In this thesis I will be exploring ideas on the act of anthropomorphizing our pets as ways of combating loneliness, death, and social escapism through fabricated surrogate ‘others’, and cat love. I will be using my personal relationship with my cat Jean-Michel as a lens on these issues. This thesis will explore these ideas through theories on cuteness and it’s affects on humans, as well as the affects of death anxiety. We know that we will (hopefully) out live our pet and someday have to deal with the crushing loss that follows the departure of a loved one. I like to look at this body of work as if it were a preemptive mourning processes both exploring my anxiety towards death and my love for this being. In my work I hope to convey these ideas through the use of photography, paper-cuts, and drawing.