I have a book for the animal lovers out there.

It’s called Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known, by Scott Simon, the wonderful NPR journalist.

Ulysses S. Cat was an orange Scottish Fold with floppy ears and a face that was, shall we say, not conventionally handsome.

But he became a deeply important companion to Simon’s family, especially during his stepfather’s final illness.

And the book is filled with animals like Ulysses. There’s a fish named Salman Fishdie. A grasshopper named Hoppy. A hamster named Bagel. And a whole parade of dogs and cats who wandered into Simon’s life and, as animals have a way of doing, took over.

But there’s also a story that surprised me.

During the siege of Sarajevo, Simon encountered people living through unimaginable violence who were still finding ways to care for abandoned animals.

Think about that. People who were struggling to survive themselves were making room for creatures who needed them.

And that’s when you begin to realize that this isn’t simply a collection of amusing pet stories.

It’s a book about tenderness, companionship, and the ways animals make us more attentive to another living being.

Scott Simon has spent his career reporting on some of the biggest events in the world. But here he reminds us that some of life’s most meaningful relationships happen in the smallest moments.

A cat sitting beside someone who’s ill. A dog waiting at the door. A creature who doesn’t know anything about your accomplishments, your disappointments, or your plans for tomorrow.

It just knows you’re there.

And sometimes, that is quite enough.