There are no guarantees in this world. For example, there is no guarantee that one of our cherished (ALL OF YOU!) readers won’t win a Nobel Prize in 3 years from now for something accomplished 12 years ago. There is no guarantee that Antin’s fancy new duds, intended to protect his knees, will stay in place (highly unlikely to the point of — nope, they’re off). There is no way to guarantee that all of us will yell, “I’m back!” in perfect unison precisely at 11:28 AM GMT on Thursday, October 12. However, we can stack the deck on that, at least, simply by having so stated herein.
Gauntlet thrown!
Absolutely, there are no guarantees for anything. Importantly, there is the caveat that everything at Tabby’s Place has a positive spin. And, that positive spin is changing the focus of stacking the deck to mean something that is favorable for the entire Tabby’s Place family, rather than the generally negative connotation of “stacking the deck.” Negatives have no business at Tabby’s Place. Not ever. Never. No way. There are no negatives here. Nope. Not any.
So, let’s stack the heck out of this deck. There will still be no way to guarantee that a FeLV+ cat, or any cat for that matter, will live a very, very, very extremely long life. There is no guarantee that any individual cat will be matched with exactly the very most right and perfect forever home. But, no matter what, at Tabby’s Place, we will keep trying. We will always come out ahead.
There are lots of ways to slip the cards around for our hand to come up with four aces. First and foremost, QUINN’S CORNER!!! (As Angela would say, YES, I AM YELLING!!) I could stop there. But, with the grand opening just behind us, it is time to look forward to the next big deal. It is time to go all in on ensuring that FeLV+ cats no longer get a raw deal. Instead, they will have the opportunity to be sheltered and adored, coddled and cuddled, treated, and feted, and loved. They, like Poncey and Andy, will have the chance to be whisked off into forever homes to live their best lives. They, like Trifecta (named for being FeLV+, FIV+, and diabetic) will win big, Big, BIG!
Look at it this way, everybody who doesn’t already love Tortellini will totally love Tortellini! She is a perfect little dumpling that is destined to be a great companion, along with a glass of chianti and a warm fire or a heated blanket. Sure, a phone camera (Mine is notoriously bad!) might have a little difficulty focusing on that fabulous tortie face and might decide that she is ice cream at 127 kcal per 100g. Instead, focusing on delivering every possible ounce of attention to this shy, young adult will be a sure way to hit the jackpot.
And, striking gold is not just for the FeLVs. All of the cats are benefiting from the recent expansion. With the necessary increase in staff and volunteers, there are more hands on deck than ever before. That means there are more skritches and brushes and snuggles for all! More offices for soloists like Rashida and Gator means greater comfort for every cat.
Further, Prescott really cleaned up with the largest Linda Fund matching challenge in Tabby’s Place history. That means cats that we know and love already and cats that we will come to love the very instant we first hear about them will also have a chance to hit it big. There will be all the medical care they need and that is only possible because of the Linda Fund. Ultimately, this will translate into being able to provide socializing and feeding and cleaning and everything else that goes into continued cat care. And, though the primary goal is always adoption into a home, it is also a win to be forever safe in a sanctuary that is a forever home for each and every set of paws that pitter-patters across these floors and our hearts.
Can Tabby’s Place guarantee that every cat adopted will be able to match Tux or Honey as representatives of the superlatively aged? Can Tabby’s Place guarantee that every deserving kitten will be carried off into their happily-ever-after before aging into adulthood? Can Tabby’s Place guarantee that every cat will remain in optimal health every second of forever? While there are no real guarantees in life, Tabby’s Place is all about the positives. So, we hedge our bets and stack the deck in favor of companionship and kindness, comfort and caring. Oh, and at Tabby’s Place, there is actually one, solitary guarantee: Once a Tabby’s Place cat, always a Tabby’s Place cat. You can’t get a better deal than that.