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3rd Quarter 2018 Tabby’s Place® Newsletter 16.3 A SANCTUARY New Beginnings New Beginnings: Jonathan Angela Hartley, Development Director He looks like a magical mop. He acts comes by his confusion honestly. like he just landed on this planet. Since coming to us, he’s gone from He’s Jonathan…and we’re smitten. lonely days of hunger to a ceaseless Rescued from neglect, Jonathan smorgasbord of snacks and snuggles. Our five-pound phenomenon may be a bit confused (how does the cat fountain work, anyway?), but don’t let his perpetually-dripping beard mislead you: Jonathan knows some things for certain. He’s found the happiness of his life at Tabby’s Place, and this new world has put a sprightly spring in his elderly step. Jonathan loves holding court in the Elderly and afflicted with polycystic Tabby’s Place lobby kidney disease, a serious condition common among Persians, Jonathan for making it possible. will need stellar care to continue Are you smitten with Jonathan, thriving. We’re giddy to have him too? Click here to become his Jonathan with us – and ever so grateful to you sponsor.

Age of Number The Age of Adoption Adoption of This quarter, let’s take a look at the ages <12 Months 450 (57%) at which our cats have been adopted over 1 Year 67 (9%) 2 Years 34 (4%) the past five calendar years*. Young or old, Age 0-4 3 Years 37 (5%) home-going day always comes right on 4 Years 39 (5%) 627 adoptions 5 Years 37 (5%) time. – A.H. 6 Years 29 (4%) 80% 7 Years 16 (2%) 8 Years 11 (1%) 9 Years 15 (2%) 10 Years 14 (2%) 11 Years 6 (1%) 12 Years 11 (1%) 13 Years 7 (1%) Age 5-9 14 Years 3 (<1%) 108 adoptions 15 Years 1 (<1%) 16 Years 4 (1%) 17 Years 1 (<1%) 14% 18 Years 2 (<1%) 19 Years 1 (<1%)

Age 10-14 Age 15-19 Total Adopted 41 adoptions 9 adoptions At age 15, Diaz can still find Cats: 785* a forever home 5% 1% *08/29/2013 - 08/29/2018

Why Are Cats Fearful Stray Why I Foster Kittens Happy Linda Fund What’s Inside? 2 So... Weird? 3 or True Feral? 4 Forever Loved 5 Endings 6-9 Champions Why Are Cats So…Weird? We’ve seen a lot of funny busi- are coated in such tasty substanc- ness in fifteen years of saving cats es as cornstarch, stearates, or at Tabby’s Place. We’ve had cats gelatin. In addition, the crinkle of who eat cardboard, cats who catch plastic excites cats’ urges to hunt lizards in the solarium, and at least and play. More seriously, some a half-dozen cats who cuddle up in cats chew non-food items due to sinks. anxiety, boredom or underlying You’ve surely loved cats who do medical problems. Always prevent delightfully daft things, too. Let’s see your cat from chewing plastic, and if we can make sense of some feline consult your vet. : • Look like Elvis after sniffing Why do cats… something? Your cat isn’t sneer- Yes, cats are wonderfully weird - • Sit in sinks? Cats may enjoy ing at you; he’s allowing air to and CornPop says, embrace it! the cooling effect of sitting on a travel through the vomeronasal socks…but she’s probably espe- smooth ceramic (or stainless steel, organ, located between his mouth cially excited about the scent. Our at Tabby’s Place) surface. Your and nose, which has receptors feet carry a high concentration of savvy kitty may also realize that for pheromones. This is called sweat, and, therefore, scent, and you spend a lot of time over the the flehmen response. Scent is of cats find familiar odors comforting. sink, and place herself there to lap the utmost important to cats, and In addition, your cat can deposit up your attention. Many cats enjoy they’re spectacularly equipped her own scent by rubbing and the sense of security they find in to analyze it carefully; while dogs playing with an object, reclaim- an enclosed space (like a high- have only 9 types of receptors in ing your socks with her personal sided bed or cardboard box), and the vomeronasal organ, the aver- smell. a sink makes a cool “cup” of com- age cat has 30. • Run after using the litter box? fort. • Roll back and forth? This one Some believe cats flee the litter • Chew plastic bags? Many bags was intriguing enough to inspire a box at cheetah speed as a survival formal study at Cambridge. Scien- instinct, so predators can’t track tists found that most rolling takes the odor back to the source. It’s place in the context of mating, but also possible that relieving herself your spayed or neutered housecat gives your cat a burst of energy, is likely rolling as a form of sub- or that she simply feels good after ordinate behavior. Rolling reveals “going.” your cat’s deep trust in you, but • Stare at nothing in particular? it’s likely not a request for a tummy No one, absolutely no one, knows. rub – though it may be an invita- Stuff you already know but we tion to play. have to say anyway: None of this • Jump sideways (“Halloween is intended as medical advice, and cat”)? Cats arch their backs, fluff you should always your vet up the fur on their spine, and Greyson is one of several sink if your cat’s behavior changes or bounce towards other kitties – or afficionados at Tabby’s Place seems distressing. —A.H. you! – in order to look larger. Nothing is cuter than a two- pound kitten playing “Scary Cat,” attempting to intimidate her playmate, but this is actu- ally natural body language. With nearly 60 vertebrae (compared to our 34), cats can arch their spines dramatically high for this move. • Carry socks? Your little preda- tor may enjoy the texture of your Leah is her reliable rival Trillian’s rolling is joyful and jumbo Page 2 Tabby’s Place Newsletter 16.3 | 3rd Quarter 2018 Ask the Behaviorist Fearful Stray or True Feral? Nancy Meyer, Feline Behavioral Consultant, Benefactor, Adopter & Volunteer Before beginning to socialize a time. When caught in a trap, a stray scared feline friend, we must under- cat can be terrified and “act feral.” stand the difference between “stray” In contrast, a feral cat is not so- and “feral” cats. cialized to humans. She has never This is not a black-and-white had contact with humans, or has distinction, and cats can fall any- not had such contact in that all im- where along a spectrum. But, for the portant window of time before eight purposes of this article, we’ll adopt weeks of age. As little as five min- the following definition: a stray cat utes of handling per day from two to had a home but is now lost eight weeks of age can make a feral- or abandoned. She is socialized to born kitten a candidate for living a humans and usually can be reintro- happy life indoors, but most adult fe- duced to an indoor home success- rals will be miserable living indoors. Carrot was found as a stray in fully. But, it can take some time and They are best suited to Trap-Neuter- City, but there’s nothing feral about him patience for a stray to make that Return (TNR) programs. tact, both signs of openness to a transition, especially if she has been Key differences in behavior and friendly interaction. living outdoors for a long period of body language can help us deter- mine whether an outdoor cat is stray 4. Feral cats generally don’t vocalize or feral: and tend to move around mainly at night. Stray kitties might purr or 1. A feral cat won’t approach meow and are seen mainly during strangers, but might approach a the day. familiar caretaker. A stray might approach people more gener- 5. Feral cats are accustomed to liv- ally and feel comfortable in close ing outdoors and generally have proximity to a house. a clean appearance (they know how to take care of themselves 2. A feral might be part of a colony outdoors). A stray can look un- of cats; a stray cat might travel kempt. alone. 3. A feral cat does not exhibit In our next issue, we’ll explore friendly body language. She will how best to socialize a fearful feline. avoid eye contact and slink along the ground, trying to stay unno- Recommended Reading: Grey Poupon is scared... ticed. A stray cat might hold her Feral and Stray Cats – An Important Difference, Alley Cat Allies but is he truly feral? tail high while making eye con-

Love Now, Give Later Your love for cats transcends years ahead. You can plan today to time. There will never be a day when make sure you leave a legacy that you don’t want to do everything you shows what matters most to you. can to help cats in need. And by Estate gifts are generally the working with Tabby’s Place, you can most significant, life-saving dona- make sure you’re always here for tions Tabby’s Place receives. Please the kitties. plan to leave a legacy of compas- By including Tabby’s Place in sion. The cats are counting on you your estate plans, you can ensure for love beyond this lifetime. Contact that your love will last beyond your Development Director Angela Hartley lifetime. A few simple plans now can at [email protected] or 908-237- You can plan now to nurture cats like save hundreds of cats’ lives in the 5300 ext 235 for more information. Anka for decades to come

Tabby’s Place Newsletter 16.3 | 3rd Quarter 2018 Page 3 Why I…Foster Kittens Susan McGee, Volunteer Fostering is like being a grand- household cat karma. parent. You get all of the fun stuff As a foster parent, you will build with a fraction of the responsibility. your animal care skills. During my Tabby’s Place is like the parent. assignments, I’ve learned how to ad- When you pick up the “kids,” they minister subcutaneous fluids, manu- give you the playpen, the baby food, ally “potty” and bottle-feed kittens, and all the supplies you need. Then and even assist a mama cat during you get to get to spoil these ador- labor. The Tabby’s Place staff usually able creatures and return them later. has more confidence in my ability Think about it. With the sad real- than I do, and welcomes me at the ity of cat overpopulation, where else examining table, where I get to live can you indulge in the fun of tiny out my veterinarian fantasies. I find kittens in the comfort of your own it fascinating, and it helps demystify home? Or how about the challenge what happens when my own cats of a reticent tween, or the gratitude are at the vet. Talia and Bernadette - er, half of of an elderly sweetheart, with no People ask me how I get any- Bernadette strings attached? Plus, since you thing done when I have fosters, the giving goes two ways. Whenever keep them separate, you don’t have especially kittens. Well, sometimes I a staff member thanks me profusely to worry about rattling your existing don’t. Often, my “to do” list takes a for my time spent fostering, I smile back seat, and that’s okay. and reply, “You’re welcome.” But There is something spiritually there’s always a quiet voice inside uplifting about fostering. Caring me saying, “No, thank you!” for your kitties requires dedicated time spent in a closed-off room. It forces you to step away from the fast pace of your life and spend quiet time with cats. I would argue the benefits rival those of yoga, medita- tion and therapy. Of course, I love cats and want to help out Tab- Talia welcomes her fifth by’s Place. But after I start- kitten into the world ed hosting kitties, I realized Talia and her tiny treasures Forever Loved: Jackie Jonathan Rosenberg, Founder & Executive Director It would be impossible to over- risking injury, for felines and humans. estimate the place of Jackie at But, this is Tabby’s Place, so we Tabby’s Place. She arrived in 2006. loved Jackie. You had to admire a Tabby’s Place was three years old. girl who did not mellow as she aged, Jackie was four. despite acquiring arthritis, diabetes From the beginning, Jackie was and mammary cancer in her later a force to be reckoned with. She years. Her “disabilities” did not stop was a hefty girl who did not “suffer her from enjoying a bite during her fools gladly.1” And, Jackie seemed daily insulin injections. to think all beings were fools. She Over the years, Jackie set sev- surrounded herself with an invisible eral records: force field. Crossing this field meant continues on the next page Jackie Page 4 Tabby’s Place Newsletter 16.3 | 3rd Quarter 2018 continues from the previous page But, death finally summoned the nerve to approach her, and she faded • Longest resident (12 years) quickly. When she stopped biting • Bit every employee at least once us, we knew it was time2. She went • Was a resident of every available peacefully, surrounded by the love room (we moved her as her needs (and respect) of many friends and and medical condition changed) fans. Jackie barreled through her dis- I still find it hard to believe the eases with barely a falter. Even two old war horse is gone. I still see her surgeries for mammary cancer did swaggering around. I will miss her not slow her down. Within hours of forever. each surgery, she was eating like a ______champ and showing her characteris- 1 A phrase coined by St., Paul in his Sec- tic irascibility. She was, in the words ond Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter of our Senior Vet Tech, Denise, a 11. It is a common phrase meaning to tol- erate to people who you think are stupid. ”rock star.” 2 This is only a slight exaggeration. Jackie at her most “robust” Happy Endings: Mona Mona first came to Tabby’s mates were adopted, Mona waited, Place in a time before Snapchat, and waited, and waited. Stranger Things and Frozen. The History has proven that “forever” world has changed a great deal was worth the wait. since 2011, but one pastel tortie has Mona’s new mom was spe- quietly bided her time, growing wiser cifically seeking an FIV+ cat. She and sweeter over seven-plus years. writes: We never imagined it would take “I came into Tabby’s Place look- so long for Mona to find her forever ing for a friend for Beau, because home. Although she had feline im- he seemed lonely. Mona has defi- Mona cuddles up in her munodeficiency virus (FIV), the quiet nitely made a difference for him. forever home cat with the downy-soft coat was He doesn’t feel the need to meow wasn’t there during the day. Mona beautiful inside and out, a fount of as much when I’m home, and doesn’t need as much human at- gentleness in our often-rowdy FIV+ he’s not as ‘needy’ at night. It was tention, but loves cat attention, so Suite. But as many of her room- nice to be needed, but I felt bad I she’s a good match for Beau.” As for Mona’s life of love, things are sunny-side up: “Mona loves sitting in the window sill and will sometimes fall asleep in the sunlight. She and Beau will often fall asleep together at the foot of the bed. And she never stops requesting licks from Beau. She’s started rolling around on the mats in the kitchen to stretch and scratch, which is cute.” Mona made off with many hearts when she left Tabby’s Place, but we’re gleeful to wave goodbye Mona’s new life is beautiful Mona with new best buddy Beau through happy tears. – A.H.

No. 16.3 | 3rd Quarter 2018 Published quarterly by Executive Director Jonathan Rosenberg © 2018 Tabby’s Place Tabby’s Place: A Cat Sanctuary Editor Angela Hartley For a free subscription, 1100 US Hwy 202, Ringoes, NJ 08551 Design & Layout Adam Sullens go to: www.tabbysplace.org (908) 237-5300 • [email protected]

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