Happy October, Team TNR!
I’ve always shared Anne of Green Gables’s sentiment, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” I hope that, even in this most peculiar year, this most magical month is wrapping your world in warmth and golden light.
“Warmth and golden light” — that’s a good overview of our dream for every Tabby’s Place cat, whether under our roof or in one of our colonies. And, this month, thanks to you, that dream is coming true left and right.
You’ll recall darling mama Disney and her munchkins Mickey, Minnie and Daisy from their arrival this summer. Well, I am over-the-Harvest-Moon with joy to report that all four members of this precious family are thriving and happy.
Like so many other Tabby’s Place cats and kittens this year, Disney’s “ducklings” benefited from our experiment with virtual adoptions. Interested families got to “meet” the little ones via videoconference. You’ll be less than shocked to know that those interested families were quickly smitten. When it came time to bring their babies home, it was a streamlined, largely touchless procedure, in which the adopters didn’t even need to enter the building.
That’s all good news for humans trying to navigate our first global pandemic. But, of course, all the kittens care about is a lifetime guarantee of infinite cuddles. That’s just what they’ve found, a far cry from the cold and lonely life they might have known otherwise. I can’t thank you enough for making this possible for little Daisy, Mickey and Minnie.
But what of mama Disney?
Our brave, beautiful tabby had our hearts from the day she arrived. But, in all honesty, the reverse was never true. Disney was devoted to her little ones, pouring her love and her life and all her courage into keeping them safe. According to the family’s human foster mom, this courage translated into hisses and growls at any human who dared approach the kittens. Much as we wanted to lavish her with cuddles and to return the affection she’d given her babies, Disney had no interest in our attention. As the kittens grew, so did Disney’s anxiety at being confined.
So, when the time came, we did the most loving thing we could for one of the most loving mamas we’d ever met.
Safe, spayed, and sheltered by a loving family, Disney returned to the life she adored: outdoors, but this time with the medical care and supervision she’d need to thrive, kitten-free, for the rest of her days. Disney’s family reports that she is once again frolicking and delighting them with her outdoor antics. I believe she loves them, too, and shows it through her joy.
The future is brighter than a pumpkin for one feral-born family, and it’s all thanks to you, dear sponsors. This merry month and always, in good times and bad, you are here for the cats who most of the world forgets. Know that I will never forget your kindness, your goodness, and your generosity.
Have a blessed and beautiful month!
Your correspondent,
Angela