When I was 26, I got my first sales job out of college. I already had one rescue cat named Mr. Bing I got from Dallas Cat Ladies, a nonprofit in Dallas. I started working a lot and wanted Mr. Bing to have a friend so he would not get lonely.

One day, I accidentally got lost and drove past a rescue called operation kindness. I walked in looking for an older cat, but the senior cats there didn’t get along with male cats.

An employee handed me Frank and asked me if he was what I’d been looking for.

When I’d held him, I instantly fell in love! After we got home, I noticed he wasn’t eating so I brought him back there to get tests done. He had a 107 fever, so they wanted to keep him overnight. They ended up keeping him three days and I went up there twice a day to check on him. He recovered just fine. A huge relief!

He’s lacking some teeth but in my eyes he’s “purfect.”

I have gone through a lot of loss in my life since then. I’ve had ups and downs over the years, like most people do. I’m so lucky to have Frank by my side everyday. He turns my bad days into great ones! He is so sweet and affectionate. It’s true that pets really provide life-changing companionship. He’s been there through some rough moments, and I am so thankful for that.

Story and Images Courtesy of Kayla Garner. She also stated that Frank reminds her of the story, The Lorax by Dr. Seuss