Buttercup, the cat in The Hunger Games is a Maine Coon ginger tabby former stray

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I've just been watching an episode of The Hunger Games. A good series of films. The episode I watched is part one of the Mockingjay series. I noticed what I immediately recognised as a Maine Coon cat in the film. A ginger tabby Maine Coon to be precise. The best! I thought I would write about him. Ginger tabbies are nearly always males and therefore I can presume that Buttercup is male.

Buttercup the Maine Coon in The Hunger Games
Buttercup the Maine Coon in The Hunger Games. Image: Screenshot from the film series and in the public domain as assessed.

Ear-tipped

Having found a photograph of him on the internet, which is presented on this page above, I noticed that his left ear has been 'tipped', a sign that he has been through a TNR program. A further sign that this cat must've been a feral cat for a while or a stray cat more precisely. 

This would indicate that he was abandoned or he voluntarily returned to the wild. I think this an important and interesting part of the Buttercup story because you just do not see Maine Coon cats with their left ear tipped. It's extremely rare if not unique.

Katniss Everdeen the star of the series hated Buttercup

"I'm still going to cook you!"

―Katniss Everdeen to Buttercup

Katniss Everdeen (the name) 

The Mockingjay series is the final instalment of this long-running saga. The star of the film is Katniss Everdeen played by Jennifer Lawrence. I think the name is interesting because Katniss is not dissimilar to 'catnip'! And of course, the first part of the name 'kat' indicates a very strong domestic cat connection. Shame then that Katniss hates Buttercup.

In fact, the name comes from "a plant with edible tubers called Sagittaria, from Sagittarius the Archer, whose name means He that throws arrows in Latin" - Wikipedia. Everdeen is known as a great archer.

I is sad to learn that Buttercup and Katniss Everdeen don't get along at all. I'm told that she attempted to drown him.

Mangy?!

Buttercup is described as being malnourished and scraggy. Katniss Everdeen says that he is an ugly cat. How can she say that? There's no doubt that he is a very handsome cat as are all Maine Coons 😃.

Star's image

I don't think it is helpful to Katniss Everdeen's profile in the film to dislike Buttercup this much. Why couldn't the script writers have made Katniss Everdeen into a cat lover rather than what appears to be the case: a cat hater.

Ownership

You probably know better than I do that Buttercup belongs to Katniss Everdeen's sister Prim. Her full name is Primrose Everdeen. She has a close relationship with Buttercup. When the 'Capitol' bomb District 13 and the entire population take to bunkers 40 stories underground Prim goes back to find Buttercup before the blast doors close. Katniss has to find Prim. She does find her just in the nick of time and Prim, Buttercup and Katniss plus Gale (one of 2 men in her life) slip through the blast doors with one second to spare.

When in the bunker with bombs raining down overhead, Katniss plays with Buttercup using a torch as a laser pointer toy. Buttercup loves it. Katniss describes Buttercup as a 'silly cat'. I wish she hadn't 😒😢.

District 13

In the Mockingjay episodes of the series Buttercup lives in the bowels of District 13 with Prim. Katniss Everdeen and Buttercup sleep together during the night in the deep bunker in District 13. She plays with Buttercup with a flashlight, surviving under the harshest of circumstances.

Hideous!!?

I've got to address this misdescription some more. The Hunger Games fandom page online describes Buttercup as being 'hideous' in appearance. That comes from Katniss Everdeen's description. As mentioned, I dislike it and I am shocked by it. It couldn't be further from the truth. Clearly Katniss Everdeen dislikes Buttercup but he is loved by Prim who finds him cute. Of course, he is cute.

The fandom website says that he has a "mashed-in nose and half of one ear missing". The latter description refers to the left ear being ear tipped as mentioned and the "mashed-in nose" is a reference to the square muzzle of the Maine Coon, a very distinguishing aspect of the Maine Coon cat.

The fandom website also describes the coat as "muddy yellow". Wrong again! This is a slightly pale ginger tabby coat. A beautiful coat. And they add insult to injury by saying that the eyes are the colour of a "rotting squash". My heavens, they really have got it in for Buttercup. It seems that the negative description emanates from Katniss Everdeen's hatred of him.

Survival

Like all cats Buttercup is a survivor. He symbolises this quality. This is an important part of the film as Katniss epitomises the art and science of survival against all odds.

Orion

The Hollywood Reporter usefully tells us that Buttercup's real name is Orion, "an accomplished show cat". He apparently is an experienced show cat and has competed at cat shows all over America. In 2016 he was seven-years-of-age. That of course is seven years ago which means he is 14 at present. 

He is therefore probably still alive. It is very interesting to me that he is a show cat with an ear-tipped left ear which is an anatomical defect and which should have a negative impact on his success at cat shows where appearance is everything. Personally, I love his appearance. He is a beauty.

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