Once upon a time, in Freehold, NJ, lived Ms. Elly. She had once loved a cat named Daisy, who lived to be 22 years old. 

When Daisy went to kitty heaven, Ms. Elly was very sad. 

It took a long time before she felt ready to love another cat.

After mourning the loss of Daisy, Ms. Elly and Mr. Frank visited countless places, searching for a new kitten. 

But none of them felt quite right.

“How many kittens are we going to look at?” Mr. Frank asked, sounding a bit weary.

“I’ll know the right one when I see her,” Ms. Elly replied softly.

In an empty warehouse in Jersey City, New Jersey, a mother cat had four tiny kittens. 

The kittens mewed and mewed because their mama had to leave them often to find food.

One day, a kind woman was walking past the warehouse when she heard the tiny cries. She peeked inside and found the kittens! But their mama cat got scared and ran away.

A few days later, the woman came back with a cat carrier. 

She wanted to bring the mama and her kittens home. But the mama cat was too frightened and ran away again. 

So the woman carefully took the kittens, hoping to help their mama another day.

The kittens went to live near Freehold, NJ, but they were too little to eat on their own. They needed to be fed with tiny bottles. So the kind woman called a cat rescue group. The rescuers cared for the kittens until they were big and strong enough to find new homes.

One day, Ms. Elly went to a pet store and asked about kittens. The store gave her the number of a cat rescue group that had recently received kittens for adoption.

So Ms. Elly and Mr. Frank went to visit.  There were four little kittens.

Ms. Elly picked each one up and gently petted them. 

But when she put down a gray-and-white kitten, that kitten mewed and tried to climb right back up her leg!

Ms. Elly bent down and petted the kitten. The kitten lay her head in Ms. Elly’s hand, closed her eyes, and purred.

It was love at first sight. “This is the kitten I want,” said Ms. Elly.

She decided to name her Molly. But Molly was still too young to go home, so Ms. Elly had to wait a few more weeks.

Finally, the day came when Ms. Elly and Mr. Frank brought Molly home. Molly was so tiny in her carrier. She mewed and cried the whole ride. But soon, she learned her name and felt safe and happy.

One special day, Ms. Elly’s grandchildren, Alex, Katie, Emily, and Kristin, came to meet Molly. 

Emily had new shoes and brought the empty shoe box for Molly. 

Ms. Elly put a soft washcloth inside, and Molly curled up and fell asleep.

Even when Molly grew too big, she still tried to squeeze into that little box. Everyone laughed and called it Molly’s magic box.

Molly made everyone laugh when she puffed up her tail, arched her back, and danced sideways across the floor like a Halloween cat. 

She loved the attention and did her funny dance for many years.

She also loved to play chase. She would peek around the corner to see if Ms. Elly was coming. Then she’d dash sideways into the living room, and Ms. Elly would chase her.

One day, when Molly was about a year old, she wanted Ms. Elly to chase her in the bedroom. Molly ran onto the hallway banister but lost her balance and fell downstairs!

Ms. Elly screamed, but luckily, Molly landed safely in a tall vase filled with dried flowers. She wasn’t hurt at all—but she never tried that trick again!

When Molly was young, Ms. Elly bought her a tiny harness and leash, hoping to take her for walks. But when Ms. Elly put the harness on, Molly flopped down and refused to move! So Ms. Elly decided Molly would stay inside.

Molly loved plopping onto the shelf of Ms. Elly’s African violet light stand soaking in lilac light.

When Ms. Elly came home from work, Molly raced down the stairs, meowing and rubbing against her. 

At night, she sat by her toys and stared at Ms.  Elly until she played with her.

Molly also loved Mr. Frank. Whenever she saw him, she rolled onto her back with her paws in the air for a tummy rub.

Molly learned that when suitcases came out, it meant Ms. Elly and Mr. Frank were going away. 

Ms. Elly and Mr. Frank had special toys for Molly when they traveled. One time, Ms. Elly forgot to put them out, and Molly sat in front of the closet staring at it until Ms. Elly realized what she wanted.

Molly had a cat-sitter named Miss Alexann, whom she liked very much. But she was always happiest when Ms. Elly and Mr. Frank came home. She’d run out meowing, rub against them, and purr and purr.