Lately, I've been thinking a lot of those early years in the 90s. I guess that is normal as one ages. They were not always good years. In fact, they were often bad. But even among the darkness, we shared some light and happy times together. As I often say, you were such a trouper. You will forever be my OG girl, my first. Please give Ching a head butt. I've given him a special day for remembrance as well and put it on my calendar.

I hope you and Buddy and Ching and Mr. Cunningham and TJ and Freddie and Beaujolais are all frolicing in the sun and making a big kitty pile of napdom in the early afternoon. (Felix and Oscar, too!)

I miss you, Princessa. I will always miss and love you.

UPDATE 7/10/22: Hi, sweet girl. My OG princess. A lot has happened this year. Buddy went to Rainbow Bridge on January 14, and I know you were there to show him the ropes and make him feel safe and loved, even though you never met. It was hard afterward. We had been quarantined together and he had needed special care for about that last year, and a level of special care since 2015. So I went up to Carmel for 8 days to get away and clear my head. A few weeks later I brought home Michael Mouse and Mary Ann. They are tuxedo siblings. I couldn't fathom just having one girl or one boy after you and Buddy, so I figured two would be different, and it certainly is! Both you and Buddy watch over their perch by the window (a photo of Buddy and a painting of you), and I consider you both their godparents.

But no matter what, you will always be my OG kitty girl. You set the bar so high. I think about you every day. I can't believe it's been 11 years. All my love to you, Princessa. You will never not be in my heart.

UPDATE 6/21/21: Hollis, it's been 10 years since you left and I still miss you. I always will. Your little brother Buddy is still with me and is as eccentric as ever. Please take care of him when he crosses over like you did while Ching was with us. I remember you giving him baths when we lived in that place in Valley Village. We lived so many places together and you took them all in stride. You are the sweetest girl and I will always love you.

UPDATE 6/25/20: I miss you so much. The world has changed so much in the last four months. There is a global pandemic and America is in a very bad place. And I still miss you. I have purchased a condo and have left the sweet town we were in when you passed away. I have been working from home since March due to the pandemic and Buddy (who is getting a little crotchety but is still a kitten at heart) seems to enjoy having me home almost 24/7. It makes me feel bad when I remember how often I left you alone. I was only 25 when you came to me and the world was different then. But I realize now what a trouper you were. I wish you could be a 'quarankitty' with us now! But Buddy would probably terrorize you. Anyway...I'll always miss and love you my little Hollis Princessaliana Arnelle. Endless purrs to you sweet girl. I love you so much.

UPDATE 6/18/19: I think my 7/22/14 update was 7/22/15, but I can't be sure. Anyway. Hello dear girl. Another year has passed, and I still think of you often. My paintings of you hang in my new place. Your ashes are on my new dresser. Buddy is still with me and has gotten very cuddly in his older years. He's still a kitten at heart. I know you will like him. As I get older and life evolves, I know you were a very special girl and I was lucky to have you in my life for 16 years. Time is funny and the past veers in and out...I hope you are purring wherever you are. I miss you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATE 6/20/18: I've had two new jobs since my last update and lots of changes. All very good changes, but change is difficult and I still miss you very much, my sweet little girl. I've been very busy. I was very sad over the holidays this past year, but Buddy is still with me (he is much more naughty than you!) and I'm doing much better now. I still remember how much you loved basking in the sun on my bed in the house, and by the sliding door of the apartment. You are remembered fondly by all my friends who were lucky enough to meet you. I hope there's lots to purr about wherever you are. Your memory still makes me smile.

UPDATE 6/19/17: I have a picture of you at work and think of you every day. Your brother Buddy had a health scare in late 2015 and I thought he wouldn't make it to 2016 but he did and he's still going strong. Someday you will meet him and I hope you have lots of fun with him. I remember how you took such good care of Ching.

I painted two pictures of you and they are up in my home. I miss you.

UPDATE 7/22/14: I've been missing you very much lately, sweet girl. Very much.

UPDATE 6/17/14: I just renewed Hollis' rainbow bridge for another year. Buddy is still with me, and is quite the eccentric boy...he is a great companion and warms my heart with his goofiness. But I still miss Hollis. I did a painting of her...I recently started painting and doing pet portraits for friends, so painted a picture of Hollis (the main one on this site). Maybe I'll try to upload it later. I am so happy she was in my life. Time passes, things change, then change again, and life continues on...bumps and twists and turns, and sometimes long straight lines...Hollis traveled with me for over 16 years and adapted well to everything life brought her. I will always love you, little girl...I hope you are basking away in the sun somewhere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATE 7/10/12: Thank you for all the kind words. I still miss Hollis. Her ashes are still on my bedside table and I plan to put her in the morning sun tomorrow morning. I haven't done that in a while, but did that everyday for a long time after she left me. As of a month ago, I have taken over the care of a friend's cat who was not meshing with his fiance's cats very well. His name is Buddy and he is a special, silly boy who is bringing me daily smiles and I fall in love with him a little more each day. There will never be another Hollis and I have accepted that. I am so thankful she spent her 17 years on this earth with me. I will never stop missing or loving her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hollis was a professional cat. An ambassador to the dog lovers. An expert cuddler. Liked to rest her head on my shoulder and read with me before bed. If I had insomnia, she would gaze at me lovingly and tell me it was okay to go to sleep. She specialized in extended meows and purring.

Immune to catnip, but not to the laser pointer. An indoor-only princess who had an outdoor boyfriend who would visit her often, sometimes communicating through the front door window. She would have limited, supervised visits outside where she could explore the world and all it's wonderful sights and smells.

She had a great disposition and was curious about everything. She was very friendly with everyone. She was not aggressive or threatening. She liked to lick my hands after I ate pizza. She liked to lick the remnants of ice cream bowls. She liked cheese.

She accepted her kidney treatment (subcutaneous fluids) without drama or stress.

She liked to bask in the morning sun. She lived in many different homes with me over the years, but always made herself comfortable wherever she was. Her favorite basking time was in my first apartment in South Pasadena. It was on the 3rd floor and faced East, with a sliding glass door and balcony and tree outside that was often full of fascinating parrots. The morning sun-basking time here was excellent. Lately, she'd taken to basking in the morning sun on my bed as it would come through my bedroom window. I would leave for work and she'd be lying on top of the bed in the sun. Her views were not as good in our last house together, but she did get to explore out back when I would do laundry, and this is also where she met her boyfriend, who hadn't been around in awhile, but did come by the night before she died. I didn't know it at the time, but I guess he was saying goodbye.

She knew when it was time to go, and did so quickly, without too much suffering.

She always used her litter box and always used her scratching post instead of furniture. She gave so much more than she took.

She was feline perfection and I will miss her always.