Shelter Cats and Redemption

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...