‘Jersey Shore’ Star Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi Mourns the Loss of ‘Best Cat’ and ‘Friend’ in Heartbreaking Post

Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi shared some sad news on Instagram Sunday, revealing to fans that her beloved cat Tommy had died.

Polizzi shared an old photo of her 4-year-old daughter, Giovanna Marie LaValle, snuggling up with the black and white cat.

“RIP Tommy. You were the best cat, my best friend and the kids best friend. We will miss you! Hope Rocky greets you on rainbow bridge,” Polizzi wrote in the caption. She also included a broken-heart emoji and praying-hands emoji.

The reality TV star’s fans shared their condolences, knowing how important Polizzi’s cats were to her.

“I am sorry my your loss of your fur baby. Praying you & your family in this time of grief,” one person wrote.

“So sorry for your loss. Pets are part of the family and it isn’t easy when they pass,” another added.

“So sorry. I have 2 cats. I understand. Happy Holidays and congratulations on the little meatball,” another cat lover wrote.

In the past, Polizzi has been open about her love of animals, specifically cats. In a 2011 interview with PEOPLE, she said she had “bad luck with guys because I’m obsessed with my cat.”

“This might sound, like, really sick, but when I was in Italy, I didn’t really miss my parents,” Polizzi said at the time. “I missed my cat, Rocky. That’s why I really wanted to go home. No offense, Dad.”

While Tommy’s death might be a sour note for Polizzi’s Christmas season, she does have a reason to celebrate. Last week, she revealed the gender of her third baby. She and husband Jionni LaValle are expecting a baby boy. The couple are also parents to Giovanna and 6-year-old son Lorenzo.

Polizzi also said she recently felt the baby kick for the first time.

“I actually Googled it, because I was like, ‘Can you feel the baby kick at three months?’ And it said seasoned moms — which I am because I have two kids already — you know what that flutter feels like,” Polizzi told her fans. “And I definitely felt it and I loved it.”

MTV also renewed the Jersey Shore revival Jersey Shore Family Vacation for a third season. The show reunites Snooki with her fellow Jersey Shore stars, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, DJ Paul “Pauly D” DelVecchio and Vinny Guadagnino. The new season will have a few noteworthy storylines, including Sorrentino serving jailtime for his conviction on tax evasion charges and Farley’s divorce from Roger Mathews.

Jersey Shore Family Vacation airs on MTV Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.

Photo credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images