Our cat Lucy passed away Saturday night.

Lucy was a feral kitten in Rebecca’s old neighborhood, rescued by an elderly couple running their own “trap, neuter & release” program. While she never completely lost her suspicion of people in general (we have friends who have been to our house many times without ever seeing Lucy, even though Lucy was roughly the size and color of a fully grown Holstein), she came to trust and love Rebecca very much, and even warmed to me to a degree after I’d lived with her for several years–late at night, after the house quieted down, she would sometimes venture away from her preferred places to demand that I rub her with one foot while I worked.

Of course Rebecca and I will miss her, but we are saddest for our other cat Bagheera, who has lost a friend and bed-mate and cried all night in his grief and loneliness. We’ll find Bagheera another companion for his remaining years, but we won’t ever forget Lucy’s singular personality, nor the fun and friendship she brought into our home and lives.