Tyke and Dusty: An Authorized Biography of Two House Cats

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Many readers will find this simple, unpretentious, and unsophisticated
little “biography” a lot like holding up a mirror to their own
experiences. Cats come into our lives, often as strays or pass-alongs
(“free to a good home”). They capture our hearts with their
kittenish antics, settle in to become part of the family, share our
lives for many years, and break our hearts when they die.

Tyke and Dusty followed the pattern. They were quite ordinary
garden-variety cats with no claim to fame except that they purred, slept
in the sun, and were members of their owners’ lives for nearly 20
years. Their very ordinariness is their most outstanding characteristic
and probably the point of the book. The author seems to be saying that
“even though they were just cats, they mattered to us. They didn’t
have to be unique or prize-winning. Just being was enough. We loved them
without reservation.” Does the typical cat owner feel this way? If so,
this modest little account of the ordinary lives of two ordinary cats
has the potential to pull in readers from all parts of the country, from
all economic groups, and from all ages.