I actively chose not to replace our cat when it died a few years back because I wanted the freedom to go for holidays or weekends away without having to organise people to look after our pet, being too time poor to give the animal the attention it needs (yes, even for a cat), and also the environmental destruction that cats cause.

Took about 6 months before a local cat adopted us as it's preferred owners, most likely due to the lack of another cat having claimed our yard as its territory. This new cat is the one I've referred to in a previous cat / pet related HN story.