Last night, I wrote all about how much I still miss my first cat Lucy. I meant every word of it.

After Lucy crossed the rainbow bridge, part of me wanted to go to the animal shelter and find Lucy II, a carbon copy who would look and act exactly like the first.

I ended up with something in a few ways similar but in most ways the polar opposite. My second cat Peanut could not possibly look any different than Lucy.

Peanut has her own gentle way. In the 2 1/2 years I’ve known this little critter, not once have I heard her growl or hiss or snarl or even meow loudly. She’s the most soft-spoken feline I’ve ever known.

While Lucy was a social butterfly, this little gal’s as shy as they come. She does a lot of hiding when company comes over. She’ll only show herself for a very select few. I wonder if that’s based on some vague memory of some traumatic event from kittenhood (she was a rescue).

I suppose it’s possible to honor and grieve over the memory of Lucy while still cherishing and loving Peanut. After all, Peanut could never be a replacement. More like a compliment.

Who knows what she’ll be like when she gets older? Only time will tell.