A life with pets is not an easy one — but we live it because it is one that is filled with unconditional love. And, for those who have never known the love of a pet, it may sound like a bunch of words. To those of us who have, nothing could be closest to the truth.

I grew up with pets — dogs, chickens, rabbits — but never cats. I guess it was because stray cats were village regulars that walked the streets, spilled over garbage cans for food and survived even the fiercest storms in the 60s.

But, one day in 2014, being in my early 50s and having been a pet writer for over 20 years, a friendly pet-lover asked me if I had ever had a cat. “No,” came my quick reply. “Cats are street animals,” I remember saying, as I dismissed the idea of living with a fur baby cat. Wrong. Mr. Gizmo, a long-haired Exotic cat, has lived with me for over 10 years now — and I have often wondered why I ignored a life with cats for so long. I added Miss Kitty, a blue Persian, a year later, a decision I have never regretted.

The years have gone by so quickly, Mr. Gizmo and Miss Kitty have become sleeping buddies — as they hop on into my bed at night. I also have two loyal doggie companions: Boris, a mini schnauzer, and Vodka, a Bichon. And yes, they all sleep with me — and after a bit of chasing around the room for who sleeps where — the pets lay peacefully to some shut-eye, myself included.

Trips to pet shops in the metro — there are new ones and the older and more reliable ones for over 30 years now — have become a regular treat for me (and for my fur babies, who get their treats when I get home. A visit to the older pet shops means being able to find sturdy toys that the fur babies (that means Boris) like and that last until they are old and ratty. The newer pet shops can sometimes cause lots of “wow, a new toy” moments — something that I always welcome – as long as the toy is a plushie and not made of chewable plastic that the fur babies can tear apart easily, swallow and can be harmful to the environment when it’s time to get rid of it.

And, like an old and loyal best friend, I look for reliable pet shops that are easy to find, have the freshest stock of treats and food and can sometimes surprise me with toys that I had not seen anywhere else. I like Pet Express because of how the pet shop has grown though the years, its involvement in most of the pet events I have participated in and because the staff are friendly and quite knowledgeable about their products.