Miso

Miso was a calico cat with opinions. Adopted from a Houston shelter as a scrawny kitten, she spent nineteen years ruling Sarah Chen's apartment with an iron paw and a velvet purr. She had a strict schedule: sunrise window patrol, mid-morning nap on the forbidden cashmere sweater, afternoon bird-watching, and an 8 PM demand for exactly three treats — no more, no less. She survived two cross-country moves, one ill-advised introduction to a puppy (she won), and Sarah's entire journey through grad school, career changes, and a marriage. Through every chapter, Miso was the constant — curled on the nearest warm surface, judging softly. In her final weeks, Miso spent long hours in a sunbeam on the living room rug, purring when Sarah sat beside her. She passed on a quiet August morning, in her favorite spot, with the sun on her fur.