Happy June, Team TNR!

Isn’t this a hopeful month? It’s as though July through May save up, so June can buy us wild strawberries the size of Toyotas, and daily karaoke contests between bluebirds and finches. Sunlight comes to a crescendo. Sweetness is everywhere.

We can almost glimpse what it’s like to be a cat year-’round.

As long as they feel safe, cats are earth’s ultimate enthusiasts. They make the most of each moment. They do not need a special event to celebrate. Life is juicy with joy.

As long as they feel safe.

That’s a very big “as long as…”

As you and I know too well, for many cats, “feeling safe” is a summer that never arrives. That’s what we’re here for.

And, in the understatement of the year, it’s a very good thing you’re here with us.

Through your generosity, you are the tender hands and tenacious feet on the ground of our largest TNR project in recent memory.

Just as the calendar turned to June, we received news that sent a wintry chill down our spines. A local property was found to have over 40 cats and kittens outside, with more inside.

The primary caregiver had passed away suddenly. Numerous kittens, fragile under the best circumstances, were frail and sickly. Cats flittered around the property like fireflies, their worried eyes studying our faces to determine if we should be trusted.

The situation was dire, calling on our courage and our best resources. Time was not on the cats’ side.

But thanks to you, these little ones and their mothers (and fathers…and aunts and uncles and grandparents…) are not alone in the world.

They were about to encounter something sweeter than summer: love.

In a complex case like this, love wears many faces. The babies need ’round-the-clock care, with trained foster families nursing them back to health. Friendly or ailing adults are coming to Tabby’s Place. Feral friends need to be trapped, neutered, and provided with consistent, steadfast care.

The project is ongoing as I write this update. The costs are high, and your sponsorship is literally saving lives. We are working ’round the clock to ensure that we leave no cat behind in this odyssey.

And, dear sponsors, I’m moved to report that miracles are multiplying.

Kittens like Tissue, pictured here, are reviving before our very eyes, growing strong and leaving the “danger zone” of life-threatening infections.

These resilient babies are so eager to live, you can see it in their determined eyes. Kittens are some of my bravest friends in the whole world. Without any guarantee that their sad days are over, they jump head-first into trusting us.

If you’ve ever held an eight-ounce survivor who gazes at you as though you are the sunrise, you can imagine the weight of this responsibility…and the joy.

It’s astounding how quickly life can go from darkness to light in a month like June.

Dear sponsors, I think of you as June in human form. You love our cats in all their needs, undaunted by the inherent “messiness” of TNR. You are devotion on two legs. You are the reason four dozen cats and kittens will live this summer and far, far beyond.

You are the cats’ heroes, and mine.

I look forward to bringing you news on these friends next month. Until then, may your summer begin with joy and only get sweeter.

With love and gratitude, your correspondent,
Angela