From my recent experiences, I have come to learn how precious life truly is. Life is a beautiful gift that should never be taken for granted. As my best friend Denise Moretti once told me, ‘life is all about sharing’. We need to share special moments together, help one another to stand strong, care for each other, but also take care of ourselves so that we can be there to live life with the ones that we love. One mistake that I often make is that I think I am tougher than I really am, yet and it takes something as silly as a little cat bite to give me a harsh reality check whilst I am held captive to a IV drip in a hospital bed.
I lost my best friend on the third day of May this year. Since that day, I have endured a painful mixture of feelings that words cannot possibly describe. I felt extremely overwhelmed and unable to think clearly when I went to her house for the first time since her death. I wanted to bring Denise’s cat, Enzo, home with me so that I could take care of him for Denise, as she loved him so.
A photo that Denise took of herself and her cat, Enzo.
A ‘selfie’ that Denise took whilst cuddling Enzo.
I tried to pick Enzo up from under a bush where he was hiding, but it was dark and I could not see properly nor squeeze under the bush to hold him firmly. In doing so, I frightened him and consequently he scratched and bit me. I didn’t want him running off across the road or getting hurt, therefore I just held him until he calmed down. He soon realised that I was no threat and I easily put him safely inside cat carrier to take him home with me.
There was a lot of blood pouring out of the tiny, painless puncture wound on my hand. I just wanted to stop the bleeding quickly because it was making a mess, dripping all over the floor. I really didn’t want blood all through the interior of the ute either, yet wanted to get home as soon as possible, to relieve little Enzo from the stress of being confined in the cat carrier.
What I should have done was ran my hand under the tap for some time, cleaned it with a mild salt solution and seen a doctor as soon as possible to have the bite properly treated. However, foolishly did not know at the time and therefore neglected to do so. I had no idea that when a cat or any other animal bites you, that it can trap nasty bacteria under your skin. This bacteria can infect the tissue surrounding the wound, as well as travel into your blood and cause blood poisoning. Of course, as per usual, I found this information out the hard way.
The next day, my hand where I was bitten became very red and swollen. It felt as though it was burning. It didn’t feel right, but I thought that it would come good in a day or so. I called my partner to tell him that I was a little bit concerned about my hand, and laughing at me, he said ‘suck it up princess, it is just a cat bite’. I dismissed it and thought I was being a sook. I thought if I just ignored it that it would just go away.
By that night the inside of my elbow started hurting, but I simply thought it was a previous injury being aggravated in the cold weather. By the next morning I was concerned and went to the doctors. She gave me a prescription for two different types of antibiotics and told me that if they don’t kick in, that I would have to go to the hospital. I bought the antibiotics from the local pharmacy and took them as per her instructions as I didn’t like the idea of going to hospital. However, eventually it became clear that the antibiotics were not effective and that the infection had travelled up my arm, because the inside of the top of my arm started hurting. It felt as though I had been repeatedly punched in the arm. I went back to the doctors and was told to go straight to hospital.
And so I went to the hospital. I thought that they would just give me an antibiotic needle in my arm and send me back home. Instead, I had to have x-rays and was put on a drip. I was then anesthetised so that my hand could be operated on to have the infected flesh cut out and the surrounding tissue cleaned before it was stitched together. The doctors also whacked a clumsy plaster splint on me so that I couldn’t use my hand or get it wet. I had to endure three days of being tethered to a hospital bed via a drip that fed antibiotics into my arm at regular intervals. I was also made to have my arm elevated in a sling to reduce the swelling from the operation. After I was finally released from my hospital imprisonment, I was sent home with another two types of oral antibiotics, painkillers and my arm still in the plaster splint was put into a sling. Yes, all of this over a little cat bite.
Obviously, this incident was entirely my own fault. Enzo, alike myself was overwhelmed with the circumstances that we faced through the loss of our best friend. Like us, cats also feel emotions, such as grief and confusion when they loose someone they love, or experience stress when their environment suddenly changes.
Like all things, pets may take some work, cost money and accidents may happen. However, just like other animals, cats can make fabulous companions and make life incredibly fulfilling. Even just having Enzo cuddle into me as I write this is comforting, as I listen to him purring as I am tapping away at keyboard of my laptop. I know that we share a special connection through our love for Denise, although we miss her with all our hearts. Nevertheless, we will comfort each other to the best of our abilities.
I am very fortunate to have all my pets in my life as well as my family and good friends to love and support me, unconditionally. They help me to stand strong, even when at times they need to hold me up, because lets face it, I am not as tough as I think I am. Sharing our lives with others fulfills us. Even those who are sadly no longer with us will live on in our hearts through the memories we made and times we shared together.
Lastly, with regards to my health, I have been told that I am extremely lucky, because the infection had travelled up my left arm and the doctors were concerned that if it went to my heart that it would have killed me. Hence, I write this post to inform you about the dangers of being bitten by an animal, and that if it ever happens to you, that you don’t have to learn the hard way, as I did. After all, life is precious.
♥ Mallory xoxox
A not-so professional photo of Enzo and I, taken with my mobile phone. I am now looking after Enzo for my best friend, Denise, who will be with us, in our hearts, forever.
MALLORY HOLLEY STUDIOS 
Beautifully written Mally, Denise was blessed to have you as her bestie during her time on earth and a little bit is still with you in Enzo.
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Thank you Marsha. I think that I was very blessed having her in my life too. I only wish that I had longer with her, but I know that she will always be me in my heart. xo
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What a lovely story, I am sorry you have lost your friend, Denise was force out there in the Pinup world, and I know you two were quite close. Animals know when something is wrong, so Enzo was more than likely scared and frightened. Enzo will be your friend and I am sure Denise will be happy knowing he is in safe hands. Good to know your on the mend, I have been bitten by a cat, not a good thing. Anyway, remember the good times, and time will heal for all things.xx
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Thank you for your kind words and condolences, Lulu. Yes, I am indeed remembering the good times with Denise. I am glad that we created so many fabulous memories in the short time that we had together and that I took so many photos of her. As for Enzo, you are spot on! He was frightened with so many huge changes in his life and no doubt grieving loosing his best friend too. He really is a sweetheart and is by my side in the studio, all day now. He is a beautiful creature. I’m sorry to hear that you were bitten by a cat too. I hope that you are okay and that it didn’t cause any severe consequences. Take care lovely. xx
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♥ R.I.P. Denise beautiful, gorgeous girl, and Mallory you are lucky to have so many photos giving you so many precious memories of her. Take good care of Enzo♥
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♥ Thank you, that is very true. I will forever cherish my photos of Denise, as well as the memories that we shared together. She was such a beautiful person, both inside and out. I am pretty sure that Enzo and I will take good care of each other too. xoxox
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I’m so sorry you lost your dear friend. I can relate to this as I lost one of mine recently after a long illness. It’s very difficult, such a time of conflicting emotions. I think taking care of Denise’s cat is a special thing to do and hopefully will ease your pain a little. You poor thing with your bite! It’s lucky you were able to catch it in time.
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Thank you, you are very kind. I am very sorry to hear that you lost a dear friend of yours too. Yes, I agree that it is very difficult and painful indeed. I hope that you have a lot of wonderful memories that you shared with your friend that you can cherish in your heart forever. Oh yes, having Denise’s cat to comfort me is a very special thing. I will care for Enzo the best I can for Denise, as I know she loved this little cat greatly. Enzo is such a sweet cat. Right now he is resting his head on the corner of my laptop as I type. Warm hugs. xo
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♥ R.I.P. Denise ♥
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She will be forever in our hearts. xo
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♥RIP Denise♥
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Hello, I trained as a makeup artist with Denise four years ago abd logged ibto facebook for the first time in a year and just saw this horrible sad news. I am so upset. If it is not to painful, or if you would prefer to respond via email, can you please give me more details as to what happened as I am currebtly translating posts from people on her page onto google translate and this nees is distressing enough without weird translations! Sorry if this comment brings the pain back, I am glad her cat is being looked after by you, Tara xXx
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Hi Tara,
I’m sorry to hear that you found out this way and I understand the shock that you must be in. I agree, it is such distressing news to deal with and I am sorry that you had to find out over Facebook of all things. We all miss Denise very much and the world is certainly not he same without her. She passed away in her sleep on the third day of May last year in her home in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Clash, her three year old son was sleeping next to her and could not wake her up in the morning. Her ashes have been spread at the beach in Frankston, where she loved to swim and the others have gone back to Brazil with her family and also to her good friends in the UK. The pain is with me everyday darling, so please don’t feel sorry that you brought any pain back to me through your comment. What I hope to give you is some closure, and please feel free contact me anytime if you need someone to talk to. I just remember the happy times and hold onto the good memories in my heart. I hope that you can do the same. I think about her everyday and she has touched my life in so many ways that I will never forget my dear sister so long as I live. She was such an amazing, kind and beautiful person who I know has touched so many other lives too. We are all certainly suffering in her absence. I like to think that she is sipping coffee from fine china teacups with Betty Page and Marilyn Monroe, doing makeup and photo shoots and shopping just like we used to do. I bet it is sure one hella party up there too! I am certainly most willing to email you if you would like to know more details darling. xo
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Hi Mallory
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, and with such a beautiful response too. Every time I see an exquisitely arched brow I will think of De! I remember she once told me she was attracted to Buddism and believed in energy. She had so much energy, and good energy too that I have no doubt she is lighting up the sky somewhere :). Wherever she is, she is making it more beautiful with her presence. Sorry to be morbid, do you know if there was a medical reason why it happened? Just so shocking that would happen to someone so young. Thanks, Tara xXx
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Thank you for your kind thoughts, Tara. Deni is definitely the brightest star in the sky. I will email you, dear. xxxx
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Dear Mallory, you are blessed to have had Denise in your life and I’m very sorry for your loss. Taking on her cat is such a wonderful act of kindness. I met Denise through facebook as I’m a huge fan of pin up art. I often left comments on her beautiful facebook photos and she would thank me for the compliments. We communicated via emails and facebook for a year before I got to meet her in person at a Melbourne Fashion show in 2013. She was such a vibrant soul and you could feel beautiful energy in her presence. I truly admired her for being someone so talented and beautiful she was a very humble down to earth woman. Unfortunately I found out the tragic sad news through a mutual friend on facebook only 2 days after her last email, I was in total shock & disbelief. To this day I am grateful for the short friendship that we had. Sometimes people can enter your life for a very brief time but leave a long lasting impact in your heart. It’s been a year since her passing and I will always remember her beautiful smile! Rest in peace Gorgeous Girl.
Kind Regards Vera.
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Dearest Vera,
Thank you for your beautiful message.
She will surely be in our hearts forever. ♥ We are very lucky to have known her, albeit for a very short time.
I’m glad you had the opportunity to know this amazing lady too.
I’m lucky to have Enzo her cat to support me everyday. ♥
Thank you for writing to me, Vera. Your message really touched me.
Much love,
♥ Mallory xoxox
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