Our cat Buttons, who we've had for eleven years I think, was getting old and very sick. This morning she was barely able to breathe and couldn't even eat or drink. Just sneezing was painful to her. She was puffing heavily and laying still on one of the living room chairs. She had spent most of the night there, I checked. Snuggles was watching her too but followed me downstairs. Buttons was just sick now. At her age (twelve, most likely), her chances of survival were far too thin. We didn't want to make her suffer...so dad took her to get put to sleep. She's dead now. He buried her and saved some clippings of her fur to frame with a picture of her. She had such beautiful fur. Her Calico coat was just so soft and beautiful. Even in her old age, she was such a pretty girl. Everyone always thought that. I have pictures of her in my gallery if you want to see for yourselves.

I didn't want to cry in front of Buttons for some reason. I guess I just wanted my final "goodbye" to her to be calm. Figi and I were woken up to see her one last time. CT had already been awake Once she was taken away, we were tearing up. We tried cheering ourselves up by looking back at the good times with her. We watched some TV to get some laughs. Then dad came home. He said some words in her honor...and we all finally cried. Dad, mom, CT, Figi, we all just cried together. I think even Snuggles, as dimwitted as that cat is, I think she realized something was wrong. She came in, climbed behind CT on the couch, stared at the place Buttons was last, looked at CT in confusion and meowed loudly. Snuggles isn't bright, but I think she saw this coming. She must've realized how sick Buttons had gotten. Animals can sense these things.

This'll make me sound sappy, but Buttons really was apart of our family. She was always the baby. When she got older, she was everyone's best friend. She always greeted mom in the morning and when she got home from work. If mom had brought home groceries, she'd begin pawing through them, like she was looking for the cat food. She loved groceries. She sat by mom all the time and got excited when someone went in the kitchen. She'd play with our hair when we sat down to watch TV and sat on our laps when we were on the computer.

She had arthritis, so it made it difficult for her to claw on things. As a result, her nails grew long and she was easily caught on the rug and blankets. As she aged, her voice became dry so her meowing was cracked sounding. It was kind of like Chewbacca on helium. It was creepy, but cute. She was a runt, so she was small for a cat her breed. And she always ate too fast, so she constantly threw up. She was always skinny because of that. Her eyes ere huge. Like two big green olives with black pits. The way she stared wasn't like how most cats stare. It was like she was really studying us. And when she squinted, it looked like she was glaring at us, despite her contentment. She loved to just stare. Sometimes it felt like she knew it creeped us out and was doing it for fun. Hee hee. She was smarter than given credit for. She was raised by humans since birth (literally). Because of that, she barely acted like a cat at all. She seemed more human. Snuggles was raised by cats, so she was the more cat-like of the two. Buttons, on the other hand, always seemed so human to me. On occasions, it was almost like she thought she was a human.

I remember when Buttons was young. I was afraid of her because all the cats I saw on TV were mean, so I figured real cats were too. And Buttons was so playful, so she always gave chase when someone was running or walking briskly. I thought she was trying to attack me, so I'd squeal and try to get away. I grew attached to her and treated her like my baby.

Figi was a toddler at the time, so he was still in diapers. Buttons liked the crinkly noise the diapers made, so she always would bat at them. One time, while Figi was running, she tore his diaper clean off. We all laugh every time CT tells that story. I remember it so fondly.

One time, after coming home from a school concert, I fell asleep on the couch, with only my sweater as a blanket. While I was sleeping, Buttons had cuddled up on my sweater and slept by my side. Mom took a picture of it. It was so cute. Buttons always loved to sleep on someone's bed with them. Especially if said person was sick. It was like her way of making you feel better. If anyone was sick, she was quick to sleep by them.

Before we got Snuggles, Buttons was so lonesome at night; she would steal all our socks and leave them on our beds to find in the morning. When we went away on vacation, we'd find that she left little piles of socks all over the place and two pairs of Figi's underwear. It was always Figi's underwear! Nobody else's. And it was always two pairs. One would think Buttons had been keeping track.

CT used to have a stuffed cat that made a purring noise when you shook it. Buttons loved that noise and stole the toy. She'd play with it and groom it as if it were her kitten. Snuggles was afraid of it. It was kinda funny, because Buttons loved that toy to death. It was lost in the move. But by then, Buttons had Snuggles to fight and groom. So she seemed fine. As much as those two fought, I think they actually liked each other deep down. Like two brothers who constantly rumble and bicker.

Suddenly, we all really appreciate Snuggles. It's weird only having one cat again. Snuggles is a bit mean, but she can sweet when she wants (or when it's convenient for her). And as much as that cat ignores me and bluntly only likes me when I have food she wants, I know I'll cry just the same when her time comes too. Snuggles seems confused by all the sudden attention. We never ignored her, but now we're just smothering her. I wonder how long it'll take her to realize Buttons isn't coming back. I wonder what she'll do now that her favorite thing to fight with is gone.

We all loved Buttons so much. She was a sweet kitty. She's going to be missed. Even after we finally heal and get a new cat, nothing can ever replace her. She was just one of those "one in a million" types of cats. She won't be forgotten. It seems so surreal that she's dead. But at least she lived a long, happy life, surrounded by a family that loved her and wanted what was best for her. As painful as it was to put her to sleep, we all agreed it was for the best. Why make her suffer any more? I'd rather she went peacefully than in so much agony.

Sorry for my long, sappy entry here. But I just wanted to pay some homage to Buttons. I'm gonna miss her so, so much.