She has spent the last 17 years with her best friend Spooky the cat. The kitten chose her one day when she was just a child and the two became inseparable friends.
"Spooky and I, at the very start."
@FlukeOrFate shares the story with Love Meow:
Two days (after my eighth birthday), I heard very loud meows coming from the bush behind our property. I searched and found a beautiful cat giving birth. My mother and I took her into our home and made a bed for her in my dresser drawer. Upon finding the cat's owner, we were informed that the mother cat was unlikely to survive birth due to a heart condition, yet she had survived. The owner was so thankful that she allowed me to pick a kitten to keep as my own.
Deciding which kitten to share my life with wasn't easy, but one little guy sat in my hands more content than the rest. This kitten didn't struggle or cry, he seemed completely at peace with me.
And so it was then official: he chose me. I named him Spooky.
His favourite place was anywhere near me:
Spooks retreated back into the drawer to sleep on my clothes, should the opportunity arise.
He really liked my bed, but Spooks believed bed was for this.
He shared my affinity for pillows.
So I always had a row of three, so that he could have his own.
Unless the occasional undersized box was left out.
Spooks kept me warm while I gamed out. He would fit wherever he could, squishing behind my back or wrapping himself around my waist.
And the time I bought a glass desk. Spooks realized he could now sit on my foot stool and stare at me all day while I played games, and so he did.
I couldn't leave a chair for two minutes without this guy stealing it.
So I deliberately bought one big enough for both of us.
My morning meditation was constantly interrupted, yet it always left me feeling even more peaceful.
When the sun shone through the window at that perfect angle to illuminate my entire living room floor. Spooks and I would bask in the warm rays, side by side.
When I moved 4500 km across the country to start a new life, he never doubted that he was coming with me.
Spooks also never ever let me study!
But he brought me more joy in this lifetime than I could ever express in words.
I was there the day he took his very first breaths in this world, and last night I held him in my arms as he took his very last.
I love you, Spooks. Goodbye, my amazing friend.
A tribute to an amazing companion - photos and story courtesy of @FlukeOrFate