Happy July, Team TNR!
Whether you read these words from sticky New Jersey or snowy Chile, I hope happiness is hugging you tight. (It will never cease to dazzle me that our cats are cherished on both sides of the equator, and across six continents. But, Antarctica, we’re still waiting on you.)
July is jumping at Tabby’s Place, but our busy “vacationers” are all of the wee-and-whiskered variety. For free-roaming cats in the northern hemisphere, toasty temps mean madcap mating. Once again, kitten season is at its fever pitch, and it’s our call to be the “catchers” on duty.
Last month, you met new niblets Chuck and Norris (the latter a little lady), born in one of our TNR colonies. But these sweet siblings are just two sprinkles on a colossal ice cream cone. At one point in June, Tabby’s Place was home to 39 kittens!
If you wonder how a sanctuary sized for 100 cats accommodates 39 kittens, the answer is “angels.” Yes: the skies around Tabby’s Place are thick with angels, in the form of tireless, tenacious, tenderhearted volunteers, willing to open their hearts and homes to foster families of kittens, surrendering serenity and sanity (but gaining gigantic joy) in the process. Even Chuck Norris would bow before these heroes, knowing he was in the presence of greatness.
Each summer, we host a virtual “kitten shower” to showcase our littlest adoptees, and the shindig never fails to lasso hearts. I’m elated to report that a great many of our kittens have been adopted in recent weeks (including all four of Peekaboo‘s babies, pictured here; Mama Peek has been returned to the safe keeping of her loving colony caretakers).
Just think of all the little luminaries who will grow up cherished, galloping through the years safe and happy. This is all only possible thanks to you!
But right now, it’s only possible for us to handle so many kittens, especially fragile newborns. Even with a flock of angels to bottle-feed our babies, space is ultimately limited. And that’s where Quinn’s Corner comes in.
As you know, our new expansion — set to open sometime later this year, and you’d better believe I’ll invite you to the Grand Opening! — will be a haven for the most vulnerable cats of all: sweethearts with feline leukemia virus (FeLV). But right at the heart of Quinn’s Corner, you’ll find a rollicking, frolicking hub of happiness: a nursery for fragile neonatal kittens, and an adjacent “romper room” for feline toddlers.
When we designed Quinn’s Corner, we realized we would have a space for something very special, and we collectively yelled “kittens!” (Well, we may not have yelled, but we were very excited. Then again, we’re very excited very often at Tabby’s Place.) Newborn kittens are among the most under-served, delicate members of the wider feline family, and most shelters simply can’t handle the level of care they need.
Tabby’s Place can, but we wanted to do even better, and welcome even more, of these courageous cuties. And so, our kitten nursery will be a kingdom of kindness for the wee ones, the needy ones, the ones who need us most.
And you, dear sponsors, will be right here to nurture them beside us. Many of our kittens come from our TNR work, and all of them will bloom in the sunshine of your love.
Everything — the tiger lilies, the expansion, the joy — is blooming right now. But it isn’t all kittens, of course. TNR takes us on travels we could never predict, and June’s journeys brought us deep into the hearts of MJ and The Mushroom.
(This is not a new punk-bluegrass band, although it could and should be.)
Often, in the course of “normal” TNR work, we’ll pluck a feline flower so friendly, we know his or her outdoor days are over. That was the case for two recent ramblers. Calico Mary Jane, scarcely larger than a lily herself, was wriggly and worried but undeniably warmhearted. At only five months of age, MJ deserved a chance to dip her tricolor toes into the indoor life. One of our selfless staff members, Jae, agreed to socialize Mary Jane at home. Sure enough, love made a convincing enough argument that Mary Jane jumped off the diving board, leaving the land of fear for the home of hugs. You won’t be astonished to hear that, today, Mary Jane is getting her hugs in a forever home of her own.
And that’s exactly our hope for The Mushroom. A newcomer to one of our established colonies, mush-hearted Morel was no feral, and we don’t expect he’ll be a long-term guest at Tabby’s Place, either. (I can neither confirm nor deny that Morel is so marvelous, one of our staff members is daydreaming about adopting him.)
Yes, sweet sponsors, Tabby’s Place is jumping, from the littlest beans to the most fun guys (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Your generosity means you’re leaping and loving right here with us, powerfully present every time we care for every one of our residents.
My heart is jumping for joy.
Thank you for making this summer a season of hope for all our cats, dear ones. May the sun smile upon you and remind you of your own warm heart! We love you!
Your grateful correspondent,
Angela