Rest in peace, Lucy.

On January 3rd, 2026, Lucy passed. She had a kidney failure. After consulting the vet and family, I decided to let her go. I’m sharing the news because many of you knew Lucy through my social media posts.

Lucy and I met through a middle school student in Boston, who had to move to Texas. Her parents told her she couldn’t bring Lucy to Texas, so she decided to put Lucy up for adoption.

I still remember the first time we met. We instantly clicked. The middle schooler explained to me that Lucy was unpredictable and difficult to deal with, but to me, she was so easy to understand. I knew exactly when she wanted to be pet, when she was over-stimulated, and when she wanted to be left alone. She was the easiest cat to love and take care of. She doesn’t knock things off, doesn’t meow all that much, and she’s very affectionate.

She was very food-motivated, though. Ehsan, a friend of mine and Lucy’s biological father, said she might actually be a raccoon wearing a cat suit because she’s so food-motivated. I tend to disagree. I think Lucy was an Instagram influencer with the clean-girl aesthetic, pretending to be a cat. All jokes aside, Ehsan took great photos and videos of Lucy while he took care of her. I’m sharing some of my all-time favorite photos and videos by him.

She taught me love evolves over time. Five years into our friendship, she started climbing onto my chest and licking my face out of blue. In the summer, she would lick my face more, either because she liked the taste of my facial sunscreen or because she thought she had to clean my face.

Lucy really was the best, sweetest cat. I was so very lucky to have her in my life. I already miss her so much. I want to live a full life, but I’ll also eventually have to go, too. When that happens, I hope to join wherever Lucy is now, and we’ll get to unite again as best friends. I’m so looking forward to doing that someday. Until then, I hope she is eating all the wet food and treats heaven can offer or napping peacefully in the sunshine.