I adopted Stubbs from a shelter on my first day of college in 2017. He was 7 years old, and when I stuck my hand out to him he gave me a little headbutt and purred. For the 9 years I had him, he helped me learn to navigate the world. He would demand attention when my alarm went off so I wouldn’t go back to sleep, stare disdainfully at my college boyfriends and refuse to go near them, and come sit with me in my quiet moments and remind me everything was going to be okay. I had a sneaking suspicion my now husband was the one when Stubbs (for the first time in 5 years) found it acceptable to receive a pet from a stranger and a few months later agreed to sleep on the same bed when he stayed over. He moved with us up to Washington and really hit his stride. In his old age up here with us he found a perfect spot in a window seat in the sun. He chirped at the birds and enjoyed a breeze through the screen door. He slept on top of my head next to my pillow and purred every single night. When we got engaged, I came home and showed him the ring and he purred/headbutted my hand in approval. Stubbs passed the day after my wedding as if he knew I was going to be in good hands going forward. We will miss him every single day, he was a perfect cat.