This article originally appeared on People.
Halle Berry is dealing with the death of her beloved cat, Playdough.
The Oscar-winning actress, 50, posted a touching eulogy Thursday on Instagram, sharing the sad news that her 16-year-old pet feline had to be laid to rest due to brain cancer.
“This little guy lit up our lives and brought us joy every day for 16 years! While his loss is tough for all of us, especially my children, it’s an inevitable part of life,” Berry, 50, wrote.
Along with the passage, the mother of two shared a photo of herself and her 3-year-old son, Maceo-Robert Martinez, kissing Playdough.
“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,” Berry continued in her post.
Concluding, “Yesterday Playdough reminded us all that it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all! We will miss him!”
Berry acquired Playdough in 2004 during the filming of Catwoman. While researching her role, the star took home one of the roughly 60 cats the producers rescued from shelters to use in the movie.
“I used to be a dog person. I had dogs my whole life. And in making this movie, I learned to really respect and love cats from the research and work I did with them,” Berry told the Associated Press about falling in love with Playdough.
“I studied him very much thinking, ‘I’m going to study him and give him back.’ But I fell so in love in like, one week, that I’m now a cat person,” Berry explained at the time. “I couldn’t imagine my life without him. I always thought they were majestic and beautiful and sexy and sleek. Mysterious. But I’ve always lived with people who had allergies to cats, so I never could entertain the idea of getting one, because I would have been living alone. And now that I do live alone, it’s a great time to get a cat.”