Happy July, Team TNR!
I hope this update finds you as peaceful as a kitten in a sunbeam.
You are such a force of good in our cats’ lives, dear sponsors. I know how busy you are, shining your light everywhere you go. Yet it’s my wish for you that summer will offer a chance to take a deep breath and receive the sweetness you so richly deserve.
Thanks to you, a certain shy girl is savoring the sweetest days of her life. You’ll recall last month’s new arrival Marmalade, a dainty senior trapped on the grounds of a prison. Her name may not match her tweedy brown-and-white coat, but Marmalade’s spirit is as neon as any orange.
In just a month’s time, our bashful lady has gone from burrowing under blankets to claiming her place in the picture window. Living in the Tabby’s Place Community Room, she is enfolded in love at all times, as staff and volunteers are always near.
Then there are her four-legged neighbors, the friendliest feline delegation in all of Tabby’s Place. As Marmalade takes in this sumptuous spread of kindness, we see her growing more relaxed. I can’t imagine how long it had been since this brave little granny felt safe, but this is her summer … because you are her people.
Of course, being Team TNR means loving each cat in their own dialect. You are Trinket and Tchotchke’s people, too, and they have made their “love language” loud and clear.
As you’ll remember, these timid friends came to us from one of our longtime colonies, both suffering from painful conjunctivitis. Throughout their treatment and recovery, our staff has loved them gently, extending the paw of friendship without forcing Tchotchke and Trinket to be anyone other than themselves.
This is, after all, the Tabby’s Place way: whatever ragged road you may have walked, whatever you may need to feel your worth, whatever will restore the light to your eyes and the song to your heart, you will have.
It is all about dignity, respect, and being fully alive.
In the case of lifelong outdoor cats like Trinket and Tchotchke, love looked like a triumphant return to their colony. Fully healed and happy as bluebirds, the brother and sister were running free in time for Independence Day. And, as Tabby’s Place cats, they will gallop and rejoice under the watchful eye of our caregivers — all thanks to you.
But perhaps the sweetest summer celebration belongs to the “Shop Girls.”
You may recall that last summer’s momentous two-colony rescue brought over 160 cats into our care. Most of these brave survivors went on to be adopted or to settle into Tabby’s Place. From the start, they adored one another, and any cats they met. (For instance, they welcomed Trinket with exuberance, often putting her at the center of their cuddle pile during her stay with us.)
Most of our colony cats have gone on to trust us. Yet there remains a shy subset who have never felt fully comfortable around people. So when a remarkable family came along seeking four cats to live in their magnificent barn/shop, we knew love was up to something special.
When it comes to barn homes, we are particularly … well, particular. We love our feral cats no less than the snuggle-bugs, and we will not adopt them to any context we don’t feel is better for them than Tabby’s Place itself (quite a high bar!).
The setting must be safe, and the caregivers loving and devoted. Our staff, and particularly our Behavior Team, are involved hands-on in settling the cats into their new barn home.
Well, suffice to say these adopters were everything we could have dreamed of … and now Tetris, Sorrel, Georgia, and Coraline have their very own slice of heaven. Their smitten family nicknamed them “The Shop Girls,” and they report that all four ladies are doing fabulously.
It’s all because you give so generously, dear sponsors.
Thank you for treasuring each of our TNR cats for the unique miracle they are. Love is never one-size-fits-all. You make it possible for every Tabby’s Place cat to get a custom “crown” of kindness.
And as far as the cats and I are concerned, you rule!
With gratitude and boundless love,
your correspondent,
Angela