Nola came to me just three weeks ago. I had been looking into getting a cat; growing up, I always had dogs, and my beloved pug stayed with my parents when I moved out of state. Pip the pug was with me through the worst of my childhood depression, and as I sunk back into it this year, I missed a warm furry body to hold.

I have two cockatiels, who are absolute dears and very tame, but you can't hug a bird and they don't know how to comfort quite as well. I wanted a cat because I'd always wanted one but couldn't have one due to my brother's allergies. Now that I live on my own, I thought it was finally time.

I hit up craigslist and found a 5 year old calico who was known for being sweet and loving and attached to single people. She had no interest in birds and I learned that due to separation anxiety, she'd suffered her own depression and had been on kitty prozac before.

I immediately called and made the trip out to pick her up. The first few days were tough; she was timid and stayed very close to me, hiding under my desk chair and under my blankets. She also had fleas (which I am allergic to) so I was forced to close her in the bathroom for a night alone. We got rid of the fleas with an Advantage treatment and a dawn soap bath, and very soon after that she relaxed into her new home.

Now, she's like my crazy furry roommate. When I come home and call out, she immediately meows back at me and comes to greet me. We sit at my desk while I eat dinner, then she eventually stands in the bedroom doorway and calls for me to come to bed with her. We watch a few movies on my laptop and she alternates between being a cuddle***** and delivering smackdowns to her mousie; at night, she spoons against my chest.

This cat is the reason I can get up in the morning and fall asleep at night. I can't wait to get home to her, because she makes me smile and laugh, and I can't see to manage those things without her. In three short weeks, she's already the most loving and supportive factor in my life, and I am just so thankful to have found her.

Nola, I love you. Thank you for being the friend I need most right now.