When my dad was dying, I brought my cat, Lina, to see him in Florida. It is really a lot of work and costs lots of money to bring a cat on a plane. But I knew my dad. His eyes would light up when he saw her. 

Lina would sit on his lap for hours and that brought such joy to my corny-sense-of-humor pops that it seemed his heart would burst. Mine, too. My dad would look up at me and say, "Look at how she stays!" And I would see the little boy in my dad in those moments.

It had been worth every euro-cent to bring her.  

I love the critters. They bring joy and feel so much.