When asked how her Christmas was, 11-year-old Jenny Tapia said, “It was horrible.” 

Just two days before, the Garden Lakes Elementary fifth-grader had seen her cat, Chispa, killed by two dogs.

“She made me happy,” Jenny said of her white cat. “When I woke up in the morning, she would meow to me because she was hungry.” 

When Chispa was killed, her spirits crumbled, but Jenny’s holiday season improved on Saturday because of the Floyd County police officer who answered the call. 

Mary Catherine Parris has seven cats, five horses and a dog. She lost her horse of 30 years earlier this year and knows the pain of losing a pet.

She also lost a cat a couple of years ago while she was away for her grandmother’s funeral.

“I know what it is like (to lose a pet), Parris said. “I couldn’t see it happen to her.” 

So Parris made arrangements with Floyd County Animal Control to allow Jenny to get a new cat, with Parris paying the fees. 

And the cat is no ordinary cat.

Justin Smith said Jenny’s new pet was picked up on Dec. 7 in the Riverside area. He immediately recognized it as a rare type of cat, a pixie bob.

Her unusual breed and her friendliness saved her life. She was supposed to be euthanized twice, but Smith saved her, he said.

Jenny is also calling her new cat Chispa, she said.

Chispa was very comfortable with her new owner and did not stop purring from the time she was in Jenny’s arms until the time she was put in the pet carrier to go to her new home.

Besides the new Chispa, Jenny she has two other cats.

Anyone interested in adopting a cat or dog can visit the animal shelter at 431 Mathis Road or view animals available for adoption at www.romefloyd.com/CitizenSafety/AnimalControl/tabid/178/Default.aspx.

Adoption fees are $40 for dogs and $35 for cats and you must agree to have the animal sterilized.