Yes, I had.
1st with my cat. - She was my very 1st pet of my own as an adult.
I did not have any plan for adopting a pet, let alone having a live plant at that time and had not owned a pet since family pets in my childhood.
We did not have cats, just dogs so I was not familiar with cats at all.
One Sunday morning 25yrs ago, as I was enjoying my morning coffee and Sunday newspaper, I saw an ad for Himalayan kittens. I didn't even know anything about Himalayan kitties and didn't even know how they looked like.
Somehow I was drawn to it. I called the breeder who was 1hr away.
I am not an impulsive person when it comes to such big decisions.
I drove there on the same day.
The breeder handed me 1st kitten. This 1st kitten hissed and struggled in my arm. I immediately handed back this kitten and I was so disappointed.
So, breeder handed me 2nd kitten.
This little one calmly snuggled up to me in my arms. Then she turned her head and looked up straight into my eyes. And it was magical.
The breeder just said "yep, she is the one for you"
Although I was completely unprepared and not planed for a pet at that time, I somehow knew that she was born and that I had to get her. We recognized each other instantly. I didn't know at that time how much I needed her.
She taught me about unconditional love, like no others have. She shared lots of life events, relocations, other pets, and many relationships with me.
She passed away at 16 yrs old in my arms.
2nd was my dog.
Before I even met him, I kept seeing Pekingese dogs. This breed is rare now days and I never saw them until then. They were adult dogs who had owners.
I was determined to rescue a dog and I had the 'list' - female, small to medium size, short hair, adult, potty trained, proven cat friendly, fit for hiking.
So, male Pekingese puppy did not meet these criteria, to say the least.
Then, I met him, while visiting Los Angeles (I was living in No California, 5hrs away at that time). It was in a pet shop! He was a male, puppy, and Pekingese!
I visited him every morning for 7days while I was in LA. I was hoping that someone would buy him so I can be free.
He was amazingly cute but he was still there, every morning.
One day, I even asked the shop owner if he can discount the price $500 less than the asking price. He said no.
The day I was returning to home, I stopped to say good bye to the little guy.
Then I left. I drove about 1hr away from LA and I had to turned around.
I felt that I left my puppy. I drove back to the pet shop to get him.
The shop owner gave me the $500 discount plus 1cent. - $501 price discount. He knew that the puppy belonged to me.
Oh... he was my life partner and travel companion. He loved his cat siblings, was perfect with his potty training, became an AKC canine good citizen, and became a certified therapy dog for nursing homes/hospitals/etc. He also was a good hiking partner, only Pekingese in the hiking trails with mostly hunting and working dog breeds. I miss our beach walks.
He died in my arms at 14yrs and 4months old.
I still miss him so much. We had a strong bond and was destined to be together.
Both were gifts from the universe, precious gifts. I now know that.
I am not sure if I will ever have such gift again in this life time.