Tilly (1989-2006)

The Dad here. First, we'd like to thank all those who sent kind wishes, thoughts and prayers to us for Tilly's passing over the Bridge. Special thanks to the Meezers, who posted a tribute to Tilly on their blog, and to Fat Eric for memorializing Tilly on the Rainbow Gingers page. Tilly is now with Jiggsy and all the other kitties who went before. We'll see her again someday.

The loss of Tilly has made us sad. But it was not unexpected. Tilly initially did well with her thyroid medication but soon took a turn for the worse. On Thanksgiving morning, she was on her blanket, breathing somewhat heavily but not in any obvious discomfort. Just as he did before Jiggsy passed away, Toby went over to her, sniffed her, then gently licked her head. The Mum and I went into the bedroom to discuss our options when we took her to the vet. When we came out, she was gone.

Tilly was the Dad's first companion when he left home and lived on his own for the first time. Tilly and her Dad lived in a small second-floor apartment in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. It was kind of a dumpy place but wonderful in so many ways. Even on the hottest summer days, a cool breeze from the ocean rustled the curtains.

"You don't have to spay an indoor cat"

Every day when Dad came home from work, Tilly would be watching from the window. Then she would run to the door to greet Dad at the top of the stairs. The first thing would be to play "Tall Tilly." This was a game where Dad picked Tilly up and carried her around the house so she could touch all the things that were interesting but were too high up for her to reach -- such as the light cords.

Tilly was a girl kitty but Dad thought that, since she was going to be an indoor kitty, she would not have to be spayed. Smart Dad, saving that big vet bill -- WRONG! One day, when Tilly was becoming a young lady cat, she began to yowl. Brrrrup! Brrrrup! Brrrr-OW! Then we had a whole chorus of boy kitties in the yard serenading Tilly. She was very impressed and wanted very, very much to go outside and thank each of them personally.

The next day, Dad made an appointment with the vet.

Frozen chicken bowling ball

Tilly was a very smart, inquisitive kitty who loved to play. Her favorite games were fetching the milk jug twisty-tie and playing "I see Tilly." In this game, Dad would go down the hall to the bathroom. Dad would stick his head out the door, look down the hall and say, "I see Tilly!" Tilly would run down the hall and leap around the corner at Dad. After a few figure-eights around Dad's legs as he shouted "Yay, Tilly!" she would run back down the hall to do it all again.

Being curious sometimes got Tilly into sticky situations. One day, Dad was defrosting a frozen chicken on the kitchen counter. The chicken was still in its plastic grocery bag. While Dad was in the living room watching television, Tilly got up on the counter to investigate. Somehow, she got her head through the loops of the grocery bag and panicked, jumping down from the counter and pulling the frozen chicken after her with a crash. She ran down the hall with the frozen chicken trundling after her. Dad got up not knowing what all the racket was about but sure it involved Tilly. He was ready to hand out some harsh discipline until Tilly came running into the living room with the chicken close at her heels. Then Dad could not stop laughing.

Tilly was a wonderful companion for 17 years. Dad and Mum loved her very much and we miss her terribly. Again, thank you all for your support and prayers.