My beautiful Lilly came into my life on a whim. I had already paid for a Himalayan cat at Petland, mind you this is in 2004 before I realized the importance of rescuing animals. As I was walking out of the store with my new cat, I passed a cage with what I assumed to be the runt of a coon cat litter. I am so sincere when I say this cat stared through my soul. I immediately returned the cat I had paid for ( it eventually got a home I checked) and took in this tiny beautiful bundle or pure furry joy. She instantly impacted my life. Lilly brought a sense of calm and serenity to my life, which at the time was very out of balance. Lilly was always there. She was playful beyond the point of comprehension, and sweet when she knew I needed it. Animals can sense when we are down and Lilly was no different. When my wife first moved in with me she very politely informed me that she was not a cat person. That lasted about two weeks. Lilly didn’t take long to impose her charm and will on my lovely wife. People who say they aren’t cat people, just haven’t met the right cat. Lilly never hesitated to say hello when we got home from work, or give us a snide look when we were leaving. She lived to be 19 but looked like a kitten on her last day. She ran the house with an iron fist, or rather an iron claw. So much in fact the the dogs in our house knew that they took a backseat to Lilly. She commanded love, attention, and respect, and quite frankly deserved all three. She was beautiful, feisty, hilarious, honest, and above all else …. Sweet. Even at our worst, she was always at her best. She was pure love and chronic joy. We had her longer than our children, and selfishly it wasn’t enough . But we rest easy knowing that Lilly dominated every facet of her life, and will continue to do so after!!