My dear Sponsors,

It is with the saddest of hearts that I share with you the passing of our boy, Scooter.

This past Friday, Scooter was comfortably lounging in the Suite A solarium when he suddenly went into distress. Luckily, a Tabby’s Place volunteer was near and quickly ran for the vet tech who did everything possible to revive him. Our vet team quickly determined that Scooter had developed pleural effusion (a buildup of fluid in the chest), most likely due to undetected cancer. Realizing that no more could be done to sustain his life, the decision was made to help Scooter pass; which he did, as he did with everything else in life, on his own terms–quickly, quietly and with as little human contact as possible.

Scooter lived comfortably for over eight years at Tabby’s Place. His reputation was his infamous hiss, typically upon eye contact, which echoed from the central cubby that he claimed as his own, in Suite A. Scooter kept many a person at bay with that hiss, intending to warn of his generous personal boundaries but posing no real threat to one’s safety as aggression was not his style.

Scooter’s shy and menacing presence seemed to soften over time, enough that he felt comfortable venturing out from his protective cube. More and more he could be found on the ramp huddled with a handful of his suite-mates. It is here where we saw Scooter’s true self and his unbridled love for his fellow felines emerge.

This shy little boy, whom many avoided as he did them, shined with an infinite love and openness for his feline friends (as you can see at right). There was not a day that passed where Scooter could not be found snuggling, butting heads or sharing the occasional grooming session with the other occupants of the suite. Holding no grudge or judgement, his affections even extended to felines who lashed out at him or misunderstood his inclusive nature.

Scooter’s unconditional love for the other cats seemed to be infections, spreading throughout the suite and quietly creating a blanket of calm in a room comprised of challenging personalities. With a nurturing spirit, he was able to foster an atmosphere of connectedness and family among a ragtag group of displaced cats.

This was the real Scooter and this is his legacy. Whatever his reluctance was to share his affections with humans, it is moot–we loved him all the same, as I believe he loved us as best he knew how. For a heart like Scooter’s does not know how to shun. The little bits of him that he did choose to share with us were precious and will live a lifetime in our hearts.

Thank you for choosing to love Scooter, dear Sponsors, and for sharing this all too short journey with him and me. It has been an honor to write for him and to share his stories with you. He was a very special boy and will be dearly missed.

Since Scooter is no longer with us, we have transferred your monthly sponsorship to another Special Needs cat in need of support. Scooter has passed the baton of your sponsorship to his longtime suitemate Sam. You can meet Sam here, and you’ll receive your first update on this gentle boy in August. Unless we hear otherwise from you, you will receive updates on Sam each month going forward.

However, you may do one of the following:

• Choose to have your sponsorship transferred to support another Special Needs cat of your choice.
  You can see all of our Special Needs cats here.
  If you wish to do this, please contact us by email and let us know your wishes.
• You may choose to discontinue your monthly sponsorship. To do so, please contact us at 908-237-5300 with your request.

We do hope that you decide to continue supporting our cats in need. And, whatever you do, thank you for your generosity to Scooter.