Dearest Friends,
Season’s greetings y’all! With 2020 coming to an end, your li’l black and white furry southern kitty is in a very sentimental mood. Sometimes I cannot say it enough: thank you for being by my side 365 days a year, especially during a year that turned our world upside down. My heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted by COVID-19. I truly believe that if we stick together and show each other kindness, we can make it to the other side—from darkness to light.
How do I picture the future? I see a beautiful world without masks, social distancing, and the need for quarantine—when things are truly safe. I picture greeting loved ones and friends with big hugs and kisses, and spending holidays, graduations, and special occasions together. Restaurants are open for inside dining and you can go to the movies and order a giant bucket of popcorn with butter dripping down the side, board an airplane, browse the mall, hear the happiness in the voices of friends who finally got jobs… the possibilities are endless. Let’s imagine this together.
In my Tabby’s Place world, I see the front lobby doors opening to streams of visitors for tours, adoptions, and to give us cats lots of love. If I shut my eyes, I can picture the amazing special events at Tabby’s Place: the Kitten Shower & Adoption Events, Chip or Treat, Thanksgiving with the Cats, TNR classes, and new volunteer training.
I see myself in a stroller headed to visit with my dear senior friends in the Aged to Purrfection program, I can’t wait! I help the event team pack the merchandise bins and event supplies they need to bring to community events, and wait for them to return to Tabby’s Place and tell me about all the nice people that stopped by our table at the event. My Grandma always told me to “dream it, and it will happen.”
Recently Tabby’s Place celebrated one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving with the Cats. This year the event was live-streamed on Facebook so that we could gather with our Tabby’s Place community. Rebecca and Jae are wonderful staff members who ran the event, fed us cats yummy turkey, and shared the wonder of Tabby’s Place and us cats. Questions and comments were answered live. When I finished my turkey, I helped my correspondent answer questions. I was so touched that people made donations during the event. Next year my li’l paws are crossed that we will celebrate the event in person, and you can feed me lots of turkey—I think I might fancy trying some stuffing!
It has been a very challenging year for Tabby’s Place. Our doors were never shut to cats who needed help. I enjoy my time at the lobby doors sending some “Rose happiness” to the kind people who drop off donations. Cotton and I are a donation tag team. He inspects the toy donations (so he can get first pick), and I focus on the food and treat donations.
My “dual residency” in the lobby and Suite A is wonderful. My correspondent visited me in the suite during dinnertime. Since I am the only cat who is given “non-G.I.” food for dinner, I dine solo in my crate. That way no one eats food that could hurt their tummy. I am pretty sure my suite A pals know that I have the “good food.” When I am eating, I feel like I am in a shark frenzy—LOL! Back in the lobby my correspondent was working at the reception desk, looked up, and saw me by the candy dish. No worries, candy is bad for cats, I was rubbing the lollypop stick. She cannot figure out how I get on the counter. “Rose magic”— that’s my story and I am sticking by it!
My health report this month was “busy.” I developed a mild case of conjunctivitis and a few coughing episodes which resolved themselves without the need for medical intervention. As you may know, urinary tract infections (UTI) are common for incontinent special needs cats such as me. I had a UTI this month and lost a little weight, so the vet staff has me on an antibiotic and is monitoring my weight and appetite. Looking forward to 2021 as the year of good health for both of us!
Thank you for being there for me every minute of every day. Enjoy your holidays this month, and may you be surrounded by happiness and love every day of the new year. Sending you eggnog whisker kisses!
Love,
Rose
(With help from your correspondent, Ilene)