Seventeen years ago today, I lost my beautiful sweet Lucy Cat.
Lucy was skittish and terrified when I first got her, hiding under the bed and only emerging at night to eat. I decided to take on gentling her as a project, but that soon turned into just loving her up. She eventually graduated to merely prickly, but with a trickle, then a flood of love returned to me. I had her for ten years, from 1998 to 2008, and by about half that time, she had softened enough that she would play with other people, and even let them pet her.
She was healthy for many years, but eventually developed diabetes and then kidney disease. I knew things were getting worse and worse, and tried to ready myself emotionally for having her put to sleep, but I was absolutely unprepared for the depth of grief I felt when she had passed. You somehow get through the day it happens, and then you wake up the next day and they’re still gone? It remains the worst pain I’ve ever felt. These days the pain has eased somewhat, but I still think about her every day.
In Lucy’s honor, therefore, I have the distinct pleasure of presenting Neko Font, a DIY word creation site that takes any letters(s) you type in and converts them to kitty-shaped furriness! It was created in Japan (“neko” is the Japanese word for cat) but I have the English-language site selected; other languages are available via the menu at the top.
Enjoy! And raise a glass for Lucy.
- Currently the Neko Font download function is broken, but you can take a screenshot of your letters/words.
- To make a new word, select Top in the menu.
- The letter shapes are made by kitties Raizo and Mondo, with profiles at http://nekofont.upat.jp/en/profile.html.
- FAQs are at http://nekofont.upat.jp/en/question.html.
Starting tomorrow, September 29, the time since she died (2008–2025) will be seven years longer than the time I had with her (1998–2008). This makes me so sad.
