I wish cats lived as long as people. You would meet your kitten when you were a small child and they would be your companion for life. Ours are 17 now, a good age, I am dreading the day :-/
I'll never forget the day my mother called to tell me that their cat had died in an accident, suffering. I was (technically) grown up then, and it was many years ago, but it still hurts. Writing this hurts :(
An animal can teach a child about unconditional love, in a way nothing else really can. And about loss. And really, life itself.