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During my second year of graduate school, a neighbor mentioned that a stray cat had had a litter of kittens outside of her house. I had never dealt with cats before, but I impulsively decided that I wanted one.

I went to her house with a box and spied an adorable orange kitty that I knew had to be mine. I tried to coax it to me for several minutes with no success. Then I heard a scratching noise coming from inside the box. An all black kitten had crawled in and was sitting there. Waiting. It was obvious that he picked me.

I took him home, named him Timmy, and still had no idea how to handle a cat as a pet. But I loved him. I loved that little boy so much.

Over the years, Timmy became so much more than a pet. His soft coos became a welcome greeting whenever I got home. His fur became a pillow for comfort. His pointy nose became an alarm clock. He gradually became one of the things that I loved most in this world.

Timmy was with me through law school graduation, getting married, having two children. Timmy was the constant in my life. My husband always joked that he was not a cat; he was just a big ball of love wrapped in a fur coat from all of the affection that was poured into him, and we loved the cat right out of him.

Timmy was with us for almost 18 years, and I foolishly believed that I would have him forever. After his battle through kidney failure, saying goodbye to him was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I have had several cats during the time I had Timmy and since, and I have loved them all. But he was that one that just touched my heart so deeply. And I know it's because I ddn't pick him out to be mine. It's because he chose me.

Story submitted by Rina from Canton, Georgia.

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