Dear Team Steven,

Exciting news! Steven is jumping for joy!

Through the graciousness of Tabby’s Place’s wonderful family of supporters, this year’s Linda Fund Matching Challenge raised more than $400,000 to support cats who need emergency and specialty care. We can’t thank you enough for your extraordinary generosity!

Tears well up in Steven’s eyes each time he thinks about this — and you. He feels confident that we are prepared to care for the health and well-being of our feline friends with even the most challenging medical needs.

Our staff, donors, and volunteers come through for us in a big, big way, and Steven couldn’t be more thankful. And he is especially thankful for your loyalty each month to ensure he is happy and cared for.

Steven had some days of GI upset this month—no doubt related somehow to his overwhelming preoccupation with food. Mealtimes and treats are something he genuinely enjoys, with very rare exception. Yet he, too, has an occasional bout of “food finickiness” and, as he promised he would do in this month’s update, he’s ready to spill the beans on what that’s all about.

Frankly, some of the reasons for an upturned nose to a lovingly prepared dish are priceless and go far beyond having a refined palate. Here are just some of Steven’s reasons to “Just say no,” and walk away from a meal in indignation:

• “As of this moment, I don’t like chicken. Who knew?”
• “I KNOW Baby’s food is better. I KNOW it.”
• “The vibe is simply off here.”
• “I always listen to The Stray Cats while dining … you know that.”
• “You’re making me feel rushed.”
• “This is NOT my preferred bowl. And it’s facing the wrong way.”
• “Tuna two days in a row? Whatever were you thinking?”
• “You placed the dish far too loudly.”
• “Really, WHY don’t they make mouse-flavored food?”

And on the most finicky occasions — “Let’s be clear: I eat at 5:00 p.m., not 5:01 p.m.”

Fortunately, Steven has been his usual happy-go-lucky self this month, and dining has not been a problem. However, our orange fluffball has a new habit: It seems he’s decided to begin collecting things. Perhaps he’s inspired by all the busy squirrels outside the medical suite’s windows.

One Sunday morning, the staff arrived and found that Steven had assembled a collection of wheels, all lined up in a row next to his bed. These likely came from the clean towel bin in the vet room, but why he’s gathering items that aren’t food is really quite beyond us!

Until next time … thank you for all you do for Steven!

Your correspondent,
Tina