Hi Amelia,

When I wake up in the morning and turn on my computer, the first thing I do is look for your daily message on PC. I don't respond because words fail me. But I'm here and so are many other people.

Let me tell you a little story about our cat, Niko. We met a year ago when he was a six-week old kitten. I was volunteering with an animal rescue group as a foster cat mama. The first time I met him, he was this wee little thing, barely a handful. He was ugly, with puffy brown fur and goldfish eyes. But what struck me was his fearlessness. As I held him, he looked boldly into my eyes, without a trace of anxiety or fear. And then he started clambering up my arm and shoulder.

The first day I took him home, I intended to keep him enclosed in the small office where I worked. (Little kittens are usually scared of big spaces.) But Niko immediately wanted to explore, so I let him. Later that evening, as I was sitting on the bathroom floor washing his foster sister with a wet cloth, this little kitten did this huge flying leap from the floor onto my shoulder! I have never been so startled in my life! It hurt because his little claws were as sharp as pins. That's when I knew this little cat was special (and I have the scars to prove it).

We ended up adopting Niko a few weeks later. At that time, I decided that a cat so without fear should experience as much as possible in this lifetime. So far, he has learned to walk on a leash, eaten dozens of foods (he's eating watermelon right now), gone down a slide at the park, played on my iPad, climbed trees, taken car rides with us, had his rear end sniffed by a dog, walked in the rain, and met many people. We celebrated his first birthday by placing armfuls of packaging paper floor and letting him romp in the pile.

Every day, Niko spends most of his time lolling in the sun and perched at the window, chattering at the birds. Every night, we play him. His favorite games are hide and seek and tag. And that's the story of Niko.

I hope you are feeling better.