Lilys Angels

A few years ago, at Christmastime, we found some beautiful Renaissance angel statues in a store and purchased them. Only about a foot tall, their vibrant green and burgundy colors really graced our hearth during the holidays.

After New Years ended, I got a sturdy cardboard box and some tissue paper in which to store them. Carefully, I wrapped the first one and placed it into the box. As I did, one of our cats, a gray tabby by the name of Lily, began to pace anxiously and actually did a couple of back flips off of the fireplace wall. At first, I didn’t think anything of it, as cats can be a little crazy at times. Then I picked up the other angel and began to wrap it, also.

Lily got especially anxious, laid her ears back and began running frantically in circles. Suddenly, she jumped up onto the bench where I was wrapping and lightly grabbed my hand between her teeth, as if to bite, but she didn’t clamp down. Clearly she was upset with me and wanted to give me a warning.

With huge bright eyes, she glared at me and released my hand. Then jumping off of the bench she stood right in front of me, almost as if to challenge me to a fight.

“You don’t want me to put these angels away, do you?” I looked at her and commented, while observing her wild-eyed glare. I knew that it was common for Lily to get attached to pretty things; her last favorite piece of art was a birdhouse on which I had painted a garden scene, during the summer.

“It’s okay”, I told her, “we’ll put these angels out again next year. This will keep them safe until then”

Again, she began her anxious walking in circles, ears laid back flat against her head, jumping at and back-flipping off of the wall, this time, all the more frantic.

“I’m going to try something”, I thought. I unwrapped the angel in my hand and placed it back onto the hearth. Lily immediately lay down right next to it, her body posed as if to guard it and she then calmly and almost thankfully turned to look back at me.

“That’s hilarious!” I thought to myself. “She likes those angels!” But, just to be certain, I walked over, picked it up again and began to rewrap it. The same frantic tantrum ensued and this time, she clamped down on my hand a teensy bit harder before letting go; a crystal clear warning that she was not going to tolerate my behavior any further.

“Well”, I thought, “this is actually very funny.”

The angel’s colors did match the room colors and carpet, so I thought that it couldn’t hurt to have an angel or two around, even if they were sort of Christmassy. I decided to put them both back where they were so well loved and enjoyed.

Lily watched patiently as I unwrapped each angel and placed it carefully upon the hearth where they had been before. She then laid down right in front of them and they have not been moved since. We now refer to them as, “Lily’s Angels”.

She continues to get upset whenever our other cat, Isis, or anyone gets near them.

A couple of years after the incident, a bird had gotten trapped in the chimney. I located a wildlife specialist who could safely assist in the release of the bird and when he walked towards, “Lily’s Angels”, she immediately began throwing her tantrum.

“I’d better warn him”, I thought, “It wouldn’t do to have her biting a stranger.”

So, I told him that he had better let me move the angels, for his safety.

At first, I don’t think he believed me about Lily’s tantrums, but as he watched me move them he noticed Lily’s aggressive attitude and tense body language. Her flipping tail and laid-back ears was a clear sign that she was very agitated by the stranger near the angels. Our bird rescuer commented: “Boy, she really doesn’t like for anyone to touch them, does she!”

Lily glared as he removed the small sparrow from the flu, examined the bird for injury and released it out of the front door, into the yard where it quickly flew away. Then she turned and walked to her angels and began to rub her face carefully against them. She watched as I cleaned away the feathers and gently placed her angels back on the hearth. They have been there since and are only occasionally removed when dusting or cleaning is to be done.

Lily continues to guard them every time they are dusted to ensure that they are not

harmed. They remain; “Lily’s Angels” and frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Copyright, 2019, M.L. Kiser

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