Happy August, Team TNR!

I hope your summer has been sweet, with little delights landing directly in your path. The cats and I are unanimous: you deserve to be surprised by joy.

After all, you are the face of joy for cats whose days were once dour. People tend to think of trap-neuter-return as pragmatic, and of course they are correct. But you know that TNR is first and foremost a love story.

Nothing less than love could sustain these labors, and summer can be a sticky time for cats in crisis. In the blistering heart of a heatwave, we learned of a needy colony just down the road.

Adult cats and kittens had taken refuge at a power equipment company, seeking shade and sustenance between lawnmowers and excavators. It would take a tenacious love to unearth hope.

But TNR is where love and grit join forces. Thanks to you, suffering was about to yield to sweetness.

Our trappers were not a moment too soon for two tiny tabbies. The littler brother suffered a severe eye infection. His innocent face should have been impish, but it’s hard to be a carefree kitten when survival is a full-time job.

To make matters worse, this brave boy had a wound on his left hind foot, which he curled beneath him in pain. His tail seemed to stop a few inches too short, suggesting an old injury. From his solemn expression, it was clear he remembered it as though it were yesterday.

We are in the business of blissful tomorrows at Tabby’s Place, so we named the little survivor Jelly. His brother Jam kept vigil like a sheltering angel, and we promised the boys their future would be sweet.

Though they are still as delicate as wild raspberries, you’re here with them, restoring their strength day by day.

Our team is working patiently to trap the rest of the colony. The good people at the equipment company are doing everything they can to support our efforts, in a shining reminder that compassion can be found everywhere. I look forward to bringing you an update next month.

Meanwhile, a few miles away, another mother braved the heatwave as best she could. Maggie Mae popped up like a morning glory in one of our colonies, as though she knew where love could be found. (I am convinced there is an intricate switchboard connecting cats and the people they need.)

The moment Maggie made contact with our team, her lonely days came to an end. Nervous but yearning, she trusted the caregivers enough to spill her secret: she had babies in tow.

We would quickly learn that Wiggly and Squiggly were rather … spicy. Their names are no accident, and our intake team has a few puncture wounds to show for it.

But at Tabby’s Place, no one can pluck you from the palm of love’s hand, even if you happen to bite love’s fingers. Fragile kittens and fearful kittens are first and foremost our kittens — and your kittens, since your generosity saved their lives.

Dear sponsors, these precious faces are just five glimpses of the grand novel you are writing. TNR truly is a love story, and you save lives every day of the year.

Thank you for your mighty generosity. I am so grateful you’re part of our Tabby’s Place family!

Love, your correspondent,
Angela