We found Milo through a Facebook friend who was looking to re-home him due to them moving to a place that didn’t allow pets. My family immediately fell in love with him because he had such fat cheeks (literally certified by the vets lol). Originally, we got Milo for my younger sister because she loved our calico cat and we thought that maybe they’ll make a great pair.

Due to our inexperience of acclimating a new cat into a dog dominant household, my younger sister had a very bloody and traumatizing experience with Milo. After 2 weeks of having him, my family was looking to re-home him again but for some reason, there was a part of me that felt sad about that. At the time, I was still working a temp job and I was adamant about not getting a pet for myself because I felt that I wasn’t fit to be a pet owner. However, I cried the day when my aunt and younger sister made the decision to re-home him.

I was so sad about it that it took me just one night looking at Milo in his crate that I decided that I was going to take him as my own pet. From there on, it was like there was an instant connection and Milo became my best friend.

Milo has been a part of my life throughout my 20’s. We experienced the COVID-19 pandemic together, he sent me off on first drunken party escapade, he sat with me during every mental breakdown, and he’s walked with me to every corner of every rental home I’ve moved to. He was my best friend and I was his whole world.

In 2020, we discovered that Milo has a diaphragmatic hernia. This is where there is a hole in the diaphragm which allows the abdominal organs to move into the chest cavity causing issues with breathing and lung development. Over the years, we have been told that Milo’s hernia has become worse and without surgery, he could die from his abdominal organs crushing his heart. However, the consultation and surgery fees for such a surgery is wildly expensive and we were told that there was a 50/50 chance of survival or rejection. So, I made the difficult choice to not pursue surgery and just spend every moment with him as if it’s his last.

Milo has slowed down a lot in the past 2 years. He use to be super active, patrolling the house at all hours of the day, but not as much anymore. He still drives me crazy with his persistent cry for food but I’m aware that my time with him is limited. In my heart of hearts, I don’t think Milo will make it to see me in my 30’s. Regardless of the unknown amount of time I have with Milo, I remind myself of the love and friendship that Milo has gifted me. I’m reminded that in a world that’s so crazy and evil, Milo is a constant in my life that lights up the world.

I always tell people this but I’m so honored and blessed to be Milo’s besto friendo in this lifetime.