We never wanted a second cat. When we moved into our new home, mine and my husband’s minds were on other things. We already had a fluffy boy of our own named Oliver and he enjoyed being a single child. But things changed when Loki came into our lives.Our neighborhood is home to a vast collection of feral cats. The people who live here set food out for them and some are even friendly enough to let you pet them. One evening while I was at work, my husband had a visitor. An elderly neighbor who was looking for the owner of a small black and white kitten with a green collar. Of course, we had no idea who he belonged to. But it was getting dark, so he decided to hold onto the kitten until we could locate his owner. Of course, we had no intention of keeping him.I came home from work to see my husband cuddled up to this silly little kitty I had no idea he had kept. He had only had the kitten for a couple of hours and he had already warmed up to the house. He was a black and white tuxedo with a pair of large ears on his head. We decided to name him Loki and promised only to keep him until we found his owners. When Oliver met the kitten, he wasn’t too happy. He sat up in his tower and grumbled at the new intruder, as per usual. I figured that it would be a long while before they would ever get along.After three days, we could not find Loki’s old owners. Not knowing what to do, we debating on keeping him ourselves. And our minds were made up once I found Oliver cuddled up to him, sound asleep. Our baby boy, who hated newcomers, loved this tiny kitten. We knew then we couldn’t get rid of him and that he would be ours.Even after adopting him and him accepting this as his new home, Loki loved to roam. He would patrol the neighborhood and come back every once in a while to rest and recharge. He was a local celebrity: protecting the neighborhood as its Hero. Everyone knew and loved him. We would get constant phone calls of people finding him thinking he was lost only for us to let them know he is only making his rounds. Thankfully, he was afraid of cars so he kept away from the roads.He was a master hunter and even brought a living bird and a snake into the house. He loved dirt baths and he would often get so dirty that we would have to bathe him ourselves, which he didn’t mind. He was always so friendly and so laid back: he never fought or hissed. He loved being held on his back like a baby and would paw your face while you held him. We would wrap him up in blankets and he would fall asleep, completely content. Even when he got older, he never got very big. And Oliver loved smothering him. He would groom him and they would play together and sleep together. I think he really enjoyed being a big brother.On a normal Thursday night, my husband was at the gym and me and one of my roommates were home alone. Suddenly, the power went out and stayed out for about an hour. Not only was our house out, but so were the houses next to us and all the streetlights for the next few blocks. When the lights came on and my husband got home, we started playing video games until it was time for bed. After a little bit, I looked through my phone and noticed I had gotten a voicemail from a restricted number. A police officer. In the darkness, Loki had been hit by a car.Nothing can fill the hole in your heart that is left after losing a pet. Not enough tears can be shed. All we can do is keep our memories of them so that they won’t be forgotten.You were the best boy, Loki. We miss you so much.