Lancelot was definitely the king of his domain. He had a strong presence for a nine pound cat. He was so many things: vocal, expressive, affectionate, stubborn, curious, smart, active, independent, shy or bold depending on the situation.
I will miss how he greeted me whenever I walked in the door. He would purr before I even touched him & we would chat like we hadn't seen each other in years (even if it had only been two hours). I never knew a cat could be so expressive or affectionate.
When I was sick he would comfort me, showing compassion that people sometimes lack. Once when I was receiving medical care from a nurse at home because I was very ill, Lancelot shocked me by climbing right up on my chest to comfort me. He normally would have been timid around a stranger, but that day his love for me overcame his shyness. He was my knight in shining armor in that moment.
He knew what he liked, and was unbelievably stubborn, to the point I would end up laughing. Trying to get him away from my clean laundry (or into his cat carrier) was exhausting. I have the scars to prove it.
I miss the smell of his fur, the sound of him purring, all his different vocal sounds, the way he would softly touch my face in the morning to wake me up.
Lancelot, I always thought you were too handsome for this world (you knew it, too). I just wasn't ready to let you go so soon. You will always be in my heart.