Buttercup the cat has a few house rules including keep the treats coming, buy plenty of toys, and never rub her belly. She has found her perfect person in Charro, an individual TLC serves.
Over the last three years, from the time Buttercup was a kitten, the pair has filled their TLC residence with photos, costumes, conversations and a special kind of friendship that Charro doesn’t experience anywhere else. The friendly, sometimes feisty cat has become Charro’s constant confidante.
“She’s a good companion to me,” Charro says.
Communicating without words
Buttercup may not respond with words, but Charro knows her cat has her own ways of communicating.
“I ask her if she’s happy every day,” Charro says. “She wags her tail. She’s talking with me with her tail and she talks to me, she meows.”
Their friendship is one of the many ways Charro has made her TLC residence feel like her own home. While pets are an important part of life for many people, individuals with disabilities who receive residential services do not always have the opportunity to live with an animal.
TLC recognizes how meaningful that relationship can be and works to accommodate pets whenever possible as part of its commitment to supporting each individual’s choices.
Opportunities to laugh and grow
For Charro, living with Buttercup provides companionship and a chance to practice responsibility. It also offers Charro lots of opportunities to laugh.
“She listens when I talk. That’s what I love about her,” Charro says. “She don’t talk back.”
The pair often spends time taking pictures together. One of Charro’s favorite shirts features her favorite feline. Buttercup even has her own wardrobe.
“I dress her up sometimes,” Charro says.
Buttercup also keeps Charro entertained by chasing lights around the house. Like many beloved pets, she has accumulated an impressive collection of toys.
“I buy her toys, too much, way too much toys I buy her,” Charro says.
Turning a house into a home
Caring for Buttercup is an important part of Charro’s daily routine. She feeds her, checks her water, gives her treats, and makes sure she stays healthy. Charro also cleans Buttercup’s litter box and maintains her space in the basement, which the cat can reach through her own special door.
Charro has memorialized her bond to Buttercup with a tattoo featuring Buttercup’s name and paw print. It’s a permanent reminder of a friendship Charro never wants to forget.
“It’s just, if anything happens to her, I want to remember her by,” she says.
Buttercup’s paw print may be inked on Charro’s collarbone, but the cat has also left a lasting mark on her life. Charro and Buttercup have built a life together that has made their TLC residence a true home.