Belle entered our lives thru the cat door of a friend's house in January 2010. She was a stray and approximately five years old. Our friends couldn't keep her and we jumped at the opportunity to bring her into our lives.

Belle was a sweet, gentle and timid girl at first, but gradually blossomed over time. She and our other cat Jesse would play roughly but also seemed to develop a friendship over several months. They would eventually sleep on the same chair. Jesse also began grooming Belle - licking her on the forehead until she lost patience and would whack him on the nose.

We had so many wonderful moments with Belle. She would get into bed with us and paw at the covers to get underneath them. Then she would knead on us and purr with wild abandon. Belle would eventually fall on her side and sleep cuddled next to us.

She had beautiful eyes and spoke deeply to us with them. She would gaze at us and "chirp" if she wanted attention or food. When she was happy, especially at mealtimes, her little fluffy tail would stick straight up like a flagpole of joy.

In October 2010 Belle's respiration appeared to be a little fast and labored. We took her into the regular vet's office for an exam and x-rays showed her lungs to be full of fluid. We were immediately sent up to Veterinary Specialty Center in Lynnwood, where she was diagnosed with being in congestive heart failure due to a congenital heart defect. We worked together with the wonderful staff of VSC for six weeks trying to keep Belle comfortable. Unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision to have Belle euthanized at that point. We only knew Belle for just over ten months and deeply miss her. We are grateful to have known this beloved, wonderful grey angel who blessed our lives with her loving, kind spirit. We miss you and love you Belle. You will be in our hearts forever.

Debby T. and Paul H.