During the very first sit, Lily seemed not to be herself. Not that I would have been able to spot the difference, but I was told so. Her buddy since many years, Suus, had passed away not long before. As it turned out, cats can truly mourn. During this period, I was looking after Lily, this showed through a diminished appetite and excessive nightly meowing. In fact, it was so loud I feared that she would wake up the neighbours! Perhaps this was an indication she was looking for her friend. She would usually place herself on the landing, right underneath the hatch to the attic. Perhaps for the great acoustics, or maybe she suspected Suus had been hiding in there? It was quite clear something was the matter. 

After some deliberation, her owner decided to find new companionship for Lily, so she would not have to feel lonely anymore. Through word of mouth she found another Holy Birman, with an equally fluffy fur and radiant eyes. A beautiful couple!
There was no love at first sight. That would perhaps be too much to be expected, as relations between cats is generally a precarious balance between two (or more) solitairy animals. Lily had been used to the company of another cat for years, would she adapt to the new one as well?
The first signs indicated a certain degree of tolerance, as long as the little one would not come to close to her. During my first sit for the both of them, Lily made a grumpy impression to me. Poppy, being still young and playful, was longing for that attention. Lily not so much, but while she would come and sit on my lap in the evening before, she now seemed to be more withdrawn. While I was giving the little one the fuss she enjoyed, I thought I noticed how her house mate was glaring at us through her eyelashes. When she was offered that same fuss, she was not responding.

A few months later the situation had not improved. On the contrary: it looked like Lily could not stand Poppy anymore. During the daytime, there was no problem whatsoever as she spent it mostly sleeping. But at night she woke up and it would even happen she was targeting Poppy. Their owner hired a cat therapist in a last attempt to get out of the situation. She concluded Lily needed more space to be able to avoid her house mate. The little one on her part appeared to be genuinely scared, so that was definitely something to keep an eye on. 

Unfortunately, this is not a story with a wholehearted happy end. Although everyone turned out fine in the end, the kitties had to be separated. Good for Lily, as it gave her the peace and quiet she longed for. Sour for Poppy, as she had to be relocated for the second time in a relatively short time span. Luckily, she did end up at a place where she felt at home. 
So it’s safe to say we can call this a happy ending.