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When my beloved 14 year-old cat went over the "rainbow bridge" at the end of February, she was very ill; and as many told me, it was for the best. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried for weeks over her. Every little thing reminded me of funny things she would do. It was pure torture, and I knew that I would never get over my loss.

I had told myself that I wouldn't even consider another pet, even though I was taking my cat's death so hard. I felt I needed time to grieve, and I'd know when the time was right to start looking. Then something happened that, although it was probably a coincidence, who knows? Some people say there are no coincidences, but after this, I don' think I agree.

A neighbor of mine happened to tell me one day that her twin had finally decided to go into an assisted living facility. I knew her because I had acted as a caregiver for her for two weeks the previous summer when she had been recovering from surgery. I also knew she had a wonderful cat who I had played with and cared for, too, and immediately asked what had happened to him. She told me he was taken to a shelter and did not know if he was still there or not.

After hearing this, I went online and got in touch with the shelter. He was still there. I immediately filled out an application, and within a few days, I brought home my new companion, ready or not.

I think he remembered me, but the combination of being in the shelter for several weeks and being taken to a new home unnerved him. He was sick for a few days and couldn't eat much. He also had diarrhea and vomited on the carpet. I knew it would take him some time to adjust, so I just kept telling him how special he was and how happy I was that he would be sharing my home.

He's been with me for about a month-and-a-half now, and I've noticed he seems lonely. I don't get home from work until between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m., so he has many hours by himself. Even though he has a whole bedroom filled with toys and other toys scattered throughout the house, he seems bored and rarely plays with them, unless I play, too. He is used to his former owner being with him 24/7, so his situation now is quite different from what he was used to.

For the past few weeks, since I went on 10 hour days at work, I have been giving serious consideration to finding a companion for my pet. He seems contented enough when I'm home, but when I'm gone all day, he is waiting in the window for me as I approach the front door, and it makes me feel guilty.

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