A few years ago, my cat Beijing was attacked by a dog and killed. He was the fluffiest, fattest, cuddliest cat in the world. Seriously. Every time I think of him, I really do get tears in my eyes and feel incredibly sad about losing him.
The other day, there was a cat that was hit by a car near my house. It looked just like him. This made me think of Beijing, of course, and I told James I was really sorry he never got to meet him.
I know, I know. It’s a CAT. But sometimes your animals are there for you the way people can’t be and in times when you’re alone and need something to love you. My pets remind me that life is joyful and that the basics–food, love, and shelter–are enough to provoke gratitude.
This morning, I woke up and stumbled into the kitchen to start the coffee. A tiny high-pitched meow came from the back door. I opened the door, and a tiny kitten who looks very similar to Beijing sat on my door mat. Apparently, I have a new baby. And even though it will whine for a while, and it’ll be expensive to feed it while it’s a kitten, I can’t say I’m upset that someone may have donated an unwanted kitten. If it’s still here when I get home today, I guess I’ll have to name it :).
Gratitude Cup 
Poomby is from the Ind. Co. Humane Society, and Shao Hou was dropped off at our house. So I understand :). And thank you, Henry. I’m sure that it’ll be fine. I talked to James, and he laughed and said he was glad I’m happy :).
That’s awesome! Our “kids” are two rescue dogs that were, literally, left on our doorstep when we lived in Conway, they’re family to us.
If you ever need a bag of kitty food, i’ll be glad to send some your way. I think we can all learn from the unconditional love of pets.