Though Bijoux, (French for jewel) my Siamese cat that was my companion for 14 years died in 2002, I still miss her more than any other pet before or since. I got her when she was five weeks old. She always wanted to get as close to me as she could as often as she could.

She was sick and after several attempts to help her over a couple of months, the vet finally told us there was nothing more they could do for her (a kidney problem). Her healthy weight was 7 pounds and she dropped to 4.5. I could weigh her on my food scale! At least we were prepared. Losing her suddenly would have been so devastating!