Justice for Basil

Both Holly and Travis have been a pillar of support and strength for so many of us, and we wanted to allow their community the opportunity to return the favor in this time of need. If you know Holly and Travis, then you know their cats, Basil and Parsley, and how much they mean to them.

On August 27th, their family experienced a horrific act of cruelty and violence. Travis and Holly were notified via Basil's GPS collar that she left the neighborhood traveling at the car's speed at 9:05 p.m. In a panic, they got in their car and followed the car's location. Basil's location stayed with the vehicle until they reached a local bridge where they could see Basil was in the river. They ran down to the river to discover the trash bag containing Basil's lifeless body that was still warm.

Because Basil was equipped with a GPS monitoring system, Holly and Travis were able to could together the night's events. Basil was captured and held at a neighbor's house for four fours. She was then driven to a park outside of town, where she was shot in the skull. The perpetrator then put her in a black garbage bag, drove her to a bridge, and callously dumped her body into the river.

We still do not understand who did this to Basil and what their motive could have possibly been. But we have made it our mission to seek justice for Basil. Law Enforcement is involved, but to ensure we can get to the bottom of what happened, Holly and Travis have hired a private investigator to pursue the case to the fullest extent.

As their friends, we do not want the cost to be an added stress to their quest to seek justice. The funds raised will go towards persecuting this monster and preventing another tragedy like this from occurring. Any leftover funds will go towards creating a memorial for Basil and helping other cats at the Longmont Humane Society.

A little About Basil -

Holly and Travis adopted sister cats Basil and Parsley in 2020 while living in Norway for Holly's job. It was a difficult time to be living in a foreign country with little sunlight, harsh winters, and limited social interaction because of lockdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic. Holly and Travis fell into a depression. A friend mentioned she knew of some kittens that needed homes and the rest is history. It was love at first sight. I remember Travis describing their cats as their "lifeline." Basil and Parsley breathed new light into their family. They spent their time going for daily walks and learning all kinds of cool tricks. They spent their weekends driving to explore different trails and camping in the wilderness. Upon returning to the U.S., Basil adjusted to life well in Colorado. Taking daily off-leash walks' on local trails, going for bike rides on Holly's back, trips to the mountains and exploring her surroundings, averaging 5-7 miles a day. Holly, a natural lover of adventure, had finally met her ultimate adventure buddy Basil. They had years of adventures ahead until, unfortunately, that time was cut short due to the horrific actions of another.

Holly said it best when she said, "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. "

Thank you for all the support, kind words, and generosity you've shown Travis and Holly thus far.

Kourtney Danielson