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We had just lost Buddy, the greatest cat, after 18 happy years together. My family and I were heartbroken.

Photo: Jessica

A month later, the house still felt terribly empty without him, or any other pet. I felt like I couldn’t love another cat just yet, but my mom convinced me to look at a litter of kittens who had been found living with their feral mom in a garage.

They had been brought to a vet’s office to be adopted, and we went to see them. There were only two still waiting for homes when we came by. They were both girls. One was gray, and the other was a tuxedo. They were about 3 months old and so frightened of new people.

We fell in love, though. We saw their potential to become wonderful pets if they were shown love and care.

They were very skittish at first, but I earned their trust by using a fishing pole toy to play with them, coaxing them just a bit closer each time so I could sneak in some pets on their heads and backs. We named them Pepper and Tux.

Eventually, they grew to love us. Pepper became my shadow, following me and sitting on my lap wherever I sat.

They are both 7 years old now, and I couldn’t imagine a better pair of friends to help us cope with our loss. I have since moved out, and I didn’t want to uproot Pepper or separate them. Tux is my mom’s girl, and Pepper has transferred her attachment to my dad now, which makes me happy, if a bit wistful.

I visit frequently and love them both, though Pepper truly stole my heart.

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Story submitted by Jessica from Dedham, MA.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!