Dear Team TNR,

Do you feel a bit breathless this July? There’s a reason for that. You have been exceptionally busy. Your love has been galloping non-stop.

Your generosity is a mighty force every month at Tabby’s Place. But it’s safe to say that your gifts have never worked harder before than in this unforgettable summer.

In a very real way, you are right here beside us as we continue to trap, neuter, and tenderly care for the many (many, many) cats of a large and sickly colony. With due respect to Paris and its pole vaulters and gymnasts, this is love’s Olympic Games.

And you, sweet sponsors, are handing out the gold medals of life itself. You are the face of summer for cats who have endured a long and ragged winter.

Summer looks like Nirvana, a wiry, wary boy who eluded our best trappers for weeks. Just when we thought we were closing in on him, Nirvana would vanish like a firework in the sky. Much as we admired his ability to turn into clouds and fog, we all lay awake worrying about the grey-and-white illusionist. Nirvana was clearly suffering a severe upper respiratory infection, and his knobby knees knocked with hunger.

Yet Nirvana’s poor condition had not prevented him from certain…accomplishments. As we rescued weary pregnant cats like Sorrel, we saw evidence of a knotty family tree. This is Tabby’s Place, not a daytime talk show, so we’ll not be doing any paternity tests … but take a look at Sorrel’s baby boy Fennel and see if you don’t notice an unmistakable family resemblance.

Fennel is growing into his ears, in the matchless care of foster-angel Drew. As one of Tabby’s Place’s veterinary technicians, Drew is the ultimate foster mom for both the kittens and mama Sorrel. ‘Round the clock, she vigilantly cares for the newborns and their anxious mother. She loves them as her own, as though they were the first, last, and best cats in the world. Exhaustion and heartbreak cannot separate them from her love.

Not even death can break such a bond.

Sorrel’s smallest son, Dill, slipped away in the night, and the tears flowed freely. Words cannot capture how quickly love takes root. We take comfort knowing that this innocent infant knew the sunshine of a home. You were there with him, dear sponsors.

You are with Fennel, Chive, and Sorrel as they thrive. Your warm hands enfold every cat and kitten from this project. They feel your soft kisses on their foreheads, and they grow strong on the good food and exceptional medical care you are providing.

And on the day a certain gentleman stepped out of the fog, you were there.

That’s right: we finally trapped Nirvana.

The tattered tom is our treasure now, and we expect him to make a full recovery from his infection. He is bewildered by our love, but he will have all the time and tenderness he needs. It is one of life’s greatest astonishments to find oneself adored. It takes time to take it all in.

Meantime, the work continues. Your strong hands are on ours as we care for Shakira, barely out of babyhood and about to give birth to four kittens. She is sweeter than cinnamon despite all that she’s seen, and all her lyrics will be love from here on out. Your compassion is here, gently changing Ms. Frizzle’s bandages, as the tuxedo teen recovers from a severe wound to her neck. She is stronger than her size might suggest, and mercy has the wheel of her life.

Your kisses cascade on every kitten, trembling until they take a good look around and realize that fear has fallen silent, and life has just begun. Take a good look at Wybie and Bobinsky, who arrived on the brink of death, and you will see what your love has done. These sickly newborns are now thunderous toddlers, slaphappy clowns who cannot remember a day they were not adored. Their foster mama, Grace, is yet another hero whose hands deliver your kindness.

It is summer in more ways than one.

I have always thought of July as a second January. The days are at their longest, as though the sun has its eyes wide open. It is a second act and a second chance for the still-young year.

It is truly love’s Olympics here at Tabby’s Place, and your devotion is the flame that never goes out. When this year is over, we will never forget how you changed the world forever. Thank you for treasuring these innocent cats with all your strength, beloved sponsors.

Much love, your correspondent,
Angela