This late summer missive finds last month’s munchkins thriving. The soup kittens, Miso, Borscht, Gazpacho and Chowder, are in robust good health — and, as of this weekend, Chowder is already in his forever home. Likewise, the tiny grey kittens with the extra-rough start to life have made a full recovery, and are growing in leaps and bounds in their foster home. Thank you for your generosity in helping to bring these sweethearts from their feral birthplace to the lap of love.
But time stops for no one, and certainly not for feral felines. Midsummer has brought no shortage of kitties in need — nor of human angels by our side (that means you guys!).
Late last month, we learned of an octogenarian angel just a few miles from Tabby’s Place. This remarkable woman, aptly named Grace, had been lovingly feeding an ever-growing flock of outdoor cats for years. With the help of one of Tabby’s Place’s rescue friends, Lambertville Animal Welfare, Grace learned how to humanely trap the kitties. Tabby’s Place was thrilled to be part of the adventure by providing spay/neuter surgeries, plus medical attention as needed, for 3 adult cats and 3 kittens in Grace’s colony.
Like the awesome elderly gentleman we met last month, Grace adores her outdoor kitties, and was delighted to have them back with her — now altered, so as to prevent future litters. But a few of these feral felines needed a bit of extra help.
One of the adult kitties we spayed, a beautiful torbie named Ginger, was a little wobbly. Make that more than a little; it was immediately apparent that this beautiful girl had cerebellar hypoplasia (CH).
This neurological disorder develops while a kitten is in the womb, as a result of her pregnant mother’s exposure to the distemper virus. The virus attacks rapidly-multiplying cells, including the brain. Cats with CH are born with an underdeveloped cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls motor skills. That means they wobble.
And, oh, did sweet Ginger wobble!
Given her fairly severe case of CH, it was a minor miracle that Ginger had survived outdoors at all. To make matters more astonishing, she’d also had two daughters…and a brand new baby boy, Sammie.
Although Ginger was a loving mama, her lack of coordination was bad news for Sammie. When Sammie was found, he had a gash in his neck. We can only surmise that this was caused by Ginger trying to pick him up — and missing the mark. In the midst of a heatwave with temperatures soaring past 100 degrees, Sammy’s wound was soon occupied by fly larvae (all together now: eeeeuuw!). By the grace of God, he was found just in time. Our medical team gently cleaned Sammie’s wound. Thanks to swift and stellar treatment, this bottle baby is now growing up happy, healthy and strong, as you can see below left.
But what about wobbly, wonderful Ginger herself (pictured above)? Given her condition, plus her craving for human snuggles, it wouldn’t be in Ginger’s best interest to return to the outdoors. Once again, a miracle was about to unfold. A CH rescue network based in California learned of Ginger’s plight, and shared her story with a local group devoted to CH kitties. At the start of August, Ginger journeyed to a loving foster home on the Jersey shore.
For Ginger, Sammie and all their kin, the best is yet to come — and that has everything to do with grace, Grace, love and you. Dear sponsors, thank you for changing the world for our feral kitties. Have a beautiful month and know what a blessing you are!