Happy February, Team TNR!

I hope this season of both snow and sweetness is treating you gently.

Late winter is a tender time of year, isn’t it? The weather reminds us that we are as frail as any bird, prone to shiver and get frozen eyebrows if we stand outside too long. Yet the pink glow of Valentine’s Day bears rumors of a love big enough to warm us all.

And then, there are the cats.

You, dear sponsors, carry a precious weight that most of the world knows nothing about. You hear forecasts of blizzards and wailing wind, and your first thought is not stocking up on bread and milk, but, “what will happen to the outdoor cats?”

But you don’t freeze up in the middle of the question. You are the answer.

You are the “yes” that saved Snack Cake, a tough cookie with a melty heart. If not for you, this handsome boy would be navigating snowdrifts at a shuttered prison. When the facility was operating, inmates and employees had compassion for the outdoor cats. Over many years, Tabby’s Place worked with them to trap, neuter, and find placement for them all.

But “all” is a funny word in TNR. And years after the prison closed, cats continue to pop up like snowdrops. Thanks to you, they are all Tabby’s Place cats, even before they know it.

So, when a shy guy with a Phantom of the Opera face turned up in the midst of the polar vortex, we couldn’t wait to warm him up. And thanks to you, Snack Cake did not have to shiver one moment longer than necessary.

True to his name, our new arrival has a sweet and smushy center. He’s a little overwhelmed by all the kindness (and all the songs…my goodness, we do like to sing to our cats around here). But our little wanderer has landed safe on love’s shore, and he’s starting to believe us that he is, truly, our Valentine.

Meanwhile, an old friend named Sassafras is feeling brand new because of you. Adopted years ago as a barn cat, Sass has thrived with a doting family. He is a shining example of how you help us to do what’s best by each cat, treating them as a precious individual.

Often, that means coming indoors to Tabby’s Place. But in other cases, to love a cat means to honor their need for an outdoor life. In that case, we work diligently to pair our beloved ferals with awesome families who will care for them as diligently as they would any indoor cat.

You might say that Sass hit the true love lottery.

But winter brought a dilemma, as Sass’s people prepared to move. They would never leave this cherished family member behind, but they worried that he might not acclimate to indoor life.

That’s where you came in.

Thanks to you, Tabby’s Place has the resources to provide education and training to folks involved at every step of TNR … including this “reverse” step of acclimating a cat to the great indoors!

Happily, Sass is on a fast track to savoring a safe and snuggly life, and he celebrated Valentine’s Day on a cozy couch with the family that will never, ever turn their back on him.

You, dear sponsors, are the valiant Valentines who make this possible. Your eyes are on those cats who others overlook, and your hearts are the hearth where they find warmth in winter.

I can’t thank you enough for your steadfast generosity. On behalf of Snack Cake, Sassafras, and every Tabby’s Place TNR cat, may you have a blessed and cozy February!

Love, your correspondent,
Angela