I was gone for two weeks over Thanksgiving away from my cat and two bearded dragons. It was hard; I had never left them that long. We found great pet sitters to stop by twice a day, but it was still hard, and I worried about them. My cat isn't like some cats who can be just fine without her humans, no she needs hours of cuddles from her two favorite humans every day. What would she think or feel without us there to love on her? Mostly I felt bad that I couldn't somehow tell her we were coming back soon and not to worry.

My bearded dragons are still growing and need to be properly cared for, their lighting has to be right, and they need to be fed. I had never left them in someone else's care before and so much can go wrong. It took a lot of trust to leave them.

When we returned, our cat Misty ran right to the door to greet us. She meowed incessantly; she couldn't believe we were finally home. We pet her long black hair that was especially fluffy and soft. She kept meowing as we pet her. We gave her lots of love and made sure she knew we weren't leaving anytime soon.

The bearded dragons, Ninja and Onyx, were also excited we were home. They looked at me curiously like they always do. They had grown while we were gone, their scales were bigger and spikier. They were looking more like adult bearded dragons.

"Hi, buddies! How's it going?" I said to them. Yes, I know I talk to my lizards, I talk to all my animals. They stood tall and looked at me. I could tell they were hungry, so I quickly grabbed their grubs and let them eat their fill. I had missed taking care of them, watching them eat and grow every day. They ran to their food and gobbled it up.

Misty meanwhile, couldn't wait for my attention, she continued meowing. So, I spread the blanket on the floor and let her lie next to me as I pet and brushed her and gave her lots of kisses. She purred and meowed and made sure I didn't stop petting her or leave her side. If I got up for a minute, she would follow me meowing again.

"I love you Misty!" I would tell her again, and she meowed in reply each time. Misty, like all of us, needs much more than food and her basic needs met; she needs love and affection every day. She needs to know that we are there, and we love her. So, we made sure she knew she was loved. We didn't stop petting her and sitting near her all evening; she was happy about that.

I love that Misty needs me that much that she can't go to sleep without me being near her and that she misses me so much when I'm gone. It feels good to be needed and loved.