Nice day for a cat wedding: Cats marry for charity
- To give %22wedding gifts%2C%22 donations for both organizations%2C visit ARC at animalrefugecenter.com or Cat Depot at catdepot.org
Lou and Lily met at a picnic last year. They fell in love over a dish of chicken salad and a bowl of warm water.
Months later, Lou proposed. Lily happily said "yes" — although she couldn't quite fit the ring on her furry paw.
Cat love can get complicated sometimes.
That didn't stop the two house cats from tying the knot Saturday. The happy couple were married in a private ceremony and the photos were posted on Facebook.
Yeah, we know: There's no such thing as a cat wedding. The practice isn't recognized in the state of Florida or pretty much anywhere else in the world.
"Of course, none of this is real!" Lou's owner, Nancy Colby of North Port, says and laughs. "Let's just be adults and say none of this is real."
But why let that fact get in the way of a little fun?
Colby and her friend Betty Hughes of Fort Myers concocted the idea to raise funds for their respective no-kill animal shelters. Li'l Lily is the mascot for Animal Refuge Center in North Fort Myers, while Mighty Lou represents Sarasota's Cat Depot.
That's why the two cats are maintaining separate residences, Hughes says. "They're so committed to their individual causes. So it'll be a long-distance relationship, I guess. A lot of people do that!"
The idea for the wedding started when the friends got together for a Fourth of July picnic in July 2013.
"We wanted to introduce the cats to each other and see how they did," Hughes says. "And they did great! They've been smitten ever since."
They originally thought a cat wedding would just be a silly thing to post online. But then Colby proposed turning it into a fundraiser with people sending cash in "lou" of gifts.
The fake wedding was designed to raise money and awareness for special-needs cats such as Lily and Lou.
"I have a heart for special-needs animals," Colby says. "The special-needs cats, those are the ones that are overlooked (when it comes to pet adoptions). So we're trying to get people to give them a second look."
One-year-old Lily was born without weight-bearing bones in her forearms. That forces the 5-pound cat to stand and hop on her hind legs and walk around on her elbows.
Lou, 12, has diabetes, deafness and neuropathy. His back legs don't work well and he shuffles when he walks.
"That's what attracted him to Lily," Colby says. "Because she has front legs that don't work. Together, they have a good set of legs."
The couples' courtship, engagement and wedding have all been publicized on the two organizations' Facebook pages and blogs — complete with comments from the cats.
"Missing my Mighty Lou!" Lily wrote on Facebook last week. "We are both so busy this week, there is scarcely enough time to order things for the wedding Saturday!"
The reported wedding ceremony was commemorated with photos posted online. But in reality, the two cats didn't even see each other Saturday.
Hughes and Colby shot the wedding photos way back in October in Colby's lanai and backyard. Lily wore white, of course — veil and all. Lou wore a cat-sized tuxedo.
"They're both very comfortable in costumes," Hughes explains.
Lily is known for her dresses, while Lou sports spectacles and a cape for his many public appearances. "He has different capes for different occasions," Colby says.
Cat fans have been eating it up like delicious plates of chicken salad or whipped cream (Lily's favorite). Lily's Facebook page now has 3,100 likes.
But not everyone gets the tongue-in-cheek fundraising concept. Take, for example, Betty Hughes' husband and his reaction when he saw Lily's wedding dress photos.
"He just looked at it and said, 'The world is insane,'" Hughes says and laughs.
TO HELP THE CAUSE
• Animal Refuge Center is a no-kill animal shelter in North Fort Myers. For more information, call 731-3535 or visit animalrefugecenter.com. You can also follow Lily on her Facebook page at facebook.com/PhoenixandARC.
• Cat Depot is a no-kill depot in Sarasota that specializes in cats. For more information, call 941-366-2404 or visit catdepot.org. You can also follow Mighty Lou's blog at blog.catdepot.org or on Facebook (keywords "Mighty Lou").
• To give "wedding gifts" — donations for both organizations — visit ARC at http://animalrefugecenter.com or Cat Depot at catdepot.org
Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells (News-Press) (Facebook) @charlesrunnells (Twitter)