Summer is just around the corner, but Spring has been extra exciting in the Community Room this year. Inside the walls and outside the windows, things are flying. This is highly exciting when you are a cat!
If you’ve paid us a visit this Spring then you’ve met the new “Peep” in town. She’s a torbie, with red highlights. She will probably stick her tongue out at you, but don’t take offense. It’s her natural happy face. Peep loves her pets, but what she loves even more is watching the birds in the window feeder. She’ll chatter from across the room, twitch her tail with excitement, and even try to pounce into the window-glass. She keeps in shape with vigorous tail chasing exercises when the feeder is deserted.
Pixie may have found her forever home, but her window box did not remain vacant for long. Window real estate is at a premium in the Community Room, and Puzzle and Sammy were pre-approved with a substantial down payment. New signage by the window box announced what many of us already knew– “Pixie’s Box” was now “Puzzle and Sammy’s Place.”
And have you heard that our newest paraplegic scooted into Pixie’s spot at record breaking speed? Yes, I’m talking about Scoots! Any void I may have felt with Pixie’s departure was quickly filled to overflowing by Scoots’ insistence that I snuggle her every day I work at my desk. She has a favorite pink bed for afternoon catnaps that now rests on the left side of my workstation, where she is dreaming as I type.
This particular Spring has seen the flourish of two not-so-spring “kittens.” There must be something special in the Community Room fountain of youth and Tux and Impy are both partaking. Between naps on the window perch and checking out cardboard boxes, Tux is frequently spotted playing with a small scratching post. It’s not just any scratcher. This one has a plaid ribbon dangling from its top. Tux finds this irresistible. He’ll come in for a scratch, and then dart away with a chirp. Then he’ll leap from table to floor at lightning speed.
Yet the most beautiful recent metamorphosis in the Community Room is Impy. A long time resident of Tabby’s Place, Miss Impy is quiet, unobtrusive, and easily startled. One lazy afternoon, a new enrichment toy appeared–a motorized butterfly. The rhythmic whirring drew an audience from all corners, and, much to our surprise, Impy emerged from her hiding spot as if by hypnosis. The world around her faded away. She didn’t care who approached, who watched. She simply had to chase that butterfly. Even our executive director, Jonathan, admitted that he’d never seen Impy play before that miraculous day. After nearly fifteen minutes of complete rapture, we turned the toy off–before Impy keeled over from overexertion. Our Impy has emerged from her own cocoon of safety, a beautiful but delicate butterfly.
Impy! How wonderful to hear she is out there playing with abandon. Comfortable naps in warm safe Community rooms is not without charms, but to hear that Impy is out there chasing butterflies – how specially charming. Tabby’s Place, you are the best.