I brought Sasha home 18 years ago when she was just a little ball of fluff. Family pets have always been part of my history, but Sasha was the first pet that was mine alone. She came into my life after my children were grown and gone. Sasha was my friend and companion. People who think cats don't show affection for their humans have not spent quality time with felines. I was continually amazed at how intelligent she was, given the small size of a cat's head. Small head must equate to small brain I would think. But she was smart enough to run the household. I pretty much lived in her house, not she in mine. Sasha lived two months beyond her 18th birthday. She had both an overactive thyroid and kidney disease. The last few months of her life it became a challenge for me to figure out what she would eat from one day to the next. Her weight dropped to four pounds. Still, she would follow me to the kitchen to see what delicacy I might offer and she always jumped onto my lap for snuggling. I knew the end of her life was drawing near but she did not seem ready to go. I took her to the vet for an evaluation, but decided the time was not yet. A couple of weeks later Sasha told me herself what I needed to know. One morning she hopped onto my lap as she always did, but for the first time ever, she did not purr when I petted her. I called the vet and made an appointment for later that day. After that, Sasha was back to herself. It was as if she had told me what I had to do, then decided to enjoy the rest of the day. She was an indoor cat with a terrible hover mother. She wanted to go outside, so out we went. She walked all the way around the house (something she had never done before) and back in the front door. When we sat together, she was back to purring while I petted her. One of my friends drove us to the appointment so I didn't have to put her in the hated cat carrier. For the first time in her life, Sasha got to ride in the car in her mom's arms. She looked with interest at the scenery as it passed by. I spent time with her after we arrived at the vet's before tucking one of my worn shirts with my scent under her head. I was stroking her head and talking to her as she gently slipped away. And then I broke down. I will miss girl.