Because of a problem with Puss' paw, she'd lost the ability to jump on my bed, and she would sometimes stand at the base, preparing for a jump, but never leaping, so I'd pick her up and put her down whenever she needed to get up or down. Then I had the idea of building her stairs out of boxes, which eventually became a chair and three boxes. Any time she wanted to go up and down, she would just use the stairs. And any time I was on my bed, Puss would come up too. I even set up a cat bed for her by my pillow, out of a sideways box with a small folded blanket. She had one other major cat bed, a larger folded blanket that she spent much time on.

I made a lot of things for Puss out of cardboard boxes. When she was younger and more playful (though she never lost her affection), I'd build her forts out of boxes, and even managed one with a second floor. They'd typically have two entrances, just for the fun of it.

The first time I remember her licking me, I woke up in the middle of the night to her rough tongue against my hand. Then what started as a rare occurrence became frequent, almost occurring every time I'd pet her.
She used to jump on top of my computer to step onto my lap. She loved home-grown cat grass. When she slept in the bed beside my pillow, I'd fall asleep with my hand on her. Sometimes she'd leave in the middle of the night, and return before I woke up. Sometimes when I was reading, she'd just lay down on my book as if to say "your attention is required with more important matters."

From the very moment I met Puss, she was absolutely friendly. The first thing I did was fall on all fours and reach out a hand, and she came to smell me. She was always the softest cat in the world. Not the fluffiest cat, no, her fur was just the *softest* there was.

With Puss gone, there are so many things I can't bear to ever get rid of; Her food bowl, with a fancy mold and design, and her distinct water & secondary food bowl; Her two beds, and I still keep the bed-on-a-bed by my pillow; Her seven remaining catnip toys, and two stuffed cats that my mom had once given her, and that I've kept by her larger bed for many years; Her brush and comb, which she always enjoyed being groomed with; Anything I find that reminds me of Puss.

I don't know when I can stop crying. Puss was the best cat in the world, I'll never be able to forget her. No one will ever be more important to me.