"Late in the day there came a timid knock at our door. I went to the door and opened it. There stood an upstairs neighbor, a woman whom I knew just slightly. She was about forty, was always very chic, and worked in one of the finest, most expensive ladies' clothing shops on the Leidseplein, a shop called Hirsch. I'd very many times admired the clothes in the windows, but had never been able to afford their prices.
She lived with her old mother in the apartment above ours. They were Jews.
In her arms she carried a fluffy cat and a cat box. With a pleading look in her eyes she said, 'Please would you take my cat and give him to the animal shelter or . . . ' - her eyes were dry and full of fear - ' . . . if you want, you can keep him.'
Immediately, I took in the situation. I realized that she was being taken away by the Germans and had been given a very short time to get ready. I reached out my hands for the cat. 'Give.'
She put him in my arms. I thought, I'll never, never give this cat away to the animal shelter. Never. I told her, 'I'll take care of him until you come back.'"
'His name is Berry,' she told me, and quickly, she was gone.
I looked at the cat's face. He was almost all white with some black on his back. He looked at me too. I held him in my arms and brought him into our apartment.
He made himself right at home. What a sweet cat! I thought. I loved him right away.
From that day on, Berry was like our child. Every day Berry would wait in the hallway for Henk to come home from work. And every day, when Henk came home, Berry would spring up and nip him very softly on his chin."
Page 162 to 163
Miep Gies & Alison Leslie Gold
"Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5509.Anne_Frank_Remembered
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