Obituaries

Starlight Meow Mix Squeaks Argabright came into our lives during a daily dog walk as an adorable three month old stray kitten. My son ran to the kitten and the kitten ran to him! Starlight was clearly a cat who needed a home and our new kitten was heaven sent. His playfulness and innocence stole our hearts. He had huge kitten feet and we knew he would be a large tuxedo cat when he grew up. We loved his long dark chocolate black coat and beautiful bushy tail. He was half Maine Coon. He made me laugh and so I called him Starlight and later Meow Mix due to his love of food. Starlight was adored by three children and my husband and I. Our cat helped provide a break for our aging beloved dog, Sneaky, who was stressed out and overworked by three constantly doting children. Starlight was a full time home school buddy to my youngest son and was in demand full time by all three kids and definitely earned his cat food! When we brought him home, starlight was so tiny that he fit in my oldest son's pocket! He was precocious and beyond cute. He was cherished by his biological cat parents who visited him nightly to be sure we were treating him well. Starlight loved his easy supply of cat food and was happy being an indoor cat. He loved mousing jingle balls, his batting at the chirping ball in his circular mousing machine and his automated butterfly machine. He did overeat a bit and struggled with weight loss but he was gorgeous at any weight. Later in life, he did enjoy sneaking outdoors to hunt. Starlight especially loved my boys and identified with the masculine vibe. My oldest son called him Squeaks for a cute squeaking noise he made when he was hugged. He would sit patiently upright like a little human for hours as my youngest son completed homework. Starlight also was not shy to remind my husband when meal times were and had an amazing ability to walk across the computer and have it do exotic functions. One time he had the computer write down our dialogue of feeding him lunch as meeting notes! He also contributed at times to zoom meetings with his keyboard antics. He was truly the coolest cat in the land. After fencing our yard, we were able to let Starlight outside. He greatly enjoyed the outdoors. Starlight was extremely photogenic and my son made a wonderful painting of him. After our cat had an unexpected terminal cancer diagnosis at age 9, I created a ceramic statue to remember him by. Starlight had a beautiful asymmetrical blaze, white sock feet and white tummy. He had a long chin that reminded me of a lion and he had a very commanding presence. He is a one of a kind cat and I wanted to remember his unique markings. The statue seems like Meow Mix sitting there watching us at work and helps ease the void of his absence. The memory I painted is a comfort to us. We love starlight and miss him dearly! He will always be in our hearts. We will never forget the precious kitten who came to play one sunny November afternoon, stole our hearts and joined our family. Rest well our valiant tiger -- you are dearly loved!