Shelter Cats and Redemption

So, just like that, we've "adopted" a colony of 5 feral cats. Adopted?  Not so fast, let me explain. Living on Long Island, with a lot of wooded areas about (yes, there are trees on Long Island,) there are plenty of stray and feral cats in the neighborhood we live in.  A bird sanctuary around the corner I'm sure helps as well.  You know cats and birds after all. I have always noticed several cats that wander our block, occasionally walking into our back yard.  I've even seen one or two stare at me as I get in and out of the car in the driveway, but of course, they always run away when I say anything.  Feral cats hate sarcasm, I guess. This all changed a few weeks ago. As regular readers of my blog know, I work weekends.  I also wake up quite early on weekends to get ready for what are usually long days. A few weeks ago, early one Saturday morning, this cat showed up at our door: Later that day, I put out a small bowl out and filled it with ...

Today, December 9th, is one of the most important dates in the history of my life. On this date, and day, back in 2000, I brought Tyler home from Little Shelter.  Seventeen years.  Just like that.  WHOOSH, it's almost two decades later.   I'm big on commemorating important dates.  Always have.  I've never been one to let important dates go by.  Whether a good event or bad event happened on those dates, I stop and remember.  I reflect.  I reminisce.  Speaking of remembering, let's re-live that very day, shall we?  Here's a re-post of the blog I wrote, describing that very day I brought Tyler home for the first time.   We pick up our story at just the very moment my mother and father met Tyler for the first time, my mother remarking how "serious" Tyler looked....... Saturday, December 9th, 2000 “What does that mean?” I asked my mother.  Serious?  A cat doesn’t smile, they ALWAYS look serio...

Coming soon, to a cat movie friendly theater near you....or at least in this blog....

The other day.....a Miles Davis song came on while I was playing an Apple Music in my office. What does my mind turn to when Miles comes on? Yes, you're right.  Tyler. More than any cat I've owned, Tyler loved music. Human music. I've read some studies that suggest that cats don't care much for human music, and perhaps that's true. Not my Tyler.  He loved human tunes. Ever since I listened to my first song at....who knows how young, my music tastes have been varied and eclectic.  From Beethoven to Metallica, and everything in between, I listen to it all.  Naturally, having spent 14 of his 15 years with me, Tyler got exposed to a lot of music over the years.  Tyler definitely reacted to the music I would listen to.  Not all cats do, indeed none of the cats that have "owned me" since Tyler ever had quite the same reaction as he did when I would blast music in our home. Different types of music would get different types of reactions out of him...

My beloved Tiger, the original "sweetums," would have been 16 this week. As I do every year, I like to commemorate the occasion by re-posting the blog I wrote a few years ago about how Tyler and I met Tiger.  This is a long one, so grab your favorite snack, your favorite device to read this on, and enjoy! Tiger . Let's talk about.....Tiger.  Tyler's brother from another cat-mother. The original "sweetums." Isn't his name Tiger? Yes. So why did I call him "sweetums?" I can't pinpoint the actual day I gave him that nickname, but one day I just started calling Tiger sweetums and it stuck.  He was a sweetums.  He was the sweetest most gentle soul I ever came across, he stole my heart and Tyler's as well. Anyway, here's how we met. By the summer of 2008, Tyler had turned 9.  He was still the lovable curmudgeon I always knew, but the first signs of "senior-itis" were starting to creep in.  He had los...

In the blink of an eye, six months have now passed since Ronald became Tucker and Tucker became my cat. Just like that. Six months. Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? Time also flies when you're the happiest cat in the world, and I dare you to find a happier house cat. Six months later and I could not imagine life without him. Six months later and it's like he's been here for six years. Tucker and I have as strong a bond as one could have with a cat, and that grows stronger every day. Every day, he's beyond happy to see me and can't wait to give me rubs, kisses, cuddles, and head-buts. Not a lap cat, huh? I defy you to say this boy is NOT a lap cat: Needless to say, having tucker "find me" as he did six months ago at Little Shelter was one of the best parts of 2017. Here's to a lifetime together.

Tomorrow, August 17th, marks three years since Sophie came to live with me. Three years as the new boss cat.  The alpha cat extraordinaire.  I honestly could not have asked for a better successor to Tyler, as I've mentioned before.  Three years ago tomorrow, she popped out of her carrier, literally, and stormed into our lives. While Sophie remains the most difficult cat I've ever dealt with, the rough first few weeks/months were definitely worth it.  Today I simply cannot imagine life without her.  She's the matriarch, the center of my family, and she knows it.  No one loves more than Sophie, and no cat gives better hugs or purrs louder. She's my princess and I love her to pieces. Let's go back, once again,  to that day when I met her for the first time, shall we? Sunday, August 17th, 2014 A text popped up on my iPhone. “We’re outside.” She's here!  Ashley and I ran outside and met Lindsey, a skinny woman in Capri pants and ...

What a find!  Sophie's former owner just sent me pics of Sophie as a kitten. These photos are.....in a word.....priceless. Behold.... Sophie: The Kitten Years!

Tucker turns 4 this Tuesday, July 11th. Tucker, being another shelter cat from the same shelter I found Tyler, didn't have an actual birth date listed that the shelter was aware of.  Therefore, I back-dated the Tuck-man to July 11th, 2013.  This was, un-scientifically determined by the date he was brought into the shelter as a tiny kitten and fixed. Seemed fitting. So, from now on, July 11th, 2013 is Tucker's "official" birthday. So let it be written, so let be done.  Sorry Yul, I'm borrowing that one. Happy Birthday, little man.  I love you more than you can possibly know.  You've been my cat just a few months, but it feels like years in the best possible way.  Cats always choose their owners, and Tucker sure chose me when we first met at Little Shelter.  Since then, we've been inseparable.  When I get home, he runs to me and is thrilled to see me.  If I sit in my favorite chair, he curls up on my lap and falls asleep.   ...