Dear God:

Today, Pete and I are stunned, devastated and heartbroken. We’ve lost our sweet, cuddly, delightfully ornery and lovable little Queen Elizabeth.

We knew, when we adopted her from the Animal Protective League, that she had health issues. She was 10 years old and walked with a decided limp, which our vet believed stemmed from a possible too-close encounter with a car while she was roaming the streets after being abandoned by the people with whom she previously lived.

But I fell in love with Elizabeth the minute I laid eyes on her at the Cat’s Pyjamas, a cat cafe in our community whose owners worked with the APL She was a gorgeous little “tortico” (a combination of calico and tortoiseshell) with long silky fur and amazing coloring. Even her chin, paws and little toe pads had the tricolor calico markings.

She had an irrepressible personality to match her incredible beauty. The adorable Queen Liz knew how to be the center of attention. Here she was, standing on top of a pile of Christmas gifts under the tree at the cat cafe.

And here she was on TV, hamming it up for the camera while the anchor of our local TV news station interviewed the cat cafe’s owner.

As soon as we brought her home just before Christmas last year, Lizzie spent the first several minutes sniffing every square inch of the house before making herself right at home on our bed. She was affectionate and engaging and utterly charming from the start.

Within a half hour of arrival at her new home, our little Lizzie Beth was already rolling over and playing cute for us, and we knew this little girl was going to be quite a character! She loved to hop up on the kitchen table and beg for food, and I called her “my shadow” because she followed me everywhere I went.

She fit very nicely into laps. Here she was, sitting on Pete’s lap. She also liked to join me for morning meditation in front of the fireplace. As soon as I settled in my recliner, she would clamor for a spot on my lap. After I petted her for a couple of minutes and gave her a treat, she would sit on top of a cat condo next to my chair while I journaled.

She liked to snooze in this cat tree next to my desk in the office. She soon learned how to commandeer the top of my high-back swivel chair, where she would sit just behind my head whenever I engaged in a church committee meeting via Zoom.

While still at the Cat’s Pyjamas, she already had a talent for finding makeshift cat beds. Here she was snoozing atop a pile of shirts that were part of a merch display at the cafe.

At home, she created cat beds everywhere. She especially loved pillows, which made a suitable throne for a queen, I’d say.

She absolutely loved curling up in bed with us. She was a sweet little cuddler, and if she got petted by both Pete and me at the same time, one could hear her purring a mile away.

But she liked sleeping on us even more. Sometimes, if I went to sleep while lying on my back, I’d wake up to find her sleeping on my stomach. I’d tell her I needed to roll over, and as soon as I did, she’d climb back up and park herself on my hip.

Her irrepressible personality earned her a number of nicknames: Ms. Liz, Little Girl, Baby Girl, Lizzie Beth, the Queen. My camera just loved this sweet adorably ornery little girl. Doesn’t she look like the Queen of all she surveys?

I loved feasting my eyes on her beauty and telling her how gorgeous she was. And I’m so grateful I got one last opportunity to do this while cuddling with her just before getting up yesterday morning. Because it was less than an hour later that – suddenly, without warning – she would begin crying out in obvious distress and I would be rushing her to the emergency vet.

As I said earlier, I knew when we adopted her that she was a “senior” cat with health issues, and this meant we would most likely have her with us for a shorter time than we got to have with our other kitties.

What we didn’t know – and even the vet who recently gave her a wellness check didn’t know – was that she had an underlying heart condition. The condition that would claim her life just months after we brought her home.

Despite all that, I’m glad we adopted her. I know some folks shy away from adopting an older pet, especially one with “special needs.” But I would do it again in a heartbeat. Our little “senior” brought us so much joy!

So thank-you, God, for our precious Lizzie Beth. I firmly believe animals are one of your greatest gifts to us, and I thank you for the time we got to spend with this adorable little powder puff, even though our time with her was sadly brief.

And thank-you, Queen Elizabeth, for blessing our lives. Rest in peace, Little Girl. I will always love you to pieces, and I am SO, SO glad we brought you into our home, even though you stayed for such a short time.

With love and gratitude,