Greetings, dear sponsors,

August was a busy month in the Community Room. I really can’t believe that summer is over and my human children have returned to school. Monthly change is not usually dramatic in the Community Room, but August was particularly busy. I frequently laugh at Tux and his go with the flow attitude. But even Tux experienced some end of summer fluctuation in routine.

As you heard last month, Tux became quite fond of Ginny’s desk chair. So much so that she set up a special chair just for Tux in the corner by her desk so that she could work without continual back strain. The extra chair gets moved around, so Tux and Puzzle now have to share Ginny’s attention. Fortunately, they seem to have figured this out, and Tux seems happy curled up on the table near Ginny’s desk whether Puzzle is there or not. Puzzle seems to enjoy the comfort of a furry friend.

Both Nina and Peep were adopted from the Community Room in August. The change in population seems to have calmed things down a bit. Nina simply did her thing and didn’t bother anyone other than Scoots (who just couldn’t quite figure out what wobbly Nina was all about). However, Peep was rather possessive of her window seats and didn’t always want to share. This was troubling for Sammy, Puzzle, and Tux who are all equally fond of those spots. Window peace seems to be restored now—except when Carley Rose decides it’s her turn to have a look. Hunts moved to Suite B so that Shadow, an older hyperthyroid kitty, could move into the Community Room. Shadow appreciates the slower pace of life that the Community Room can offer. Meanwhile, Hunts is making friends in Suite B—friends that we hope will get him adopted with a buddy. 

Tux has continued to enchant through our Aged to Purrfection program. He was noted to be excessively lethargic during one visit last month. His attending volunteers said all he wanted to do was sleep on resident laps. Unlike Rose, Carrot, and Pepita, Tux is perfectly content to go from lap to lap and skip the exploration when he has so many adoring fans. After all, he’s an older gentleman too. But looking back on this report, it is clear that our volunteers really do know the cats they help to care for and love. 

It turns out that Tux was in the middle of a flare-up of his oral stomatitis (severe inflammation of the gums). He went back on medication to reduce the inflammation and within a week he was more comfortable and frisky again. This very afternoon he is back to wildly scampering around the room in search of a spot to scratch a post and eventually settle.

The vet team reported that the inflammation in his mouth has gone done quite a bit. There is now only a small area of redness that will be rechecked this week. For now, he will continue on the medication. This isn’t a big deal for Tux since he is on daily medications for his constipation. One additional pill a day isn’t a big deal for a guy that takes everything in stride.

Your correspondent,
Lisa