Having always been a dog person, I have been converted to cats of late. A few years back our neighbours cat decided to live between the two houses. She would wait for us to come home from work, or just climb through the window at night and sleep on our bed. The neighbours found it amusing and knew that we loved having her. I cried for a week when she died.
My wife and her sister now look after a retired racehorse. We share the upkeep, but he lives down south with my sister-in-law. Which is just as well, as I am allergic to horses. He's still young, very healthy and well looked after.