On February 16th, my cat was put down due to terminal cancer. I didn't handle the news very well when I saw the text from my dad. I knew that Salem was having health problems, but I didn't expect his health to go downhill right away.

Salem lived to be 12 years old. I got him for Christmas when I was around eight years old. He was my first cat. We got him from one of my closest friends because her mom had a lot of cats at the house, and was looking to give away some kittens to someone who could take care of them. Salem was part of a litter born on Halloween, so the kittens all had Halloween names. His name was originally Spook because his white fur reminded the owners of a ghost. I got the chance to pick out a cat from the litter, and at first I wanted his sister, a black cat named Costume. My mom told me I couldn't have a girl kitten because she could make more kittens when she got older, so I was told to pick a boy. Before I could pick, a little white kitten crawled towards us and meowed. That was Salem. He chose us, so we took him home.

I renamed him Salem because I loved watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Sabrina's cat was also named Salem, so I wanted to name my cat after him. We had him sleeping in a kennel at night because we were worried that he could get lost in the house while we were asleep. One night, he escaped from the kennel. My mom discovered this because she wanted to check on him, and found him missing. She went looking for him, and called his name several times. She heard a meow while walking through the dark living room, and he was hanging out in one of the chairs. After he did this, we nicknamed him the Houdini Cat. He was a mischievous little guy. When he got older and was able to jump on things, he discovered the fish tank. We noticed how our fish started to disappear one by one, and we couldn't figure out where they were going. Our algae eater that was about 5 inches long disappeared. We kept checking the filter of the tank, but no fish were found. We heard a strange sound, and my mom called from the other room and asked if I was making that noise. I said I wasn't. Both of us walked into the kitchen where the fish tank was, and there was Salem, on the counter, with the tank open, and a fish in his paw. "Salem! Put the fish down!" we said in unison. He just meowed, and put the fish in his mouth.

Not only do we have memories like these with him, but we also remember the odd things he liked to do. He liked to play with or in water, play fetch with ice, wash his paws in his water bowl after using the litter box, open doors and cabinets, and go outside. Of course, normal cat things he liked doing were playing with string, toys that smelled like cat nip, and eat cat treats. Speaking of, he was very vocal, especially when he wanted his treats. Sometimes, he'd come to our doors at night and meow until we gave him treats or until we told him to stop.

I will miss hearing him meow at night when I go to my dad's. He was an amazing cat. It is unfortunate that he had to be put down, but he is no longer suffering. He spent his last moments in my bedroom. My bed was his favorite place to sleep. He knew that I wasn't there, but knew that I belonged there. Soon, he will be with me again. I paid to have him cremated and given back to me in an urn. Losing him was like losing a family member. He was like a fur brother to me. I know that he's in a better place though, and I'm glad that he is safe.