Dear Shame,

Cats are very inquisitive about things, especially showers. Sometimes they do jump up on the counter because they haven't been taught otherwise. Sometimes they do stick their face in your bowl of cereal. At times they do things that are annoying and do need the occasional spray of water. "Watering" a cat is a good form of discipline because they don't associate the punishment as coming from you.

Please try and forgive yourself. The cat forgave you. Your heart was changed towards the animal. You do have a big heart and the pain of losing this cat in particular because it bought changes in your relationship with our feline companions. The fact that you learned from what happened is a good thing. Let yourself grieve. Losing a pet can leave a huge hole in our hearts. You need to forgive yourself for actions that were outcome of a failing human relationship. Celebrate the feline relationship that you ended up with. Cats are great companions. Some people are too.