Before the Perseid meteor showers…
Before the release of Pete’s Dragon…
Before the beginning of the end of the political season…
…the 2016 Linda Fund Matching Challenge at Tabby’s Place will come to an end.
That’s right, me hearties: we’re barreling towards July 31st, your last chance to have your donation doubled this year. You do not want to miss this. If it comes down to it, it would be better for you to miss More Herbs Less Salt Day.*
The time to act is now. The lead actor is you.
The reasons to act? I’m glad you asked.
Exhibit A: Anneke. If every Tabby’s Place cat celebrates her birthday on January 1st (and she does), and birthdays mean swag (and they do), Anneke got a peculiar present for the big 1-4. Our gentle girl kicked off 2015 with agony-ending, likely life-saving back surgery (spinal laminectomy lumcrosacral, to get all highfalutin about it).
Like any good gift, this 14th birthday bonanza came with accessories: an abdominal ultrasound, anesthesia, blood work, emergency abdominal surgery for a perforated stomach ulcer, intensive care, MRIs and radiographs (ya know, to accessorize the gift bag).
Anneke’s birthday blessing came courtesy of the Linda Fund. Today, our placid girl lopes through the lobby pain-free. But, no Linda Fund, no Anneke.
Exhibit B: Melanie. Cats generally do not do trends (ever seen a kitten in an off-the-shoulder top and leggings?). But, mellow Mel couldn’t help but follow fellow teen queen Anneke into back-surgery territory.
Just a few months after the Linda Fund saved Anneke from pain, Melanie was likewise mended. Once again, the Linda Fund was the life-giving fuel of mercy.
But the Linda Fund isn’t just about old ladies and their achin’ backs. Which brings us to Exhibit C: Hope. Big-eyed little Hope had to grow into her name, because she arrived at Tabby’s Place fixin’ to die.
It would take extensive blood work, intensive care, radiographs and oxygen cage treatment to get our little tiger thriving. Fortunately, the Linda Fund is there for the young as well as the old.
If you’ve sauntered through the Tabby’s Place website at all recently, you’ve already met Exhibit D: Riley. Even Catster couldn’t resist this miracle man’s charms. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men probably couldn’t have put shattered Riley back together again…but the emergency vet could.
A siege of surgeries, nine weeks of intensive care and cage rest…and Riley was ruler of his domain again. If you didn’t know this righteous dude had survived the scarcely-survivable, you wouldn’t know.
Once again: no Linda Fund, no healing.
But, because of youze guyze, we live in a world where the Linda Fund is a big, sparkling YES. Every year, more cats come to us; every year, the “yes” needs to be bigger and brighter.
And so, every day between now and July 31st, you have the chance to keep the fire burning.
These cuties are, of course, just a smattering of the many cats loved back to health through the Linda Fund. Thank you, blazing souls, for saving our exquisite feline “exhibits” — and every cat who will need us in the months and years to come.
*Which you should, needless to say, make every effort to celebrate.
We are trying the more herbs less salt plan here in Peanut territory – rolling in the catnip even as we speak. The family that nips together naps together. Here’s hoping the Linda Fund goes OVER THE TOP!