Holly was born on Christmas Eve, 1990. She later was transferred to a pet store in Dartmouth, MA, from her breeder. She was already six months old and no one wanted her. She was getting too big for her cage so the pet store marked her price half off to try and find her a home. Everyone at the pet store loved her.
My mother and I had purchased a kitten, Buttons, from that pet store and we always used to go and look around. When my mom first spotted Holly, it was love at first sight. We got to take her in the puppy room and she was sooooooo happy! She was sliding all around the floor like a mop, kissing us and being happy. It was sad when we had to put her back in her cage.
We kept going to visit her until finally my mom and dad purchased her. It was so exciting for everyone at the pet store and for us. Holly peed with excitement as she was leaving the store, lol. It was such a happy day for her. She got to ride in the car and meet our cats for the first time. Our cats (Jazzy, Kitty and Buttons), however, were disgusted with her. They stayed on the kitchen table for the first week that we had Holly.
As time went on, our cats came to love Holly as one of their own. She was best friends with Kitty and she even liked our newest cat, Chips. “The Girls,” as we called them, were so funny together. They had a great time chasing each other around the house, sleeping in the sun and playing with us. Jazzy was funny. She and Holly never really got along so every time Holly went too close to her, Jazz used to turn around and smack her in the face! Holly was so dazed that she turned around and ran, but it was the sound of Jazzy’s clawless paw hitting her in the head that was so funny. Poor Holly!!! Don’t mess with a cat!
After Jazzy and Buttons passed away from liver failure (at ages 13 and 12, respectively), Holly was diagnosed with diabetes. She began to lose her sight and had to take daily insulin shots twice a day. She passed away at the age of 13, about a month before her Christmas Eve birthday (that’s how she got the name “Holly”). It was so sad for everyone because she was the light of our lives. She lit up the room whenever she came in. She was funny, sweet and always knew how to cheer us up.
To this day I get sad every time I think about her, however, it makes me happy to know that she brought us so much joy and I know she felt the same about us. She loved going for a ride in the car, smelling the fresh air at the beach, eating hamburgers at the local clam shack with us, running in the grass and chasing birds. Her favorite treats of all were Beggin’ Strips and cheese. LOL! She loved them so much. We used to have to hide her medicine in cheese so she could eat it.
I can’t go for a ride in the country without thinking of Holly. She meant the world to our family and we love her very much. Jazzy, Buttons and Holly have passed on but their memory will stay with us forever. Kitty and Chips are still here, but sad that they’ve lost their sisters. I’m glad that we will see them again in heaven and we can all be a family again.
TO HOLLY: We miss you very much and we all love you.
Missing and Loving you always,
| Holly |
| The Monteiro Family |