sense of the caring community at Tabby’s Place.

All the holiday fun and extra visitors kept Pepita busy, so now she is settling back into a quieter routine, taking in the warmth of the heated pad in the igloo or on the hammocks in the solarium, or on warm laps for those devoted volunteers who make it a point to visit with her every time they are working at the sanctuary.She is also still so happy when paper bags appear that I have now provided a big stack for her use, so she never runs out! I’m sure Abe and Rorschach and Steven are wondering what the great appeal of the bag is; some cats love bags and others won’t have anything to do with them. What we all love about cats is that, like each snowflake, each kitty is different in his or her own beautiful way.

Speaking of beautiful kitties, you may remember when I told you about Rose, a long-time Suite A resident and roomie of Pepita’s. She had a serious ear infection that went into her brain and we almost lost her. She now resides in the lobby, but occasionally visits her pals in the solarium. The great news is that her last visit with the neurologist was excellent. He said that the infection is completely gone and she is totally healed! Yay for Rose!

It is also the month to say “Happy Birthday” to Pepita! Since we aren’t always sure exactly when each cat at Tabby’s Place was born, we use January 1st as each resident’s birthday. If you can believe it, our darling Pepita turned 8 this month! Her sweet personality just gets sweeter with age and she still acts like a kitten in so many ways. We celebrated with some extra treats during my last visit. Of course, her solarium buddies had to join in the celebration and partake of the treats as well! I guess that made a lot of sense, since it was each of their birthdays, too!

Though winter has set in, your love, devotion and support for delightful Pepita keeps her safe and warm, warms our hearts deeply, and gives us the greatest feeling of joy.

The New Year is like a blank book and the pen is in your hands. We wish you the chance to write a beautiful story for yourself. Have an amazing year!