Tributes have poured in for Molly, a celebrity cat who has died after being hit by a car.
The news has sent shockwaves around the South Gloucestershire community after her owner shared the news with Molly’s 4,000 Facebook followers. Owner Fiona, from Yate, said: “The day that I dreaded has come and it is with tears streaming I have to inform you all that Molly was involved in an accident and despite the best efforts of all she did not survive and passed away.”
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The nine-year-old feline rose to fame in Yate Shopping Centre after weekly visits to Tesco Extra where she found refuge in shopping trolleys. Molly was a daily delight for many customers who visited the supermarket, as she made sure their weekly shop was one to remember.
Fiona said during the pandemic lockdowns Molly’s appearances inside the supermarket made customers happy . “I know how much joy she brought to everyone, which was why I never clipped her wings. I am a great believer that cats choose the way they want to live their lives and Molly did not like being confined," she added. The 41-year-old said the family has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of messages and support since Molly’s death and said it will always give her a sense of pride that she was able to share her with the world.
“She was fiercely independent, adventurous and sometimes grumpy - and I wasn't ever going to change her. I was there when she was born and I will remember her for the happiness that she has brought to both myself and everybody else. I’ll forever remember her as Molly - she's Molly the Tesco cat to everybody but she will always be Molly to me," she added.
She said it is thanks to Tesco that Molly was allowed to be herself and members of the community made Molly a local celebrity. A Twitter user who is a fan of Molly said they had no idea where Yate was, but enjoyed watching her antics.
Molly factfile
Born May 9, 2012 - died April 30, 2022
Before she had turned three, she arrived home with a paper collar from a security guard at Yate Shopping Centre saying ‘your cat keeps visiting me’
Molly later gravitated to Tesco Extra where she spent her days chilling in trolleys
Fiona decided to set up Molly’s Facebook page after she began appearing on a number of lost and found pages in South Gloucestershire, this helped to reassure people that she had a home and must not be fed
Molly would leave early in the morning and come home at midnight or vice-versa
Molly enjoyed having 'conversations' with her owner who to this day, thanks her for triggering her labour to have her son
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