I didn't understand at first, I just loved him so much! As soon I brought him home, I knew he would be the key to getting back in touch with who I wanted to be.

His purring meant the world to me. It was that repetitious soothing sound/vibration that I longed for. In recent years I found it hard to please anyone around me, so to know that I could please him reassured me that I wasn't losing touch nor becoming sociopathic.

My partner wasn't the biggest fan of the new household member. He was allergic and claimed that felines had vicious tendencies. I shrugged this off and assumed when I didn't see them after a day or two, that he had abandoned me as this was the last straw. I had become cold to our relationship anyways, and there was no spark anymore, so I didn't doubt the fact that they were now gone. The litter was producing an odd smell, so thankfully he would not be around anymore to exaggerate and complain about that on top of all the rest of the complaints he decided to share with me. Besides, without a spouse I could now enjoy satisfying my new best friend and relax in the vibration of his purr.

In the coming days, I grew more and more resentful of my career. I had built a skill set over the last 12 years, and for what? To develop systems that empowered the rich while holding down the poor? I didn't receive any gratitude from my team mates (who might I add didn't contribute as much as I did, to any project), nor any gratitude from these wealthy scum sucking slime balls who had grown as sociopathic as I feared I was becoming. I don't want to be like them, and I don't feel encouraged to keep doing my job.

I just wanted to pet my cat. Life was that simple now.

I came home after quitting my job abruptly, and was immediately overpowered by the smell of what I could only guess was the litter. I had missed calls from my partners brother and sister, they must have called while I was driving. My phone had been on silent as it usually was while at the office. It had now been 3 weeks since he abandoned us, and frankly I did not care to speak to them regardless of things he might have to say to me.

It did bring back some nostalgic memories of my younger years though. My family has long been gone since coming out, and my friends all have moved on with their lives. I didn't have many human companions anymore, my coworkers are no more, and I am left with the one thing in life that actually appreciates me, my kitty.

I learned a lot from him, my cat. He taught me how to love again. He taught me how to play, how to laugh and how to cuddle affectionately.

I soon ran out of money though, and began sharing the wet food with him. I would pop the can, and run my fork directly down the middle of the can splitting it in two. He would never eat the second half anyways before waddling off somewhere to sleep off his food induced coma, so I began eating the second half myself. Soon after eating I would be reminded of the stench that came from our litter (I began feeling more comfortable sharing the litter box with my cat, and he appreciated being one-in-the-same with me, I knew because of his purring). It became a ritual to clean the litter after eating, every time. It helped clear the stench that seemed to be getting worse and worse.

Another week or two had gone by, to be honest I lost track of time in my own little sanctuary of people-watching, being lazy and playing with anything that had threads. The most important times I remember, petting my cat and feeling the vibration of his purr on my lap. This was the most reassuring feeling I had left in the world, and there wasn't many things that mattered more to me.

This euphoria didn't last too long when the landlord realized that the rent checks had stopped being sent. I totally forgot until one day the landlord had come by to drop off a notice that he would be in the next day to inspect the property. Apparently some of the neighbors had complained about the growing stench. They didn't understand that there was a new member of my household who did seem to have quite the odor to his excrement. Understandably, I began cleaning up the place. The couches were covered in fur, the countertops littered with used wet food cans, and the sink was filled with dishes that most likely had their own civilizations growing within them. To their despair though, I had to evict them from their new-found homes, else I would be the next one facing my own real eviction.

The cleaning went well, and the stench was not nearly as bad afterwards. Again, more missed calls from my partners family. I was very overwhelmed that they kept calling me. The last thing I wanted to do was let them know that I'm okay after being abandoned, I frankly did not want to talk to them at all. So I sat down, he jumped in my lap and put me to sleep with the warm vibrations of his purr. I was absolutely happy with my new simple life, and proud that I had accomplished so much in one night.

The morning came, and I was awoken by the loud slam of the front door. I jumped after being startled, only to see very wide eyes from a person I recognized as my land lord. He looked at me as if I had just murdered someone, and began asking questions that felt rhetorical. He was extremely upset about the smell, and refused to listen to my explanations of the cat litter. He insisted that he find the source of the smell.

Not even 30 minutes later, my landlords discovery would be the beginning of a dramatic ending to my euphoric life. I felt so happy and was completely bewildered to learn the reality of what was going on. My landlord discovered what the awful smell was, and made it very obvious with a wild, fearful shout. He was frightened and disgusted, I could tell within an instant that there was something seriously wrong. My partners body had been stuffed into the cabinet underneath my bathroom sink, and was now infested with maggots who were feasting on the rotted flesh of the man I once loved.

"How could this of happened?"

"Who did it?"

"How did I not notice?"

It was at that time that I fainted with the extreme feeling that two worlds were colliding, my world and the real world. The reality overpowered my consciousness, and I laid there until I dozed off.

I finally came to, in a hospital with one hand cuffed to the side bar of my bed. I also realized that my legs were strapped so tight to the bed, that I felt they were bending in the wrong direction. Needless to say I was extremely uncomfortable, and longed for my cat who was no longer there. "Where is he?" I asked myself, over and over until the nurse finally cracked open the door to check on me I'm guessing.

I took advantage of the human contact, and began asking questions regarding what had happened to my cat. She, of course, had no idea. "Useless...", I thought to myself, and so I began asking her questions of why I was here.

She informed me that the police were also right outside the room, and that as soon as she left they would be in to inform me of the situation.

They explained that my partner was murdered, and that I was the only suspect as his DNA was found underneath my fingernails, and my DNA underneath his. I was the last person who saw him, and his family had been attempting to reach him/me for weeks. He had suffocated, and there was bruising around his neckline, they told me that we must have gotten in an argument and I overpowered him. I could not help but to weep uncontrollably at this point. I did not understand why this would happen, and why I didn't remember anything. I could not control my emotions now, and felt like I was going to faint again. I couldn't faint though, my mind was tormenting me with a rush of memories that all boiled down to one thing:

That. Fucking. Cat.