Dear HSMC friends,

Thank you all for taking care of Tigger and making it possible for him
to become a member of our family.  When my son and I visited the
shelter, a nice young man listened as I explained how I had been
thinking about getting another cat for nearly a year, but I had
hesitated because of my senior cat.   I told him that Sly had been our
family cat for seventeen years and I didn't want to cause him emotional
or physical distress.  At  the same time, however, I told him that my
children were grown and out of the nest and maybe another cat was just
what I needed.  This nice young man suggested a seven-year-old orange
tabby who had been with the same family for seven years before he came
to the shelter in November 2007.  He said that the cat was
wonderful--laid-back, gentle, and playful--so he could not understand
why he had not been adopted.  Later, as my son and I held different
cats, I noticed how volunteers would arrive at the shelter and go
straight for Tigger's cage. When I held him, I sensed there was
something special about him, so three days later, Tigger came home with
me.

Since then, I learned that bringing a new cat into our home really
didn't cause much upset for Sly.  Since Sly sleeps a good twenty-three
hours a day, there have been very few confrontations between the two
cats.  Although Sly still hisses at Tigger, Tigger has never been the
least bit aggressive toward Sly.  Instead, Tigger just backs away and is
totally non-confrontational.  

In closing, thank you HSMC!  Tigger has become my loving and faithful
companion.   He is always near me--whether I'm doing household chores or
grading papers--Tigger is close by.  When I took the attached picture,
it was late at night and I was sitting at my desk completing schoolwork
in our office/guest bedroom.  Tigger had been lying beside my feet, but
he decided to get comfortable and he stretched out on what has become
one of "his" beds.  As you can imagine, he is quite content and he is
very much loved.  I encourage anyone who reads this to consider adopting
an older cat.  Yes, kittens may be cute, but older cats are angelic!

Sincerely,
Sandy