My eloquent brother, Daniel, wrote this feeling eulogy in her honor. I will miss her dearly.
Especially the quick rumbly-thud-thud-thud of her paws running down the hall.
One of my FAVORITE sounds in the world!
Lily has moved on.
Lily was magical. She won the hearts of many, including die-hard cat haters. She was unique, truly one of a kind. Felis catus is better for having Lily among its members.
Ninny was inspirational. Lil' lily lived in simple tranquility that I could only hope to achieve. Taking every day in stride, never missing an interesting observation, never worrying or stressing out, never whining or complaining, just politely requesting food, water, or passage into or out of the house and/or laundry room. Lily enjoyed dryer-top naps (or naps on just about anything, for that matter), leisurely strolls around the house, her celebrated rumble-thuddy loud running, exploring inside and out, or a game of stare-at-and-then-run-at-the-person-peeking-from-behind-a-corner-and-meow-when-you-get-there-and-then-turn-around-and-run-away with us kids. Lily was THE best cat I've ever had the privilege to meet, see, hear about, read about, see on TV, see in cat competitions, imagine, find on a road, or just about any other measure.
She did a backflip.
She had a green eye and a blue eye. Why choose?
Lily could have stuck with the feral litter, but she forged her own path. She took a risk venturing onto the highway that day. As fate would have it, we came along and took her in. In our home, Lily quickly won our hearts with her hilarious eccentricities, playfulness, content attitude, superior manners, photogenicity, and grace. Lily was also selfless and kind. When Soleil (Soso) joined the family and after Lily got over trying to kill her, Lily took pity on her and tried to help with her phobias and her fantic, obsessive, compulsive, illogical, and paranoid catonality. Lily was the best mentor Soso could have had, and despite their rough first impressions, Nilna selflessly came alongside Soleil, cuddling her to sleep and grooming her ultra-fine, extremely durable, and everlasting hair that gave Lily frequent and painful hairballs. That is run-on love.
She never let her inability to hear hold her back, but related to the world through heightened visual and tactile senses. Lily saw everything in a fearless, curious, creative, and ultra-observant sort of way. I will always look up to Lily, and hope that I can learn to live half as calmly and simply as she did. It seems fitting that May day is now Lily's day.
But Lily had another side. Some may call it a vice, but I find it endearing. Lily was cunning, crafty, somewhat careless (knocked things over), and mischievous. You see, that same unrelenting thirst for freedom that made her a great explorer, coupled with her carelessness, led to a spontaneous wild side. Though a lover of leisure, Lily was always an explorer at heart. When lily had an idea for a mission, no loving arms could contain her spirit - she was a wild soul and an escape artist. It was well-known that Lily loved a good escape. In fact, Lily mysteriously knew how to escape the house - without using the doors or opening windows. Yes, Lily had wild roots, and though she loved her home and always returned, her wild soul deep within longed to escape.
And escape she has - At last.
Here is a non-extensive list of the many names of LILY:
1. Lilla
2. Nilla
3. Nilla wafer
4. Lilywhite
5. Ninna
6. Ninny
7. Nin-kit
8. Nincompoop
9. Chinchilla-lilla
10. Lil
11. Lily-cat
12. Ninny-cat
13. Silly Lily
14. Silla Lilla
15. Nilna
15. Nilna
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