Spot

I am Terran Felis domesticus; I served with Lt. Cmdr Data on the USS Enterprise-D and the USS Enterprise-E. I used to be a Somali cat, but I decided to change my appearance and become a common house cat (changed sex in the process as well). I am quite a gourmet, and my android Data created several hundred different food supplements for my enjoyment. He also composed an elaborate ode in my honor:
Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature.
Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.
I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.
A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.
O Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.