Shelter Cats and Redemption

Today is Sophie's seventh birthday. Seven? Already? She doesn't look a day over 5. To say she filled the one and only Tyler's shoes is an understatement.  She not only filled his shoes, she made them her own. I never, ever thought I would find a cat so capable of taking over after Tyler's death. Never. Yet, there she was.  All bright eyed, bushy tailed, and eager to please and steal my heart. That she did. I simply could not imagine life without her.  She's an amazing cat, but then again we always think our cats are amazing don't we?  She's better than amazing: she's the matriarch of the family.  How she reaches up when she wants a hug and to sit on my shoulders as we look out the front screen door together.  Her loud meow when she wants food, how she always keeps me company when I shower, how utterly amazing she was through Jackson's illness and passing.  How she INSTANTLY took over Jackson's lap cat duties, as if she kne...

Thursday, March 2nd. Today was the day!  Tucker was coming home!  I was brimming with anticipation. I wanted the day to fly by! We had planned on leaving work at 4 to head straight to the shelter to bring Tucker home. Finally, 4pm rolled around and I rushed out of work.  I simply had to stop at the same pet supply store I had stopped in 2000 to get some extra cat food and a special toy (just as I had done for Tyler) for my new boy. He needed a welcome home present after all. In I walked into the main entrance of Little Shelter promptly at 5pm. "Hi, I'm here to take Ronald home" I proudly exclaimed, feeling on top of the world. Literally everyone at the front desk lit up and beamed right back at me. "Go right on back to the cattery, and THANK YOU!" "Oh, you're welcome.  I adopted Tyler from here in 2000" I repeated, thinking that this time they'd remember the old man. "Oh, that's nice.  We love repeat adopters." T...