You are lucky to have Little Bear, and he is lucky to have you. I am sorry for your friend. How terrible.
Yeah, I sure hated for him to have to get rid of his cats, but he had 7 in a small house and had open heart surgery and resulting complications and was barely able to care for himself. His mother and sister were taking care of him and the cats and he felt that that was too much to ask of them. He still has two left and is looking for homes for them too, but I kinda hope he keeps them because being sick without a cat to snuggle up with would just be the pits. It would depress me to death. He is better now, but has been in and out of the hospital, so I understand his choice. I'm just glad I was able to help him with Little Bear. I'd take in every cat in the world and become a "crazy cat lady" if it weren't for my husband's voice of reason. I know what you mean about the sense of calm. They do that for me too. I think they're addictive.