Fritos

Such a lovely one. I’ve had (and I have) a lot of cats, but my favorite one ever was called Fritos. We adopted him during summer vacation when he was a baby. He was born blind, but that didn’t stop him from having a normal, fulfilling life. He was really sweet, he would have “conversations” with me and sleep on my belly. And my favorite thing, was when he would look for my face and then my lips and he would “kiss” me (which was more like him rubbing his mouth on mine). I loved him with all of my heart, and he loved me back.

He spent the third and last pregnancy of my mom, in bed with her, rubbing his face in her belly and sleeping in between blankets. 

He passed away in April 2015. That’s one of the worst days in my life. I miss him a lot, every day. He was my best friend; he was sweet and loved to play with his toys, and he’d also sleep in my arms.

He will always be with me no matter what, he was the best cat in the whole world! It’s a five out five from me, although if I could it would be a million out of one thousand. —Lili P., 17

★★★★★

Oliver

Oliver is my neighbor’s cat! (He’s actually a dog stuck inside a cat’s body but that’s just between you and me, OK?) His hobbies include sitting in paper bags and eating catnip. Every time I go back to my old neighborhood, Ollie is there to greet me. He demands attention and tummy rubs 24/7. He is the sweetest (maybe only) cat I have ever met. Four out of five stars! —Imogene J., 15

★★★★

Peanut

This is my dog Peanut. She weighs seven pounds, her teeth are the size of little grains of rice cut in half, and her eyes are often half-closed, giving her the appearance of being consistently dazed and confused. Her nose looks like someone took an eraser to it and it’s really cute. She is the most precious thing in my life! Last summer, I found her via the internet from a local adoption group’s Facebook page. She loves to burrow under the blankets and sleep in my knee pit. Peanut loves her family and she loves to LICK! My dad calls her “Little Jerry Seinfeld” because she makes all of us laugh all the time. She is so good at brightening my life at the end of a long and dreary school day—every day I come home and she jumps at my feet, attacking me with love. Peanut is the greatest. —Sadie L., 18

★★★★★