Daffodil was the love of my life. When I went to PAWS to adopt a cat, I heard her before I saw her. The worker who had been planning on showing me the merits of this or that animal, ended up following in my wake as I was drawn on helplessly by this commanding voice yelling, “I’m over HERE, take me home, NOOOWWW!” When I found the owner of that voice, she was this starved little creature, all eyes and ears and mouth, who looked like she hadn’t eaten a day in her life. She looked more like a rat than a cat. The shelter worker was very doubtful. “You want that one? Are you sure???” Yes, I was sure—as if I had a choice in the matter. Over the course of our lives together, she grew into a beautiful cat and never lost her talkative nature. We eventually took in three other cats and she welcomed each one, made them feel at home, and taught them the proper rules of behavior for our home. On March 20, a week after celebrating our 18th anniversary of living together, my sweet Daffodil passed away. She died peacefully in her carrier on the way to the vet, saving me from having to make the worst, hardest decision of my life.

Stacy R.