Happy October from the feral 42!
As you’ll recall from last month, this summer/autumn, you’ve helped Tabby’s Place to help 42 cats in a single colony. Forty-two. That’s more cats than Baskin-Robbins has flavors. That’s plenty of cats to fill four baseball teams and then some. That’s enough cats to cast Cats, understudies included.
But as fabulous as 42 changed lives are, let’s zoom in on the precious individuals you’ve touched.
Among those 42 fine felines were eighteen kittens. Despite being feral-born, the majority of these wee ones were trapped young enough to unlearn their parents’ distrust of humans. This means they’d walk a very different, far snugglier road than their ancestors.
But first, there was the matter of mere survival. This was no sure thing for one little grey guy. When he came to Tabby’s Place, Lamar had an unwanted passenger in his itty-bitty nose: a cuterebra (for those with a strong stomach, click here for all the gruesome details). Our staff extracted this nasty larva and nursed Lamar back to health, grateful we’d gotten to him in time to save his life.
Through his weeks of foster care, Lamar (pictured below left) showed us that he was made for greatness. This woolly wonder already knew how to love, and now he’ll have a whole lifetime to practice — he’s already been adopted into a happy home.
“Practice” would mean inching towards perfection for four more sweeties in Lamar’s colony. Pablo, Diego, Emilio and Salsa were a bit older than Lamar, a bit stronger…and a bit further along in their feral education. These darling siblings had gotten the message that humankind is terrifying, and it would be a slow road to proving otherwise.
But even slow roads lead home when lit with love, and so the timid teens learned to trust. Pablo, first to allow a snuggle, was adopted swiftly. Mandarin-orange Emilio and dainty tuxedo Salsa are in the patient foster care of one of our volunteers. And bashful, beautiful Diego (pictured above), exactly the color of a circus peanut, has been adopted by a family that loves him for exactly the shy, sweet soul he is.
Of course, these angels are a cross-section of the 42 felines you’ve helped us to save — themselves just one colony of the many your love is reaching. Every cat has a story, and a soul, and a matchless value — and you’ve got the kind of heart that embraces each one.
Thank you, dear sponsors, for loving our feral cats so faithfully. Your generosity is truly life-saving!