Our hearts go out to Halle Berry and her kids, who said goodbye this week to their beloved 16-year-old cat Playdough.
Berry said on Instagram that Playdough had been suffering from brain cancer.
"This little guy lit up our lives and brought us joy every day for 16 years!" she wrote. "While his loss is tough for all of us, especially my children, it's an inevitable part of life."
Playdough started out as an extra in the 2004 movie "Catwoman" — in which Berry starred as the titular character.
There were dozens of rescue cats brought in to be part of that film. Berry, 50, who'd previously identified as a dog person, said spending time with her furry fellow actors was transformative.
“Being a part of these scenes, I’d be around these cats every day. I just loved one more than the next," she told the publication Animal Fair in 2004.
One in particular captured Berry's attention. It was Playdough, who "just attached to me, and I attached to him, and I just loved him,” she said.
Berry adopted Playdough, and he's been part of her family ever since — adored not just by the Oscar-winning actress, but by her 9-year-old daughter, Nahla, and 3-year-old son, Maceo.
Maceo even ate breakfast with Playdough every morning, Berry recalled in her moving Instagram post.
Playdough would be eating his kibble, and Maceo his Cheerios, "side by side...on the floor together," she said. "The bond my kids shared with Playdough was unique and special and through it, they learned compassion and kindness and the importance of loving and caring for life's sweetest creatures."
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