May greetings to you, and to everyone who cares about kittens!

First off, here’s a quick progress report from Tiana, who tells us that for the month of April, 20 kittens went into foster, with 9 kittens born in care, 10 precious babies who were brought to us without a mother, and one more who arrived with her mother.

All newly arrived cats—the kittens, the momcats, and those who need more medical care—are quarantined in our Holding Rooms or go to foster. The quarantine lasts at least 2 1/2 weeks so staff can check for parasites, fungus, and any other health and/or behavior issues that may need to be addressed before they are integrated with the rest of our residents. All this extra-strength TLC is where your generosity is very much appreciated. It would be so much more difficult without your help.

One group of four kittens arrived with beyond-average special needs, and worse, without their mother. All four are black and were named after types of snakes: Boa, Adder, Moccasin, and Mamba.

Tiana is fostering this bunch, and she reports they had severe conjunctivitis and upper respiratory infections, causing difficulty with breathing, eating, and vision; “an all-around rough start” is how she put it. “They needed around-the-clock care… but they’ve improved so much, it’s been incredible watching them start to feel better.”  One of the four is pictured at the left.

Along with that, some more photos from the month past, courtesy of the foster moms:

Starting below with Jupiter, we travel virtually to Neptune, who are both TNR cats.  As a bonus, beneath those pictures are photos from foster mom Jess which show how tiny and vulnerable two of Neptune’s kittens were at that point.

The best was saved for last.  Shelby (who’s shown in the header photo above) arrived pregnant, and shortly after giving birth to four kittens, she was asked to take responsibility for a fifth, little orphaned Rupert. She accepted Rupert as her own without question.  In a moment, more from her and her four kittens (“Five!” she corrects me sharply, “I have five babies!”).  Foster mom Janet adds, “She’s wonderful. It’s amazing to watch how she knows just what to do.”

Thanks to footage provided by their foster moms, here’s a video of some of the little ones you are helping in the Kitten Fund.

In the first part, Donna took video of Soy, Oat, and mother Almond, who watches while they chase each other and wrestle.  That is followed by Janet’s footage of Shelby and her family as they nurse.   Finally, Sasha was trapped in a TNR project, and her foster mom Jill worked diligently to earn her trust. When Jill visited her at Tabby’s Place, Sasha recognized her and responded with purrs.

One more thing before I go… It’s a quick story and, regrettably, it has no accompanying pictures, but I can explain.

During one visit this past month to Suite C, the room designated for kittens at Tabby’s Place, I looked down and spotted tuxie Uni on the floor. She was framed perfectly in the arch of a small scratching post, but before I could raise the camera to my eye, she leaped up, hopped onto my left leg, ran up its full length and looked me square in the eye for a long second.

Just as quickly, she made a 180-degree turn and dashed back down to the floor. From there, she went up again, but this time springing onto the sink before climbing into the bowl and twisting around its smooth surface.

I watched it all with a big smile on my face, and even if I didn’t get a photograph of any of it, I did get a memory worth keeping.

Until next month, wishing you good memories and all good things,

Your correspondent,
John