Billie Bean was a special cat for our family. When our dachshunds Cara and Rona passed away, she decided she would be a therapy cat for my husband Bill. Bill was a disabled Vietnam veteran who spent most of his time in a wheelchair. Billie seemed to sense when Bill needed comfort; she would sit on his lap and just be there for him.

She loved to go outside and hunt in the yard. When Bill came out of the house, she immediately landed in his lap and went inside the house with him. When Bill passed away this April, she slept on his pillow every night. When she became ill, we had to let her go because she seemed to be miserable.