Buttercup!

Buttercup was a special girl. She was the color of a capybara with the most expressive face. Her little fat cheeks and Gerber-baby pout always amused me. She had a very unique personality and was 

extremely affectionate. (And, if I ever had a bad day, just one look at her cute little face made all those bad feelings melt away!)

We were lil' buds... not a day would go by when I didn't come home and have her on my lap (or sprawled out over my shoulder)-fast asleep with her ears wiggling as she dreamt. Sometimes she'd gently lick my ear lobe and make sniffing sounds as she "checked me out" as only she could.

I'd see her during my lunch hour at home, and after work. We'd watch TV together and just pal around-although, I'd always alternate with Bosco and Bibi to give them all equal time. 

The difference amongst them was most apparent whenever I tried to pick one of them up. Buttercup would never shy away from me like the other two would sometimes do. Most noteable was how she'd let out one really long and loud "wheek!" as I walked towards the room where I had their little home set up. Most of the time it was for carrots and parsley, or her hay and piggie feed. 

Sometimes she got so excited that she'd start "pop-corning" and racing around the cage at a 100 miles per hour! When that happened, she reminded me of that cartoon character-the Tasmanian Devil. All these loud noises would emminate from her cage-with all the debris and hay flying all over the place and landing on the carpeting. What a character!

However, the joy and happiness that I experienced with her was very short-lived. A little after a year, she started to get sick. I immediately took her to the vet where they treated her with medication. 

She looked as if she was going to recover. But unfortunately, as soon as her medication was finished, she suffered a relapse. I took her to the vet once again, where she received more medication and seemed to start recovering again... but then, on a Monday, I noticed that she was listless. 

When I came home for lunch, I held and cuddled her. I remember her flopping down sideways... something I never witnessed her doing before. 

My gut told me that something was very wrong with her. I had already made another appointment for her to see the vet after work, but by the time I returned, my little Buttercup passed away. Her life taken away much too soon. She broke my heart and to this day, I choke up thinking about her. She will always be greatly missed!