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This is my ‘second shot’ at this .....
Such a sad and yes, inspiring, story. As I ‘pen’ this, I am staring into the eyes of a cat that looks like no crap will be taken....
I lost one a year ago, she was 10 and had the name “CAT” as I like to keep things simple and usually form a ‘bond’ with a pet that he/she knows when it is time to interact.
I also had a hand in ‘Cats’ demise, trying to help her in a time of need and misread the situation - what I though may have been a massive hairball that I attempted to help her remove, turned out to be a piece of nylon string that she had somehow swallowed and apparently wrapped around her innards. The Vet (sort of) chastised me as to not bringing her in sooner but I believe he ‘read’ the grief in my face and sensed the hurt I was going through as I told him the best thing would probably be to let her ‘go in peace’.
He gave me a minute (or as much as I could stand) but she was really unable to lick me as she had picked up that habit and it drove me ‘crazy’ but at this point was sorry I had not allowed her to ‘lick away’ as it seemed to please her so much.
I immediately got a replacement to help fill the void but Whitey ( a black cat with a smidgeon or two of white) was really too young and I found take away from ‘mom’ way to early so for the past year I have been serving as a pin cushion for a large mostly black cat.
The companion I got him (to divert him from driving me crazy) turned out to be a tiny little thing, though older and he is white, with a smidgeon or two of black, so, naturally I named him Blacky.
So, together, they have teamed up to make my life ‘very interesting’, and like yours, if I leave the room for more than a minute, they track me down and position themselves so they will know where I am constantly.
A ‘bad habit’ though is they tend to think ANYTHING on a table or elevated surface needs to be down on the floor so they can spend time with it, the favorite being my computer mouse....the shiny red ball gets extracted and they tend to bat it around till they lose it - then it is up to me to find it so I can stupidly leave it where they can find it.
However, probably wouldn’t have it any other way..

Sorry to ‘steal your moment’, just want you to know that ‘I feel your sadness and loss’ and do recommend you get a stand in - you will never replace them as I still get occasional flashbacks of cats I have owned (well you know what I mean) over the last 6+ decades.....

Again, sorry for your loss and I hope the ink on this paper isn’t smearing from the ‘salty discharge’ I am discovering coming from the area of my eyes.

Pax to ‘Cathy’

IF you have not heard it before, allow me to ‘post’ a poem inspired by a Norse Legend, called “The Rainbow Bridge”.

“THE RAINBOW BRIDGE”
By the edge of a wood, at the foot of a hill,
is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
when their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
for here they are whole,
their lives filled with gladness.

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass,
without even a care,
until one day they start, and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other,
these friends from long past,
the time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,
has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
and then, side-by-side,
they cross over ... together.

Again, sorry to ‘hog your time’....

Here comes more of that ‘salty discharge’ and a ‘grinning’ black cat needing to ‘sharpen his claws’....