18 years ago, I thought Jakk (Just a Kitty Kat) needed a buddy. I went to the local pound and found a terrified, ratty grey guy. His fur was rough, dull, and smelled bad—like cheap carpeting. His sign said he had been abused by the kids. He was shaking with fear, hiding under the couch in the interview room. He was obviously the cat for me. I named him J’aime, or Jakki’s Friend. 2 days later my husband broke his leg, and Jaime (now without an apostrophe) took over the care of his new Daddy. Jaime was nurse, cheerleader and activity supervisor. He sat with my husband for the entire 8 weeks of recovery. Shortly, with good food and lots of TLC, he looked like a superstar. Then a tiny tabby kitten, Purrcy, joined us. Jaime loved Purrcy from the get-go. Jaime was once again nurse, cheerleader and supreme supervisor. That’s when we realized Jaime was a working cat! He was happiest with a job to do! Today his jobs include waking us up, ensuring his adoring cat subjects get tastes of butter occasionally, protecting the house from insects, keeping Purrcy’s ears clean, and keeping his Daddy’s lap warm. At 18, he’s still spry, opinionated, and super loving. Jaime wrote the Cat Rules by which run our house. We all report to him, our benevolent master. We can’t imagine our home without him, and we all adore him.