It’s been months since Zeus the cat said his final goodbyes to his deceased companion, a dog named Sam. However, the bereft cat’s affection for his former canine partner remains strong.

And this has now become very evident.

On the surface, Zeus and Sam’s relationship may not have seemed too atypical for a cat and dog living under the same roof.

But despite the contrasts in their species and temperaments, a bond formed between them — though they did express it in different ways.

“Zeus attempted to snuggle and play with Sam, but Sam was always indifferent,” the pair’s owner, Emma Catanzarite, told The Dodo. “Zeus was always teasing him.”

He mostly simply wanted to be near her.

But while cats are usually the ones who have a funny way of showing affection, in this case it was Sam the dog who expressed his love through tolerance.

Sadly, though, their time together couldn’t last forever; two months ago, Sam died — and it cast a long shadow on the cat’s heart.

“Zeus seemed really lonely after Sam passed away,” Catanzarite said. “He followed my mom around a lot more during the day and he meowed a lot after he died like he was looking for him. The day Sam died, we had him wrapped in a blanket and my mom came in the room to find Zeus sleeping on top of him, like he finally got the chance to cuddle with him.”

Sam may be gone, but this week Zeus found a way to reconnect with him.

Catanzarite’s brother had kept the dog’s old collar on a bookshelf in his room since the dog’s death. Zeus discovered it the other day, and his heart seemed to enlarge.

“I noticed Zeus sniffing near the bookcase, then he leapt up and sat exactly next to the collar,” Catanzarite explained. “Seeing how thrilled he was to discover that and smell Sam again made me so sad.”

“When he found it, he appeared really thrilled,” Catanzarite recalled. “I believe it may have aided him.”