Happy New Year!  Steven and I hope this message finds you enjoying January and that you had a wonderful holiday season.

Steven did not have the happiest of holidays as he is unfortunately still in the ringworm isolation room.  He is being treated and the staff who interact with him every day are giving him tons of love and pets.  Unfortunately,  I haven’t been able to see him at all this month due to the ringworm, so I’ll have to pass along what our amazing medical team has to report:

“Along with the ringworm, Steven has several areas of skin fragility so we are weaning him off of the oral steroid that helps with his GI upset but can also cause skin fragility. As we know all too well at Tabby’s Place, ringworm, which is a fungus, likes irritated and fragile skin. Because of the skin fragility and irritation, we did not want to restrain him or expose his skin to Lyme dip (the ringworm treatment which involves bathing the cat daily).

“We started an oral antifungal medication and began giving him medicated shampoos twice a week. His skin healed to the point where we are now able to give him proper ringworm dips while we continue to be careful about how we restrain him. Steven got his echocardiogram this month which showed that his heart disease has remained stable. He really needs to lose weight as the ultrasound technician had a difficult time getting clear images of his internal organs because of all the thick layers of fat. The excess fat is also constricting his internal organs. The positive side of being in ringworm quarantine is that we can very easily control and modify Steven’s diet.”

So poor Steven is in ringworm isolation and on a diet to boot!  He is such a trooper and I’m sure he is looking forward to being out of this predicament and back in Suite A where he can lounge in his solarium and enjoy his friends.

Tabby’s Place is an exciting place to be this month as we have finally been able to move into sections of Quinn’s Corner.  The only cats in Quinn’s Corner right now are in the staff offices, which are all up and running.  We are moved into the laundry room, dishwashing room, and storage area as well.  It is such a luxurious, state-of-the-art facility!  What fun the volunteers have all had using the new equipment and helping to organize the space.  It is really a dream come true! I will definitely keep you posted as we approach the public Grand Opening later this year.

Steven and I wish you a lovely month.  I’m hoping that next month this update will include the news that Steven is back in Suite A and getting lots of love and snuggles from his many admirers, including me.  We thank you for all that you do for Steven and for Tabby’s Place.  You are truly cherished by us, this month and every month.  Be well.

Your correspondent,
Sue