In remembrance of Fuzz Lightyear

This is going to be a sad post, about a beloved pet that died multiple years ago but who's still remembered fondly.

If this is not your cup of tea, please keep scrolling and I hope you have a peaceful day.

Today I want to share the obituary I wrote of Fuzz Lightyear, our flame point siamese who was barely with us for two years. it just seems like a good day to share it.

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On the 12th of May, 2015, I had asked my dad for a ride home from the college, after a day of studying for my GED/HISET. It was a really nice drive, but then I noticed that my dad had taken a different route than usual. I commented on this with a "Where are we going?" to which he responded, "I need to pick something up."

We stopped at someone's house, a place belonging to someone I had never met before, and my dad knocked on the door. A woman answered the door and welcomed us inside. I don't remember anything about the details of the house or the woman, but I do remember that she had what my dad came here for.

She had left and returned with a tiny white puffball, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

It was a kitten. My dad came here to pick up the kitten of his dreams. Powdery snow fur with toasted marshmallow accents on his ears, face, and tail, as well as baby blue eyes so full of excitement and life.

My dad eagerly accepted the kitten into his arms and talked to it for awhile, then a conversation ensued with the woman who was giving the kitten to us. I had asked my dad if I could hold the kitten and he handed it over to me.

The fur of kittens is what sweet dreams are made of. Cradling the kitten in my arms, I couldn't believe that we were welcoming a new member of the family! It was almost like the day we adopted my Majora, in which the seed of joy was planted in my heart.

The kitten was quiet, perhaps it was anxious about the new stimuli, but regardless I loved on that kitten and reassured it that we were going to give it a wonderful new home. I can't remember when I first heard/felt that kitten's purr, all I know is that there was never a day that went by where the kitten didn't purr.

So we rounded up the supplies and toys the woman had given us, and placed them all into our car while I was still holding the kitten. I was so excited! When we finally pulled up at our house, I took the kitten upstairs to the parents' room and carefully placed it on the bed. Soon my dad came up with some fresh wet food in a pink kitty bowl and set that on the bed so the kitten could eat.

Two of our cats came up on the bed to investigate that new baby smell. Majora was first.

"Want to say hi to your new baby brother?" Dad had asked. Unfortunately, Majora wasn't pleased with no longer being the baby of the family, so she hissed to voice her complaint. Then Tootsie came on the bed, curiously. She got a whiff of that new baby smell and tried to eat the kitten food, so she had to be shooed away.

The kitten got food all over itself, much to the amusement of my dad and I.

When the litterbox was set up in the room, Bob's Burger's playing on the TV, we began discussing names for the kitten.

Dad had mentioned that the kitten had been pre-named with Fuzz, so I decided to think of puns involving Fuzz in the name.

I don't remember the choices, but I do remember the winner.

My dad had to return to work, tasking me with watching over Fuzz Lightyear until the others came home. I was absolutely overjoyed that the name I suggested became the kitten's name! The pun was beautifully crafted, and everybody who heard of it agreed that it was the best name for a kitten ever.

As I returned to my parents' room, I saw that Fuzz's eyes were interested in what was happening on the screen. I decided to pull my phone out and record Baby Fuzz's First Day Home. (link)

That night, my mom had called me into the room and told me to look at the puffball curled up and sleeping next to her face. It was super precious.

Fuzz loved to play. Playtime usually involved biting and a bit of bloodshed but afterwards he would be all tuckered out and curled up with the playmate, purring and purring away.

He wasn't a "bad" kitty, he was just wild and rambunctious! If he attacked your feet or your arm as it was dangling, it just meant he wanted to play with you.

Unfortunately... the four other cats weren't so accepting of this new kitten, so everybody made sure they all felt loved and didn't feel replaced. If I were a cat and some kitten was in my territory, I'd be defensive too!

But eventually, boundaries were set and Fuzz could be seen cuddling/grooming with most of the cats. It seemed like they accepted him as a crazy younger brother, but were quick to tell him when the line was crossed.

One of the inside jokes about Fuzz Lightyear was that he had two "settings" or "modes"; Sweet and Asshole. Asshole mode was when Fuzz was absolutely crazy and wreaking havoc, while Sweet mode was the aftermath, all calmed down and ready to make up for the scratches and bites with kitty kisses and purrs. Of course, for some reason I never thought of Goofball mode! Fuzz would chase his tail, run crazy around the house, or pose amusingly.

Fuzz loved having his belly rubbed, and my dad came up with... I don't know what you'd call it but every time he'd rub Fuzz's belly, he'd say "Belly belly belly!" in a goofy voice, so that caught on to the rest of us and Fuzz absolutely loved it all.

He also adored eating out of his baby bowl (the pink kitty bowl) and hardly ever ate from the other food bowls unless he thought he was still hungry. Fuzz had a really strong preference for food being served in his baby bowl. Even when my dad tried to wean him from it, Fuzz wasn't interested. The rest of us didn't see anything wrong with it, so it was agreed that Fuzz got to keep his bowl.

The woman who gave us Fuzz also gave him a very special, very noisy toy, a fuzzy blue mouse on a matching string and stick; with every shake it would chirp and squeak like a mouse, drawing attention from any kitty ears who detected it.

When Fuzz was growing up, his baby blue eyes didn't fade one bit, leading to my mom confirming that Fuzz Lightyear was a flame-point siamese. Flame-points are known for their seemingly endless energy, vocalizations, and constant cuddles, so it all fit Fuzz to a T! However... he was also a heavy eater, so we often joked that he was a piggy (or a Piggasaurus Rex).

As he grew, so did his waistline, but he never seemed bothered by it and was still his troublemaking self! So long as he was active, drinking water, using the litterbox and being his usual crazy self, he was fine. The vet even confirmed that Fuzz's weight wasn't something to panic about, but they did say to feed the cats separately so that Fuzz didn't gain more than he should.

Whenever I fed Majora in my room with the door shut, Fuzz would throw tantrums by flopping on the side of the door while pawing, scratching, and meowing. I only allowed him inside when Majora was done eating and he'd lick up any crumbs remaining. If there was still a decent amount of food in there, I made sure to hide Majora's foodbowl, but that didn't stop Fuzz from trying to find it, the fat lil rascal.

Fuzz didn't seem to have any disorders, he just had a big appetite and probably didn't know when to stop.

After mealtime, while waiting for food to convert to fuel, he'd curl up with a human of his choice and snore-purr away as he took a cat-nap.

That's one of my favorite things about him; his snore-purrs. It's pure music to my ears that this sweet baby boy would purr even during his sleep, telling everybody around him that he loved them and was happy. Even on days when he wasn't feeling too well, if we pet him, we'd be rewarded with his sweet happy purrs. Like I said, there was never a day that went by that Fuzz didn't purr.

He even purred as he bathed himself, and one time gave me a bath on the top of my head! It tickled and I'll never forget that special moment.

One thing I was worried about was that if Fuzz preferred me over dad, since he's supposed to be dad's cat. Nobody else was worried about this, and I was often told that he liked everybody and spent time with everybody however he could. Obviously he couldn't be in multiple places at once, so this comforted me a bit.

Often times, as I was getting ready for bed, I'd have Majora on my side and soon Fuzz would join us. Majora eventually allowed him, so long as he gave her enough space. Funnily enough, when nobody was around, the two of them would sleep in a small pile with their noses actually touching! I don't know why Majora would want to hide, but perhaps she was embarassed.

I always woke up to two cats on my bed, and gave them both morning greetings and kisses.

Fuzz always made sure to give everybody his attention, and melted even the most frozen of hearts with his cattitude. 

Even when he started to get sick in the beginning of this year and started playing less, he always appreciated being loved on.

Fuzz Lightyear was perfectly imperfect. He was the happiest little boy in the world.

We don't know what exactly happened or what the cause was, but one day Fuzz had to leave us even though he was a few days short of turning 2 years old. We love him with all of our hearts to this day.

On his last night with us, a mere 16 hours before he had to leave, Fuzz slept with me in my room so I had wrapped an arm around him as he was purring and purring away.

Grieving is strange, but that's probably because I haven't given or allowed myself the time to grieve. I feel guilty for hardly crying these past few months, but I've been reassured that grieving is different for everybody and that it comes in waves.

I guess finally taking the time to write this could count as grieving, as well as thinking of him at night and hoping he comes to visit me in spirit or dreams. I hope to take the time to pay my respects to his grave more often starting now.

I wasn't crying as I was typing this, and I wish I was, but I do feel that a weight has been lifted as I'm nearing completion.

Rest in Peace, Fuzz Lightyear. May your memories with us live through the ages.

Thank you for reading.