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When I was 9-years-old, I was playing outside on a very cold day. Huddled, freezing underneath a neighbor's AC unit was a very frail, very beaten up white cat. Instantly, I picked her up and put her inside of my coat. I fell in love with her right away and we bonded at once.

CAT. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK / SONIA

By the next day, I had convinced my parents to allow me to keep her. We took her to the vet. She was fully declawed, which meant she had been owned at one point. She was 6-years-old, so she had been born sometime in 1988. She made a full recovery, and though she was scared of people she didn't know and mostly stayed in my room, she was the most loving cat I had ever known. I named her Creamy.

For the next 14 years, she was my best friend. Always with me to cuddle and comfort me when I was sad. When I had gotten my own (first) apartment and would come home at the end of the day, she would be waiting for me right at the door. I'd pick her up and hold her against my ear listing to her purr. I'd carry her around for while I went about doing my coming home activities with one hand.

PHOTO: DOREEN FROM BLOOMINGTON, IL

Then one morning in late November 2008, this usually very healthy cat took a turn. I found her shaking when I woke up, and she wouldn't eat her breakfast. I took her to the vet where they kept her overnight. Sadly the next morning I got a call that she had passed away in the night.

When I first got her as a little girl, I would sing Madonna's "Angel" to her because she did come when I wished for her. Even though she's been gone for years, I still get emotional whenever I happen to hear the song. I will never, ever forget her or stop missing her.

Story submitted by Doreen from Bloomington, Illinois.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!