"Lilly"
Posted: 05/22/12
Hi, we are the Martin Family. On Wednesday February 15, 2012 we had to make the very sad decision to lay our 12 year old friend Punkin to rest. It was a very, very sad day for our entire family. The love Punkin showed us over the last 12 years created an extremely special bond between us. He was our best friend and helped us through so many of life's ups and downs. His love will never be forgotten and his memory will be with us forever.
On Saturday March 24th our family decided that we felt like we were ready to find the missing puzzle piece to our happy little family. We took a trip to the Citrus County Animal Shelter over by the airport to see if there was a special kitty that would like to come to a home where there was lots of love, affection and special attention. We were not looking for just "another" kitty. This kitty needed to be special. Everyone knows how adorable, cute and funny baby kittens are but they definitely need a lot of attention and a special kind of love. We wanted a more adult, grown up kitty. Our Punkin had always been an inside kitty that was neutered, and declawed at a very young age. We knew that finding this type of kitty would be a challenge and if it took months to find him or her, that would be ok. No matter what, our special kitty would be well worth the wait. We had the pleasure of playing with several kitties, some more playful then others, some more quiet than others, and some that loved to "nibble" on everything from fingers to hands to arms and small children.
Just as we were getting ready to say Thank You for letting us come and play, but I'm sorry we did not find our missing piece, there was "missy". The shelter had named her that because whoever had her before us did not leave any information on her. She was left in one of their overnight cages on Saturday February 25th. "Missy" was quiet and observant as she sat in her cage, taking in our interactions with the other kitties. As we were getting ready to leave the shelter personnel said "Well have you met missy yet? And we said no. From the moment her paws touched us she purred with delight and was so gentle with our little almost 4 year old boy. She was giving us head butts, and purring. She seemed overwhelmingly happy to meet us and to have this attention. She was a little older, the shelter thinks she is 2 years old, she is declawed, spayed, and a beautiful black, white, and brown tiger stripe with gorgeous piercing green eyes.
She had won our hearts over and we knew instantly this meeting was meant to be. She was in fact our missing puzzle piece that we needed. We decided to give her a very special name. Because of her beauty, grace, and the beginning of a new relationship, and Easter approaching us, we decided to name her "Lilly". Her name fits her perfectly and we could not have been happier to be a part of her life now.
All of the Shelter personnel were so great during our adoption. From "George" the Feline Greeter in the front office, to the many Volunteers cleaning out cages, and helping the employees. From the bottom of our hearts we want to Thank You for allowing us to be a part of "Lilly's" new life.
With Sincere Gratitude,
The Martin Family
Michael, Jamie, and Jack