Holly Dolly

SNICKER: Today we've got Holly here to talk about how she came to be here at BCR! Holly, it's great to see you girl, how are you today?

HOLLY: I'm great! Just got done soaking up the sun and rolling in the grass. 

SNICKER: Great! So tell us your story! I want to know everything!

HOLLY: Okay, well, I was with a family for about 11 long and loving years... before they dropped me off at the pound.

SNICKER: WHAT?!!? They dropped you at the pound? Oh my gosh! After 11 years?

HOLLY: Yeah. I was just as shocked as you, believe me. I was heartbroken. I couldn't believe they'd just leave me at the pound. I was such a great cat to them. 

SNICKER: Oh wow. I'm so sorry Holly. What happened next?

HOLLY: Well, since I'm a purebred Persian, a local rescue group was going to pull me out of the pound. Unfortunately for me, I tested FELV+...

SNICKER: Wait... Then why aren't you in the FELV room?

HOLLY: Well, I'm not actually FELV+.

SNICKER: Wait, I thought you just said...

HOLLY: I tested FELV+ on an unreliable test. I was tested later after I arrived here and I am not FELV+

SNICKER: Well, I bet that was a relief for you!

HOLLY: Well, not really... At the point I wanted to lay down and die anyway. I was so depressed...

SNICKER: Oh no...

HOLLY: Well, anyway, BCR was contacted about me and I was sent here. 

SNICKER: Great!

HOLLY: At the time it wasn't for me. Like I said, I wanted to die. I had just lost every single thing I had known. 

SNICKER: What happened when you got to BCR?

HOLLY: Well, after I got to BCR, my blood pressure skyrocketed and I lost my eyesight after I got here.

SNICKER: Woah! You weren't always blind? So what is it like to be able to see? That's so amazing!   (Alana's note,  sadly the only picture we have of Holly with eyes is a very bad copy of a copy picture on a piece of paper.  She lost her eyes the day after arriving)

HOLLY: Well, seeing is great, but absolutely not necessary. I do just as fine without as I did with.  It's kind of hard to explain what seeing is like. Everything has a shape or a color. It's like a picture in your head at all times. Instead of seeing things with our whiskers and our hearing you things take shape. They look more vivid than your imagination. 

SNICKER: Well, I'm not sure that was a good way to describe sight, but I suppose I understand what you're saying. So what happened next?

HOLLY: Well, like I said, I lost my sight. I don't think things could have gotten any worse. I lost my family, my eyesight, and my will to live. I just wanted to be left alone to die in peace. Didn't I at least deserve to die in peace? Apparently not, because Alana wouldn't give up on me. At one point I had a feeding tube because I stopped eating. I didn't want to be touched. I was a complete mess Snicker. I really let life get me down. At this point in my life, I'm actually a little ashamed at how depressed I was.

SNICKER: No need to be ashamed. You lost everything. I totally understand being depressed about that. 

HOLLY: So... I was a mess. Well, it was around fall and I was still depressed but it was a beautiful fall day. It was a nice cool 70 degrees out and the birds were out like crazy. I went to the door and just sat there, looking pitiful I suppose, I love the outside. Alana looked at me long and hard and decided that it would be a good idea to let me out. So she opened the door and I ran out as fast as my little legs would carry me!

SNICKER: Oh my! What happened next?

HOLLY: I ran to the grass and started rolling around! I love being outside!!! I was so happy. I couldn't believe it. I've heard people say that being out in nature can really cure depression, but I never really believed it until that moment. I felt all my pain and despair start to dissipate. It was such an uplifting moment in my life. 

SNICKER: Oh wow!!!

HOLLY: Yeah! It wasn't long after that, that I started eating and the feeding tube was taken out.

SNICKER: That is so amazing! I'm so happy for you!

HOLLY: So, now I'm a lobby cat, and I have a way to get into the backyard whenever I feel the need to decompress. 

SNICKER: That was such a great story! So, what do you think of Blind Cat Rescue.

HOLLY: BCR saved my life. If it wasn't for Alana, I would have completely given up my life a long time ago. She's an angel and I love BCR. 

SNICKER: I agree! Well Holly! I am so glad everything turned out so well for you even after having such a rough life. We're glad you're here. We love you! Thanks for coming in for this interview!