Anyone who walks past Ivy Insurance on South Street has seen the large orange and white cat -- appropriately named Ivy -- lounging in the shopfront windows. Sadly, the beloved shop cat passed away Aug. 22 at the age of 15.

“He was a fixture for the past 13 years,” said Tim Foley, owner of Ivy Insurance. “He was loved and beloved by people young and old. He played with people through the glass (window). He had his favorites, and you know who you are.”

Lindsay Metivier

Ivy was actually the second Ivy the cat who “worked” at the insurance company. Foley adopted the first Ivy after his business partner left the business to start her own company, and Foley said he needed a new partner. The first Ivy lived at the business for eight years. A month after the first Ivy passed away, Foley got the second Ivy, whom he named after kids walked by said the first Ivy was back.

“He was good with advertising. He brought in a lot of people,” Foley told Jamaica Plain News.

Foley said Ivy was the kindest cat you could imagine. He recalled when several sight-impaired students from the former nearby Agassiz School came into the shop and started petting Ivy. The children pulled on Ivy’s tail, ears and legs – and the cat did not make a peep, letting the kids touch him, and eventually moving away when he didn’t want to be touched anymore.

“He was a big fan of little kids and big kids,” said Foley. “He will be missed.”