Bette (pronounced Betty) lived for 15 years and was the best cat I ever knew. Although she was partially an outdoor cat during the early part of her life, and did things like climb trees and roofs, she made the complete transition to being an indoor-only cat in her later years. She was a fan of catnip mice, IAMS wet cat food, ripping off paper with her teeth, and heat vents (as you can see in the picture). Furthermore, she tended to say “brrrrr” rather than “meow,” which was an interesting quirk of hers. Another notable quirk of Bette that people always saw was that she was a tabby manx: a stumpy manx with a very small tail. Near the end of her life, she became very cuddly with all of us. My husband Kerry and I miss her very, very much.