Late last year, my roommate passed away after suffering a weekend-long heart attack that both he and I thought was just a bad stomach cramp. The experience was sad, painful, and shocking—and it left me with emotions that I don’t feel comfortable sharing here… at least now. However, I will say this here: if you experience any unusual pain and you feel that your body is “telling you something,” act on that intuition and visit a medical professional and have it checked. It could save your life and spare everyone in your life a lot of grief.

When Michael passed away, he left behind a dog and a cat. His girlfriend who gifted him the dog some years ago—and who also happens to be one of my oldest friends—took custody of the dog. However, I do see Sam(antha) the Beagle pretty often, and I occasionally take care of the beagle. We sometimes go out on town and meet friends for dinner and drinks.

But finding a home for the cat was a bit more complex. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to stay in the apartment, and if I had to move, I thought it best to give the cat to someone with a stable living situation. I even considered asking my parents if they wanted to take her—but a cross country trip seemed like a lot for this house cat. At most, I wanted the minimize the cat’s moves and for her to move once and not again.

It turned out that I can stay in the apartment, and the cat and I have bonded over the last few months. In the last month, I’ve gone on two Costco runs specifically to buy cat food and cat litter. The latter was tough because I carried the forty-two pound bag in a backpack as I rode the bus home.

These are the things one does for his own cat.