Siblings Honor Special Family Cats Through Gift For Texas A&M’s New Veterinary Hospital

While all pets are special, some make an impact that can last a lifetime. 

Ray and Carolyn Palla, a brother and sister from La Grange, Texas, were lucky enough to have two such cats — Misi and Spunky — who provided joy and comfort for the Pallas during a series of misfortunes.

The cats were more than just pets — they were members of the family.

To recognize the former companions that held such a special role in their lives, the Palla siblings chose to dedicate a space in Texas A&M University’s Linda & Dennis Clark ’68 Small Animal Teaching Hospital in their honor.

The Misi and Spunky Feline Entry & Waiting Area dedicated by Ray Palla ’84 & Carolyn Palla will serve as a calming space for cats and their owners visiting the new hospital, which will open in August 2027.

Country Life

Apart from Ray’s two years at Blinn College in Brenham and two years at Texas A&M in College Station, the Palla siblings have spent their entire lives in La Grange, a small town about halfway between Austin and Houston.

Their childhood began in the family’s small motel on the edge of town, which was also home to dogs, cows and other pets. When Ray was 14 and Carolyn was 11, the family decided to begin a career path in ranching, purchasing the land where the siblings have lived ever since.

“We sold the motel, moved out into the country and built a house,” Carolyn said. “We have 50 acres on our farm, and Dad had cattle from then on.” 

After graduating from La Grange High School, Ray attended Texas A&M for a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

“Being from a small town, I felt more comfortable going to College Station than anywhere else,” he said. “After all, I was the first to attend a major university in my family. Even though neither Mom nor Dad finished high school, Dad had business sense and instilled that in both of us.”

After graduation, Ray returned to his hometown to begin a career at National Bank and Trust in La Grange, where he worked for more than 30 years. During that time, Carolyn worked as bookkeeper at a ladies’ dress store for about 13 years before leaving the workforce for another calling.

“When our mother got sick with cancer and hydrocephalus, she was in and out of hospitals and nursing homes for 10 years,” Carolyn said, “so we pretty much devoted our lives to taking care of her until she passed away in 2015.”

It was during those years that the Pallas first met Misi, who would prove to be a caretaker as well.

A Special Kind Of Comfort

One day in 2006, Ray was walking around the family farm when he came across a tiny grey and white kitten stuck in an empty water trough. Almost immediately, the kitten fit right into his new home with the Pallas.

“At first, we thought it was a girl, so Mom named her Missy,” Carolyn said. “Then, when she started growing, we realized she was actually a boy. We didn’t want to change the name, and at that time there was a football player at Texas A&M named Misi Tupe, so we decided to use the name Misi. So, really, Misi was meant to be an Aggie all along.”

Misi quickly became a best friend and source of comfort for Ray and Carolyn’s mother as she underwent several surgeries and treatments for cancer and hydrocephalus.

“He was special in that it seemed like he could sense when things weren’t going well,” Ray said. “He wasn’t a cuddler, but he showed you his love in his own way. He’d come up to you and bump you, and you could just see it in his eyes. He gave us comfort and love unlike any other cat we’ve had.”

Misi was also incredibly smart, seeming to know when he was needed most. 

“In 2015, we had brought Mom home for Thanksgiving, and when we were getting ready to take her back to the nursing home, we brought Misi into the house so she could pet him and tell him goodbye,” Carolyn said. “I pulled up a chair next to her and put him on my lap. Normally, he would never stay there, but he just sat there so she could play with him. As it turned out, that was their goodbye.”

A little over a week later, on Dec. 5, 2015, Ray and Carolyn’s mother suffered a seizure and, 13 days later, passed away peacefully with her family by her side — only a week before Christmas, her favorite time of the year.

“It was like he knew that her time was coming to an end, and he told her goodbye,” she said. “The bond they had and the comfort he gave us during those years can never be replaced.”

Bringing A Little Spunk

Misi continued playing and exploring the farm over the next year and a half, but by the spring of 2017, he was beginning to slow down. Then, the Palla siblings found an injured tortoiseshell kitten while out on a walk. 

“We heard this little meow and then a kitten emerged from the hay meadow,” Ray said. “She was in bad shape — she was very thin and had a hole behind one of her ears. After we fed her and doctored her a little bit, she came out of it and started giving Misi all kinds of trouble.”

The kitten’s endless energy and determination to play with Misi soon earned her the name Spunky.

“Misi was the type that didn’t like other cats or dogs, but that didn’t bother Spunky,” Carolyn said. “She would pester him and pick on him, and soon, they’d be chasing each other around the yard. Really, she brought him back to life.”

Although they were overjoyed to see Misi active again, the Pallas soon entered a period of tribulations for their family. Their father was becoming weaker, leading Ray to retire early to help care for him, and when the Colorado River rose during Hurricane Harvey, the family’s home flooded.

Fortunately, the Pallas were able to take both Misi and Spunky to safety at the office of their local veterinarian, Dr. Daniel Welch ’81, ’84, who offered to board local families’ pets.

When the waters receded, the family made some repairs and moved back home. Misi and Spunky were delighted to have space to roam again.

Sadly, the following year, both the Palla siblings’ father and Spunky passed away.

“She developed feline cancer and we had to put her to sleep; we didn’t want her to suffer,” Carolyn said. “We only had her for a short time, but she left a lasting impression on us. She was pretty special.”

Two years later, on Dec. 5, 2020 — exactly five years after their mother’s seizure — Misi passed away in his sleep. Although heartbroken, the Pallas were grateful for the time they had with him and began considering ways to honor his memory.

A Lasting Legacy

In the years since Ray graduated from Texas A&M, Aggieland has continued to feel like a second home for both him and Carolyn. In addition to frequent trips to College Station — especially during football and baseball seasons — the Palla siblings spend their time working on their farm and traveling. 

They have also been occupied with a new addition to their family — a black and white kitten named Tinkerbelle.

“I’ve been wanting another kitten since Misi passed away,” Carolyn said. “Right before Christmas, Ray surprised me by showing me one at our local animal shelter. She’s very mischievous; she loves to play and can jump like you’ve never seen before.”

The Palla siblings love learning about new developments at the university, which is how they heard about the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ campaign for a new small animal teaching hospital.

“We discussed it a little and said maybe we could do something since we love animals,” Ray said. “We thought about naming an exam room after Misi but then talked about wanting to do something for Spunky, too.”

In the end, the Pallas decided to dedicate the new hospital’s feline entry and waiting area to the two cats that had such profound impacts on their family.

“Since we were fortunate in our lives, we wanted to give something back that would help animals and their families,” Carolyn said. “We also really wanted to honor Misi because he was so special and we want his legacy to remain as long as possible. 

“When the hospital is finished and people walk through the doors, hopefully they can feel the comfort that we felt with him all those years,” she said.