Luna Always Knows

I do not tell Luna when I am sad. She just knows. I could be sitting on the bed, crying quietly into a pillow, and thirty seconds later, a black-and-white cat appears from nowhere.

She starts with her forehead, pressing it against mine. Then she kneads the blanket, slowly, one paw at a time, with her eyes half shut. Then she purrs, a low rumble I can feel in my chest.

I have read that cats purr when they are happy and also when they are anxious or in pain. I do not think Luna cares about the science. She is doing the thing that works.

It is not only me. She sits with my husband when he is stressed and with my son when he has a bad day at school. We joke that she is the head of the household wellness department.

We have had hard years. Luna has been there for all of them, in her quiet way. I hope she knows how much she is loved.