It is with great sadness that we tell you that our beloved Nursery cat Willow passed away this weekend. We don’t really know what happened. She was playing in the greenhouse throughout the day on Saturday and saying “Hi” in her special way to everyone. When we came in the next morning, we found her unresponsive. We will miss her sneaking up on us in odd places around the Nursery, you just never knew where you would find her. One day it was the rafters in the store, on another she was using the shade cloth as a hammock, and occasionally she even tried to make herself comfortable on the printer in my office.

Willow came to the Nursery almost 8 years ago. Her mother, Precious, was found on the property, pregnant with a litter of kittens. She gave birth to three little black kittens soon after we found her. Two of those kittens were adopted by a staff member, but one of them, Willow, stuck around and became a fixture at the Nursery. From then on, every day, mother and daughter would hear one of us opening the Wheeler gate and would come running to the store, knowing that it was breakfast time. Those early morning greetings always put smiles on our faces.

We know that you will miss her, too. So many times, you told us that your kids saw the Nursery and begged you to stop in just to see Willow. She will be missed by many, but she had a great life at Kerby’s, and we know that she is rolling in fields of catnip in the sky. The next time you are in the Nursery, don’t forget to say hello to Willow’s mother Precious, she’ll be happy to see you.