He sits before the door expectantly, tail swishing. The door doesn’t open, will never open. Inside is off limits.

I sigh, empathy swirling through me. “Come on, bud,” I mutter, lifting my protesting cat up and away.

He’s not the only one to obsess over what he can’t have.

Maria is fascinated by the similarities of emotion across species, time, and place. She misses her cats a lot.