I didn’t realize how much I would miss my cat and how big of a hole he’d leave in my life until he was gone. You just get so used to them always being there. You don’t realize all of the little ways you interact every day.

I never wanted that cat, too. He was old and had health issues. But he was a friend’s cat who couldn’t keep him. My now wife pestered me for days to adopt him, but I resisted. Then a month later when he still hadn’t been adopted, she pressured even harder and I finally gave in.

Over the years he bonded with me more and became my cat. And now it’s been a year since he passed and I still get choked up sometimes, like right now.