Lila...

One of our three beautiful Muir cats, Lila, died today.  

Lila was featured on this blog in its early days, in Tuesday Cat Nap posts back in 2005 and 2006.  She was a gentle, loving long-haired cat.  Lila lived a good long healthy life, making it to fifteen years old.  She slept on my pillow every night, and kept me company through Joel's infancy, when Kathryn would often have to leave the room to be with him.

About a year ago, Lila was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, and we decided today that it was time to put her suffering to an end.  Over the weekend, she was unable to sleep, or sit down, or use the litter box, and even the fluids and medicine we were giving her were no longer helping to alleviate her pain.  It was a heart-wrenching decision to end her life, and I hope it was the right one.

I prepared Joel this morning for school, and told him he needed to say goodbye to her.  Of all our three cats, Lila was the only one who let Joel pet her and would sit with him.  Little boys are loud and move around a lot, and Joel's activity bothers the other two.  But Lila always went to him for love, and was very gentle with him, and he with her. I know Joel will be very sad.  But I also know this is a good life lesson too, about loss, and about taking care of our furry friends. We will have a little service for Lila this afternoon, and then bury her with her collar, her brush, a photograph, and a poem.

I know this is a movie/TV review blog, but I just felt today I wanted to share with you how beautiful Lila was.

Here are some Cat Nap pictures of Lila from the blog over the years.  I think they show her gentle and sweet nature very well.

Catnap: Who's the Baby?

Well, Ezri clearly thinks that she's the baby in this house. We came down to the family room yesterday morning and were going to put our baby Joel in his "City of Domes" (that's what we call the Gizmo in the photos...), and we found that there were no vacancies.

Ezri had moved in. This is her house now. Watch out Joel, no trespassing!

CATNAP 2007: The Cat Next Door

Okay, so this isn't one of my cats. This is Isabel, as Kathryn named her. She's one of the (several...) cats who got left behind by some neighbors who moved from our street last year. Like her buddies (Blackie, L.J. Fuzzie #1 and Fuzzie # 2 as we call 'em...), Isabel has taken up residence in and around our front and side yard.

We have quite a feline crew now (and I feed them all..), but this means that out our kitchen window - while we're eating breakfast - we now often see vistas like this. It also means we're slaves to the cats. One morning, when I forgot to feed them, one of the Fuzzies came up and crapped on our porch swing as a reminder...

Catnap: Lila's new sleeping arrangements...

Well, Princess Lila's had enough of baby Joel crying and waking us up all night every night, and has officially evacuated the bed for now. For the time being, she's sleeping downstairs in the family room. Odd cat...she chose the floor last night instead of a sofa. I guess any port in a storm...

Return of the Catnap: Guardian Cat!

Here you will see Ezri, my stalwart warrior princess, protecting my newborn son, Joel. At first, Ezri hissed at Joel, but after a day, she seemed to understand who he is and what he represents, and now she's his steadfast companion and guardian. I had him on the floor (on a blanket) to change his diapers the other day, and he started to cry. Well, as soon as that boy opened his mouth, Ezri was off the sofa and at his side, making certain he was safe and unhurt. Now that's what I call a good cat...

Catnap Tuesday # 5

My littlest cat, Lily, picks some strange places to sleep. She likes the sink in our downstairs bathroom. And heck, even if there's a pot around...she's in it! So enjoy my Lily on this fifth Catnap Tuesday.

Cat Nap Tuesday # 4

Our twins and litter-mates Lila (left) and Ezri (right) recline on the table in our breakfast nook, an early-morning, post-meal sleepy-time slump. They always sit with us while we drink our coffee. These two get on really well. We think that Lila is a little more dominant, though Ezri is definitely the stronger, bigger of the cats. Lila is my Cleopatra cat and likes to sleep a lot. Ezri is our wild cat.

Catnap # 3

This is my kitten Lily. She's about four months old. We just adopted her about a month ago after visiting our vet in Mint Hill. Lily was rescued in a Food Lion parking lot after her tail was caught and mangled in the fan belt of a truck. Her tail was amputated before we adopted her, and she is now doing fine. I've nicknamed her Black Lightning because she bounces around the house at warp speed except on those rare occasions - as pictured in this photo - when she catches a nap.

Cat Nap Tuesday # 2

Here's another one of my three feline girls for Tuesday Cat Naps: Ezri (EZ for short). She's a healthy six-year old, coming out of a deep sleep on our family room sofa. Groggy, but truly adorable. She's a playful cat, and almost like a dog with her wagging tail and constant need for affection.

Cat Nap Tuesday

Over at my favorite blog, Geek Philosophy, MaryAnn posts Cat-Blogging Fridays, devoted to her (beautiful...) feline friends. Friday cat-blogging is something of a tradition on many blogs, I understand, and I only steal from the best, so... today I'm presenting Cat Nap Tuesday.

That's my beautiful Lila, sound asleep on my A940 All-in-One Dell Printer. She's sawing logs while I sit two feet away, working on movie and TV books (one for McFarland and one for Applause). Enjoy. She's a sweetie, isn't she?