Some women like drinking coffee and going on shopping sprees with their girlfriends. Some say a dog is their best friend. But me? My best friend, other than my husband, is my kitty. Her name is Misty. There is nothing better to me than to lounge at home, wrapped in fuzzy blankets, cuddling my kitty.

She was my husband’s kitty before I met him. He calls her his princess, and he calls me princess, too. When we talked about getting married he said it would be the three of us - “me, you, and Misty.” When I saw how much he loved his cat, I knew he would make an amazing husband. You can tell a lot by a person by how they treat their animals.

Misty and I bonded quickly, though at first, she was a little shy, but she got used to me. My husband likes to scoop her up in his arms and cuddle her and she will just lay there and let him; she loves it. Enough times of the three of us cuddling and me feeding her and loving her, and she accepted me as part of the family.

I have always loved animals, but I never imagined I would get so attached to one. Misty is different than many animals. She likes lots of love and attention and she gives lots of love, she gets sad when left alone, but is more forgiving than anyone I’ve met. My husband and I have moved around far too much since getting married, one time we left Misty with his parents for two months while we went off to Hawaii. I could tell she missed us a lot. One time she got white hairs, I think from the stress of us leaving her. She’s gotten used to all of our crazy traveling and has forgiven us every time, greeting us with endless kisses and cuddles whenever we return.

This last summer, when we went to Thailand, the one I missed more than anyone or anything was Misty. I thought about her every day and felt horrible for leaving her again. When we talk about traveling, my first thought now is “what about Misty?”

I love how Misty will faithfully greet us every time we come home. Even if we just went out for a few hours, as soon as she hears us come through the door, she starts running down the stairs to come great us. It’s the sweetest thing. And whenever we call her name, she’ll come running and greet us with kisses, and I give her kisses back, and she loves it.

It’s okay that we don’t speak the same language because we both understand each other. I can tell when Misty is sad or upset or needs attention. She used to do this thing where she would come and look at you and you would try to reach out and pet her but then she would run back a few feet and look at you again. She would make you have to chase her to give her some love. It was that passive thing where you could tell she really wanted love but wanted you to make the effort to give it to her. It didn’t take me long to figure out what she wanted because I did the same thing when I needed attention. We are a lot alike, we are both sensitive and need lots of love and affection.

Misty needs lots of affection, like hours a day. Me, my husband, and Misty, we are a good match for each other because we all need cuddles hours a day or we just aren’t our happy selves. Luckily, I do school online, so Misty likes to sit curled up next to me all day while I work, she always wants to be next to us, and when we are cuddling she will come and lay right on top of both of us, it’s the best. And if you aren’t giving her attention she’ll come mew at you to come sit down so she can cuddle you.

Misty and I may not speak the same language, but we both share a language of love and affection and we understand each other quite well. I don’t know what I would do without her. She is always there to cuddle me, to play with me, to kiss me, when I need a friend. She continually forgives me, it’s her who showed me what love looks like. Unconditional, she accepts me as I am even in my goofy weirdness. She has also shown me that love is a lot simpler than we often make it. You don’t need to talk and have it all figured out, love is as simple as being there for someone, forgiving them, cuddling them, and missing them when they’re gone. Misty has loved her two humans more than I ever knew it was possible to love. Thank you, Misty, for loving me.