More than $10,000 has been raised to help a distraught Longmont couple who hired a private investigator to seek justice for their beloved cat, brutally “murdered” last year.
Holly Mathew and her boyfriend Travis have been searching for answers ever since their cat Basil was abducted, shot dead and then dumped in a river.
“The police are taking the case seriously and, with the help of the private investigators, movement, action and next steps are happening more quickly than I thought possible,” Holly wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help the couple.
Thanking people who have donated money to their cause, Holly wrote, “There are so many of you who know what it’s like to lose a pet and can’t imagine what it would be like knowing their time was cut short because of a visceral, pre-meditated act of murder like this.”
Last August, Holly and Travis realized Basil was missing when the 2-year-old black and white feline’s GPS tracking collar showed the cat was being driven away from their home.
The couple then jumped in their car to try and followed Basil’s rapidly-changing location. The cat’s final signal came from St. Vrain Greenway in Longmont.
“Later we found out, after they shot her, they threw her over the bridge and into the river,” said Mathews.
Longmont Police are investigating, and the couple hope a private investigator they hired will figure out who is responsible for Basil’s death. Concerned community members set up a GoFundMe page, to help pay the couple’s expenses. A total of $10,376 has been raised to date. The original goal was just $2,500.
The couple brought their “adventure cat” Basil and another cat, Parsley, to Longmont from Norway, where Holly was working during the pandemic. The cats even had their own Instagram page.
“Basil really defied what cats do. She hiked, she biked, she loved camping with me. We truly lived the Norwegian life in that sense,” Mathews said.
The couple said they have experienced an outpouring of support from those who know Basil’s story.
“It goes without saying that Basil was not ‘just a cat’ in our family. She was my baby, my little angel, who chose me and I chose her. We agreed that life was simply better when we shared it together.”
Holly said she hoped Basil’s legacy lives beyond what an “amazing animal” she was, and that she can be a name that takes a stand against animal cruelty.
Any money left over from the GoFundMe account will go towards creating a memorial for Basil and helping other cats at the Longmont Humane Society.
