She was a great judge of character and didn't warm up to everyone. Her judgment was often better than mine! When I met my husband she immediately liked him. I used to feel guilty for leaving her alone to spend time with him. Instead of thinking I was foolish or resenting the cat, he suggested I move her in with him since I was spending more & more time there. She moved in a month before I did. He used to jokingly say that he knew if he moved her in I would follow!
The last year and a half of her life I think was her happiest. She was seldom alone, she had a back yard she could explore and more love than ever.
His understanding of my devotion and commitment to her was one of the first things I fell in love with him for. When she died he lovingly took her from me and paid to have her cremated. The vet told him he could have just buried her but he said that he didn't want to risk her being dug up by animals. That loving gesture told me I had found my soul mate.
He encouraged me to get a kitten soon after her death and at first I was opposed. I felt like somehow I was being disloyal. He persevered, not because he didn't understand my grief but because he saw how empty I felt. I needed that special love that only a cat can give. We now have two cats living with us and they remind me daily that he was right.
I put Mitsou's picture up in our office as a reminder of how precious life and love is.