The Story of Lily
This is the story of a little white kitty named Lily. Well, no, it's actually the story of how I came to be the mama of a little white kitty named Lily. But to begin this story, you have to start with the story of Lily's birth mother - who just happened to also be...a little white kitty.
Once upon a time, Lily's mother had a family. Her family let her come and go as she pleased, sometimes allowing her to stay outside for long periods of time before returning. Such was the case one day when the family had to move. They called and called, but their little white kitty did not come home. The family lamented: "Why, oh why, did we not keep our beloved white kitty inside?" Her family did not know what to do. They had to leave, but their little white kitty was nowhere to be found. "Well," the family must have thought, "we hope she can fend for herself. We're sorry, little white kitty. We have to go." ...And go they did.
When the little white kitty finally came home, the garage door was all the way down. No way in there. The little white kitty went to the back door, pawing and mewing. No one answered. The little white kitty looked in the kitchen window. Her house was empty...and her family was gone.
With no one to care for her, the little white kitty tried the best she could to find food and shelter. But life is hard for a little white kitty in the wilds. White fur only gives camouflage in the snow. And there isn't much to eat in the snow. The little white kitty was scared and lonely, and quite hungry all the time now. But somehow, she survived.
Through who-knows-how-many years, the little white kitty struggled on and perservered. She was scared, and no one she met was kind. After so long on her own, the little white kitty went feral. She was scared of humans. Humans had abandoned her, after all.
So when I moved to the neighborhood and first saw the little white kitty, she was understandably afraid. I would call to her, but she wouldn't come. Oh how I wanted to be the little white kitty's friend. But when I would talk to the neighbors, they would only say "Oh, that white cat is mean! She's a demon! She attacked our kids when they walked down to the creek!" I knew the little white kitty would probably never be my friend.
But you see, people have a tendancy of only seeing what they want to see. The truth was, that the little white kitty had babies near the creek. And when people would come near, she did what she could do to protect her babies. This is why people thought she was mean. But she wasn't mean. She was a mother. And she was a good mother. She protected her babies.
And it's hard to take care of babies when no one takes care of you. She did her best, of that I feel certain. But food can be scarce when you have no camouflage to hide from predators or sneak up on prey. It has to be so so difficult for a little white kitty all on her own.
I think that's why it happened. Exactly how, I do not know. I'll admit that a lot of this story may only be my sympathetic imaginings. But I like to think that the little white kitty noticed that we had catnip in our flowerbed, so we must like kitties. I imagine her thinking to herself: "Surely these people will take care of my baby. This little one. The runt. She's starving. She's going to die soon if I can't get enough food to make milk. Maybe if I leave her here in their yard, they'll find her and take care of her."
So when my Mom went outside to move the sprinklers, she found her there. A little white ball of fluff in the grass. Looking up with dazed eyes - one blue, one gold. She didn't try to run, she didn't even mew. She was too weak. Mom looked down at her and said "I think I know who your mother is! You'd better come with me." She scooped her up in just one hand, carried her inside, and announced, "Look what I just found!"
I took one look at what was in my Mom's hand and said "Give her to meee!!!" That's all there was to it. She's been the greatest little love of my life ever since. And I got to be more than the little white kitty's friend. I got to be her baby's mama. I have been blessed. This part of the story has a happy ending.
I can't say Lily's mother had such a happy ending. A couple years later, someone in the neighborhood shot and killed Lily's mother. They also shot and almost killed one of Lily's sisters. People can be cruel and careless.
I'm sorry that this story has been so bitter-sweet. I got
a wonderful blessing, but only after careless neglect
and tragic cruelty befell an innocent creature. Please
help me make such a sad story mean something. Be kind.
Consider others. Even if they are not human. And please
keep your kitties (and doggies), whatever their color,
inside where they are safe and protected.