My Story ...as told by Buttons

My name is Buttons, let me tell you how I got my name.

My story begins in a hole in the foundation of a house on Sixth Street.  I was born there, along with four others.  I was nourished by my mother, who fed us until we could eat regular food.  That regular food was being provided by this nice lady who used to come by across the street and leave bowls of food and water behind the abandoned house there.  Eventually, someone moved in and this nice lady had to move the food across the street to a dilapidated garage with a lot of holes in it.  Then, one day, a couple more people came by and set these wire cages down on the ground and put some really good, smelly food in them.  My siblings and I went into them and got caught in them.  We were very scared.  The next thing we knew, we were let out of these cages and we ran like crazy, because we didn't understand what happened to us.  Come to find out, they removed parts of us but we felt a lot better. 

The nice lady had built little houses for us in the garage, and then this really cold weather came, but we were very cozy inside these little houses that had straw in them to keep us warm.  Then one day, this man came by and threw out stuff out.  We had no where to go.  We were cold and upset, and didn't know where our house or food went to.  Then this nice lady came by and called for us to come behind the house that we were born under, a boarded up house to this day, and we followed her to see what was going on.  There were our houses again!  And there was food and water again!  We were so happy to see this.  We ran to meet this nice lady every single morning for over a year. 

Then one day, we heard this nice lady talking to a woman that lived in the house in front of our little house, and we knew it wouldn't be good.  The next thing you know, our house was being moved across the field next door!  Again?  Oh no!  How would we get used to this!  We have spent so much time trying to feel safe and secure inside our little houses each and every time they were moved, and now we had to do it again!  So, there was the nice lady the next day, calling for us to come over to where she was, and where our houses were moved again.  And the food.  In the meantime, this nice lady would bend down and put her hand out for me, and she kept doing that for a long time and I would never go over to her hand because I was afraid.

Then one day, I got close to her hand, because I knew she was a nice lady and she brought us food every single morning.  So I finally let her touch me!  I was so scared, but I did it!  And then eventually, she picked me up and held me!  And then she named me Buttons because she said I was as cute as a button.  I thought that was the cutest name! 

Then just a few days ago, she picked me up and again and said, you are getting too skinny Buttons, and we have to get you to a doctor.  So she put me in this plastic box, and brought me to the inside of a house!  And there was warmth, and light, and food dishes galore!  She noticed the way I ate too.  She saw me afraid of the food, and saw me paw at it and run.  Then she brought me to the doctor, and the doctor noticed a lot of my blackish teeth inside my mouth, and they figured this was why I was getting so skinny, it was too painful to eat!  My teeth were rotted!  I could hear the nice lady mutter that she just couldn't afford dental surgery because she doesn't have the money, she lives on a small income of her own, she pays very big bills and its mostly because she has been feeding and taking a lot of other kitties to the doctors office every single morning for over 15 years now and she just doesn't have any money for any other expenses!  The nice doctor said that while she is not a tooth doctor, she would make me go to sleep while she tried to pull out my bad teeth, for a lower cost, but if something went wrong, I would have to have a back up plan with a real dentist!  I am scared for this procedure scheduled for November 24th at the Rochester Community Animal Clinic, but I trust this nice lady so I just have to hope that all will turn out well.

For now though, this nice lady mixes up this yummy wet food and mixes it with either water or a white substance she calls KMR, and keeps the temperature nice and mild so that it doesn't sting my teeth and make me cry.  She makes me yummy meals and I lap it up like crazy!  She holds me in her lap, and while I am still shy and hide my head sometimes in the crook of her arm, I can hear myself purr really loud.

If it weren't for this nice lady, I would have died, I would have given up on life if not for her kind eyes, her loving smile, and her gentle hands.  I know she has asked herself and has had people ask her over and over why do you do it, or how can you keep on doing it, when there is no more money, no more room, no more homes, and I know she has opened her heart just a little bigger, stretched her money, or asked for help just to make a little more room, to save one more like me.  I can only show you my gratitude by the love that shines in my eyes when you look at me.   I know this lady has lots of nice friends that she will tell them about me and how much love I can give to someone.  I hope my teeth can get fixed so I can get big and strong and live a long time!  I love that nice lady.  I know my brothers and sisters do to.  I miss them, but this nice lady tells me that someday soon, she will rescue them too.