Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day: Honoring My "Baby Bobo"

FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY: This post first appeared last year, I was going to write a new post and include a give-away, but yesterday I had an AWFUL kidney stone attack. (Thank God for meds! Because of pain meds I didn't have to go to the hospital.) Please be sure to stop by this WEDNESDAY for a special Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day Give-Away from Memorial Glass Pendants.

ABOUT RAINBOW BRIDGE REMEMBRANCE DAY:

"Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day was founded in 2015 by Deborah Barnes, award-winning author and blogger of Zee & Zoey's Cat Chronicles in tribute to her Ragdoll cat, Mr. Jazz, who she had to say goodbye to on August 28, 2013. She shared the journey of letting him go in her critically acclaimed book, Purr Prints of the Heart – A Cat’s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond and decided to create the day in his honor as a way for others across the world to share memories of their own pets they had loved and lost." 

 To share your post, poem, video, special photo or special memory on Facebook, click here.

My "Baby Bobo"

In order to not make this post overly "photo heavy" I have created three collages to honor my beloved Bobo whom I was blessed to share my life with from December 1989 until July 2, 2007.

Bobo was found as a stray in sub-zero temperatures when he was approximately six months old. He spent every day of his life showing me his gratitude for having rescued him, and more unconditional love and devotion than I ever thought could exist. His life cannot accurately be portrayed in a mere three collages, but that is all I can do for now. Many of the photos I am sharing with you today,  you have not seen, (I apologize for their poor quality, but they were taken before the days of cell phones and blogging), and I will offer some explanation of the photos. Please join me in remembering my beloved Bobo with all of my love and with a heart that still breaks and grieves when I gaze upon his photos and share these memories.

In this collage you will see in the top left some of Bobo's favorite toys that I cannot bring myself to part with, nor do I ever allow Cody to play with them. The photo on the top left shows them in the bag in which they are stored, in the bottom photo you see his "kitty" that he slept with every day, his stuffed woofie, a mouse, two balls and his catnip pillow with a picture of a kitty that looked so much like him.

In the photo on the top right, are his last bowls that are kept in a trunk for safe-keeping. I have never let Cody use them. They were Bobo's and as much as I love Cody, I never could bring myself to allow him to use these bowls.

This collage is rather eerie when you hear a story that accompanies it. First, why in the world I bought my mancat a PINK carrier is beyond me! For the life of me I have no idea why I did that!

The bottom left photo shows my maiden name with Bobo's name on top of the carrier, all ready for for trips to the vet. The photo on the right is my Bobo sitting on TOP of his carrier which he used to do ALL of the time!

The photo on the top left is a photo of the  carrier as it looks today.  I keep it in the closet of my office, everything in it is exactly as it was since the day he crossed the bridge.I haven't changed or touched a thing. I sometimes think I should dispose of it, but I can't. It will be with me always.

What is eerie is one day I couldn't find Cody. I searched everywhere, and when I finally found him I found him IN the closet, IN Bobo's carrier. He had opened the door, crept in, and it has now become  one of his favorite sleeping spots. He does this nearly EVERY DAY.  I like to think that on some level he and Bobo are communicating, and I am convinced that they are. How and why Cody ever discovered this in the closet, I have no idea. For some reason it brings Cody happiness and comfort to sleep there, and it makes me happy that he does it.

I leave you with a photo of Bobo on the top left in his eating area when we moved to Michigan in 2001. 

The other photos show him on the couch that was Lenny's before we were married. There is a photo on the top right of Lenny and Bobo. Lenny didn't meet Bobo until he was 12 years old and had already slowed down considerably, but they were blessed to have six years together. Sadly, that is the same couch that the Vet helped him cross the Bridge on and we no longer have it. I just couldn't keep it, it caused me enormous pain every time I looked at it.

Painting of Bobo by Becart

I used to think Bobo's markings were so unique until I saw a number of cats in the blogosphere who looked so much like him it was uncanny! I adored his perfect four white paws and his "bib", he was such a handsome boy.

He wasn't a people cat as Cody is, I often wondered what Bobo experienced in the months before he found me. He didn't like strangers, he was a much more fearful cat than Cody (who is fearless), but he had a sensitivity and a remarkable way of being attuned to every nuance of my being that was something that isn't experienced often in ones' lifetime. When I hurt, he hurt, and vice versa.

The Rainbow Bridge poem was given to me by a friend when Bobo passed. I keep it in a frame in my office, where it still brings me comfort.

I didn't intend for this post to be quite this long, and I thank you for taking the time to read it. I also would like to thank Deb Barnes for creating this wonderful event.

I send my love to each and every one of you, and look forward to reading your stories and seeing your photos of those "who came before." May we all derive some comfort from these posts.