How I will continue without my friends, the cats, I do not know. They are here with me always, and while they have no choice but to tolerate me, they do so with affection and care. They sleep beside me, and they know when I am distressed, which is often. One, Molly, is vocal, while the others say almost nothing, unless they see what attention can be had from the noise that another cat makes.
They are not replaceable.