I'm very sorry for you what have to endure, dealing with chronic pain and still having to work must be exhausting at times. I would love to have a cat to help keep me company during the day while my wife is at the office, but our landlord says no pets, period. I've grown up with cats around me for most of my life, and we've had a couple since relocating to the PNW over 30 years ago for long periods of time, and we grow very attached to them. Losing them is as bad as losing a loved one IMO. In august of 2020, my older sister died of a massive infection(not covid) at the age of 64. She never got to retire, or be a grandma, our grow old with her husband, which really sucked. Less than a week later, my cat Molly died after having her for a little over 3 years, and I was destroyed, and I almost lost it. I can't believe that was 5 years ago already.
Just wondering, what's your cat's name?