Lily

🌈Lily - The Rainbow Bridge Angel Kitty of the Year Runner Up

 

A huge blessing came into our lives in 2016. Her name was Lily and she was a cat from our local humane society. 

Her journey with us began when my 7 year old sister took a trip to volunteer at the humane society with her Girl Scout troop. Our local humane society has hundreds of beautiful, unique cats. 

Upon entering the first of many rooms full of cats, my sister locks eyes with an orange cat with beautiful green eyes. This cat was two years old and has spent a fraction of her life in the shelter. She called this cat “Ginger” and she didn't want to go to any of the other rooms or look at any other cats. Not the fluffy long haired cats, not the tiny little kittens, and not the cats with unique features. She refused to leave without this ordinary orange cat. Little did we know that this cat, who was actually named Lily, was everything but ordinary, and would soon win over all of our hearts.

We adopted Lily knowing that she had a chronic respiratory infection that she was going to have her entire life. This meant vet appointments, medicine, and a cat who would eventually get the nickname “weezy” because of her constant sneezing episodes. But don’t worry, Lily didn’t let her infection bother her one bit.

 

I vividly remember Lily’s first day home. It was a random week day in February of 2016. You could tell that she was a little shy and nervous about her new surroundings, but that didn’t last very long. It didn’t take long for her to warm up to our family. She especially took a liking to me, and little did I know that we’d quickly turn into best friends. 

 

Lily and I spent a lot of time together and she always had to be doing whatever I was doing. If I was trying to do homework, she’d lay right on my notebook, forcing me to pay attention to her. If I was going to the bathroom, she would sit right outside the door and wait for me. If I wasn’t home, I knew I could count on her to run and greet me at the door before I could even call her name. And at bedtime, I knew she would be there curled up in a ball on my back all night long. When I say that she was the greatest companion, I truly mean it. 

My sisters were 7 and 5 when Lily joined the family and they loved that cat like no other. I remember one of my sisters pushing Lily around in a baby doll stroller and Lily just sat there and took it like a champ. I also remember my other sister picking Lily up, laying with her in bed, tucking her in under the covers, and going to sleep together. Lily wouldn’t try to get up, she would lay there with her and sleep all tucked in. 

 

Lily had us wrapped around her little paw for sure. In fact, I actually refused to take any senior pictures my senior year of high school unless Lily would be in them. These pictures have turned into some of my most precious keepsakes. 

It was only November 2017 when her infection took a turn for the worse and she just wasn’t herself anymore. We took her to the vet where they told us there was nothing kore they could do. So at 18 years old, I made the toughest decision I’ve made in my entire life, and let her cross the rainbow bridge. She fell asleep in my arms. To this day, it was one of the hardest things I’ve gone through. 

 

She’s been gone for 3 years now, and I still think of her all the time. She was always there for our family. The most loyal companion I could’ve ever asked for. She helped me through the tough high school years and was there to send me off to my first day of college. She was right there beside me when I celebrated achievements, and was there in my arms during the hard times. 

 

We may not have had her our entire lives, but the 2 years we had with her were absolutely wonderful, and I like to think they may have been the best of her life also. We gave her a good life, and she made ours great just by being there. Everyone loved Lily, it was impossible not to love her. She knew nothing but love from the very second we brought her home up until her very last breath. 

My sweet Lily, I hope there’s tons of boxes, baskets, and treats in kitty heaven. Rest easy, pretty girl, until we meet again at rainbow bridge.

 

Lily “Ginger” Wightman️

11/29/17

Owned and Forever Loved by Harley Donnelly and Family (Gibsonburg, OH)