I understand EXACTLY what you’re saying :(
I’m sure you do, exactly. Some people scoff at strong attachments to animals but tell that to my kids - she came before they did and they don’t know life without her.
Although she is my cat much more than anyone else’s. About one year into our marriage my husband got a job in Manhattan so I said, fine, we’ll move to the city but we are getting a cat. She was so skittish (rescued from the street in Queens) that she basically stayed under the kitchen table for 2 weeks, so I did too. Until she mellowed with age, she distrusted most other people. Because of her attachment to me but being so stand-offish otherwise, we were a bit concerned over how she would handle our first baby. But that first afternoon our daughter was home and crying, Bud scratched my leg and yowled like a siamese, as if to say, HEY! Take care of the baby! :) And she was maternal out of nowhere from then on, loving toward all 3 of our kids.
Other than her ears and her diminished jumping, she’s in great health, still plays, beautiful fur, good appetite, so she’s probably just going to shock me and die in her sleep one of these days and I will never completely recover. She’s been a treasure.