We got a new cat a week after our very old one died because the apartment was so achingly empty without her. She'd basically raised our kids and was perfect in every way. She was ill for long enough at the end for us to take time telling her that, and grieve while caring for her and loving on her and waiting until the first available time for the home vet to come so she wouldn't have to go anywhere. And whisper it again into her fur as she took her last breath.

Afterward we looked around at all the things we had to make her comfortable and realized that while no one could ever replace her, there were other old cats sitting in shelter cages who needed love too.

We went to the city shelter and wound up with a cat who is disabled, can't jump and needed all her teeth extracted. So we paid for that, and brought her home.

Soon after, we somehow also ended up with a feisty stray kitten.

Miss Perfection's ashes are on a shelf, and I tear up when they catch my eye, but the misfits give us an outlet for all the love she taught us.

[–] goosehorse@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

I had 3 cats who were all siblings born in my house. I didn't want to keep them at first, because I was a broke-ass grad student

but of course, I'm a sucker.

When the ex and I split, I suddenly and unexpectedly became a single cat dad. It was a very fucked up time, but the felines and I made it through. A few years later, when they were around 10 years old, one disappeared, and the other two passed away within a year.

A mouse ran across our floor less than 24 hours after the last brother died, so, even though I felt a little weird about it, my then-housemate and I adopted an awesome little teenage dumpster cat two days later. No more mice.

Housemate and new cat friend moved out ~6 months later, and unfortunately, new kitty died of a heart defect almost a year to the day when we got her.

My friend/former housemate had already been considering adopting a playmate for the dumpster baby, so he got on the local rescue organization website that night, and lo and behold, there was my cat who had disappeared almost exactly two years before.

So, even though it was weird to make a new cat friend so soon after mine had died, the short and very happy life of dumpster kitty led to the return of my boy who had been missing for two years. We just celebrated his 12th birthday a few weeks ago, and I am so, so thankful to have him back in my life.

Tax payment, when he discovered where I grow the catnip a few days ago: