By Deborah Paris, Western Australia
When Jason and I got married I had five cats, all from rescue homes, all pure white. Unfortunately my husband had allergies which meant that certain rooms were out of bounds for my furry friends.
By Judith D’Amico, Sydney, Australia
Twenty-five years ago I was living in Libya. In response to some painful experiences during the seven years before, I had closed my heart and hardened myself to love.
By Laurence Cruz, California
My wife, Patty, and I called Kata our miracle cat. She was a unique blend of qualities packed into one tiny gray kitty. Kata was the nighttime neck-hugging, streetwise toast of our colorful Los Angeles neighborhood. She was also best buddies with Orange, a tough rescued tomcat with whom she agreed to share her home. But one day Kata left our lives.
By Harold Klemp
A young African woman was going to school with a friend’s family. As they were driving along, suddenly, in the middle of the road, they saw a dog. It was just sitting in the middle of the road; it wouldn’t move.
By Dannette Horton, North Carolina
At four o’clock on a Saturday morning, a dish crashing to the floor in the kitchen downstairs awakened me. I heard my ex-husband, Carl, making sounds as if he was in pain. (Although Carl and I are divorced, he is still my best friend and lives with us.)