This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog!

When I brought you home from the shelter, you were a tiny 5-month-old ball of pure white fluff. From the moment I saw you, I was hooked. You had me wrapped around your paw forever.

PHOTO: ANNE GRASSO

You didn’t like to be alone at first and followed me everywhere, just wanting to be loved, but soon you grew into the confident, in charge of everyone, my way or no way cat we all knew and loved. You were with me through college, marriage, illness, the death of loved ones, countless moves across the state and to our new home in New Hampshire.

You vacationed in New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Florida, Massachusetts, and Vermont. You travelled by car, plane, and ferry with me, and were my constant road trip buddy and my best friend.

PHOTO: ANNE GRASSO

The truth is, I can’t remember any moment of my life, whether important or mundane, that you were not a part of. You were with me through all the good times and the bad, through all the loss and all the love, the messy, the scary, the happy and everything in between. You patiently accepted all the lost souls and misfits I rescued over the years, acting as a one-cat welcoming committee, giving them comfort and showing them what a life with love is like.

Whether I brought you home baby turtles, a hamster, a ferret, a dog, or a cat, you took them under your wing and took everything in stride, accepting them with love and always staying by their side until it was time for them to move on. You even allowed a baby possum to share our home for a brief time, although I think with that one, you questioned my sanity.

PHOTO: ANNE GRASSO

In our home, you were the king of all things, both human and furry, and expected nothing less. You terrorized countless delivery people, cable techs, contractors and repairmen that dared cross into your domain, and welcomed many a friend into our home with a lap full of white fur and a condescending glare that only you could make look adorable.

When I had to say goodbye to you, the world was forever lessened by your absence; an integral part of my heart was irreparably broken and forever scarred. You were and always will be the most important thing in my world, and the thought of living the rest of my life without you by my side is both terrifying and heartbreaking. But even through the immense pain that I know I will feel forever, I also feel incredibly fortunate that you allowed me to share your life with you and that you gave me your trust, your unending loyalty and your heart.

PHOTO: ANNE GRASSO

Some people may read this and think you were just a cat and that I sound crazy. Those people don’t really know me, they don’t know the bond we shared, and they certainly don’t know that you were infinitely more than that. Simply, they just weren’t blessed enough to have known you and your amazing soul, for if they had, they would certainly agree that the world is a darker place without you in it.

Your final act of love was to save me from making a heartbreaking choice for you. You left this world the same as you always lived, with me by your side and answering to no one, on your own terms and in your own time.

I love you more than words could ever possibly express and more than a heart could even begin to measure. Nothing and no one will ever take your place. I will think of you and love you every day until we meet again, my oldest and dearest friend. This is the way an animal should be loved. They are a lifetime commitment, through good and bad, from kitten to countless vet appointments after a dreaded cancer diagnosis, and all the way until the end.

Casper 10/1/2002-3/18/2019

PHOTO: ANNE GRASSO

Story submitted by Anne Grasso.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!