Meow! National Adopt a Cat Month in June encourages us to remember our feline friends when considering a new pet.

Ella’s family adopted her when she was 10, and by that point in her life, she already had a very clear idea of her likes and dislikes — and has never been shy about communicating them.

Growing up, Nathalye De Almeida heard stories from her mother about a beloved pet tortoise named Manuela, whom she’d had as a child in the early 1980s. The stories, however, were always tinged with heartache.