In 2018 my childhood cat of 15 years had to be put to rest. Needless to say, it was a particularly rough time in my life. And since that particular cat had come to us by chance, I hadn’t the foggiest idea how to go about picking out a new friend. I paged through dozens of adorable cats on Petfinder, visited half a dozen shelters, rescues, and fosters, but none of them struck me as being “the one”. The right cat was out there and I was willing to wait until I came across the perfect match.At some point, I stumbled across a little black kitten named “Kronk” which immediately made me stop and ask, “Who named this cat Kronk?” The rescue that housed them (MARL) themed their litters after Disney films and this bunch happened to be characters from The Emperor’s New Groove. Among the litter were Kronk, Kuzco, Pacha, and Yzma–the latter of which was already adopted, but still worth the mention for being an in-character grey cat. I decided that, hey, why not give the shelter a visit? Unfortunately, since the kittens were under quarantine with upper respiratory infections, they couldn’t leave their cage. It didn’t stop me from dangling some toys in front of the window, however, and one of them immediately took interest.After a week of thinking about that one kitten, I returned again when they were able to come out properly. Kronk was the loving, sit-in-your-lap kind of guy, Pacha was ambivalent about my presence, and Kuzco took to hiding underneath the equipment in the playroom. It took a bit of time to coax him out, but when he did, he went limp in my arms and started to purr. I was pretty much sold on this kitten–even before he decided to slither off of the playscape like a snake.Kuzco’s personality was, and still is, one of the most unique among any cat I’ve ever met. As his Petfinder biography stated, his first and foremost priority was playtime. He was active, loved to fetch any of his toys that were thrown, and would run at full speed to get anywhere. It wasn’t uncommon to see a black blur cross your path when you opened a door. Feathers were destroyed on sight. Any and all dangling things attached to cat towers were bitten off and brought to me with pride. Windows were for spying on tree frogs and chattering at chipmunks. And, above all else, chasing pompom balls was his favorite. There was a special bag for them which he’d get excited upon seeing.Now one may think that such an energetic cat would be a handful–after all, cats are notorious for knocking things off counters and getting into trouble. But Kuzco was different–there was some instinct in him to listen carefully and respond to what I was doing. He’d leave my things alone and chose the chairs over the counter tops, waited patiently for me to move things off of the couch before he leaped onto it, and was content to sit while I left the room to refill his bowl. He had a self-limiter for how many table scraps he’d eat, and would quietly leave after a couple bites. And while I worked on crafts, played games, or made art, he’d sit and watch on the couch behind me, no doubt confused about what his human was up to (but interested nevertheless).On top of this, he was one of the easiest cats to handle, with all of the floppiness of a big Beanie Baby. He was content to be cradled and have his belly rubbed (genuinely one of his favorites), and even enjoyed when I pet his tail. From a young age I trained him to tolerate having his nails clipped–and by adulthood, he would come to the sound of the nail clippers clicking, purring all the while. He’d spend a lot of time just watching me from afar, slow-blinking happily with a particular kind of joyous comfort. At the end of a long day, he’d snuggle up in bed beside me.Day in and day out, this special kind of trust from him was never taken for granted. Every day I felt blessed to have him in my life. I don’t think I could ever put into words just how much this cat meant to me–and still means to me, even now. I had so much love for him that it poured out into everything around me. Even though his time with me was short, it was nonetheless life-changing.I learned something from having him in my life; to take a chance on the shy, scared cats who needed that extra push to truly blossom. He inspired me to start volunteering at a shelter near my home that I visit every Thursday. He inspired me to go slow with every cat I met, to really take the time to learn who they were and how to bring out the best in them. He inspired me to bring a half-feral stray in as a foster and help him overcome his fear of people. And, after Kuzco’s passing, I would find another scared little black kitten who needed help just like he did back then.My childhood cat was a one in a million find, but Kuzco? He’s one in a billion. I don’t know what happens after death, but I hope it’s wonderful. If anyone deserves it, it’s him.