Growing up I always had at least one pet in the house. In total I have had 13 cats, two dogs, four fish, three hamsters, two chickens, three goats and one rabbit. That does not include the random animals that I have brought home from work, found in the road or brought back from school for my house to be a temporary home. Each one of them hold a special part in my heart. I remember all of their birth's (or them showing up on my doorstep) and their deaths (or departure to a new home).

I've always known that they were all very special to me, but it wasn't till I left for college that I realized how much they were a part of my life. Freshman year the only "pets" we were allowed to have in the dorm was a fish. No offense to fish, but they don't have much of a personality and don't do anything. I was in a room by myself and that is when I realized how lonely life was without a pet. I told my self that as soon as I got out of a dorm I would get me a cat. (Yes, crazy cat lady, we can save that story for another time.)

It was time for me to move out of the dorm and my friend boyfriend's cat had kittens. I had one look at the little siamese kitten and knew that she had to be mine. I remember counting down the days till I got her. I drove about an hour to meet his mom at the Chick-fil-A to get her. I'll be honest with you, as soon as I got in the car with her I was so excited I had a few tears.

We have been inseparable ever since, she really acts like my child. I give her baths, we go on road trips, cries when I leave and sleeps with me. Some even call her a dog, we go on walks, she runs to the door and meows when I say, "You wanna go outside? Outside time?" We even take trips to the lake. I seriously could not imagine life without her, or without pets in general. I believe that there should always be a pet in the home. Coming home everyday and having Phoebe run up to me is what makes coming home, home.