I echo all you say here. I have lost two cats since I became a homemaker and began a family. They were core members of our family and the loss was awful. The first we only had for a year but I cried nonstop for a week. He was precious, and the first pet my children ever had. The second - a girl from the same mother, different litter - we had for twelve years. We don't know what killed her but it looked like she must have choked. She was the most blissed out cat on the planet and a huge comfort for us all. I miss her terribly.

Thank you for writing this piece, Frances.