Thankful for our Dear Friend, Brian. Today and Always

 

Today is of course Thankful Thursday, and I thought it would be appropriate to show enormous gratitude for one special mancat, who I never thought would ever leave us......but he had to. That mancat is Brian of the superb Brian's Home blog.

Brian's blog was probably the first I followed. I began blogging sporadically in 2009, more frequently in 2010, and I remember stumbling upon Brian's blog. Being a tabby girl at heart, he won me over with his handsomeness, his sweetness and the PURE GOODNESS and fun of his blog.

I guess most of the credit goes to his pawesome Dad and Mom....but Brian was the heart and soul of his blog. Afterall, it was named after him!

The blog is magical, Brian was magical. Why of course he was! He was born on a Christmas Tree Farm after all, a place full of magic. It is only fitting that some of that magic would spill onto Brian.

This post is extremely difficult for me to write for a host of reasons. I have immense love for Brian and his entire family. I was blessed to see Brian's Dad at a number of blogging events and if you have never been blessed with meeting him in person, you truly are missing out. He is just as kind and funny in person as you would imagine.  Brian's Dad was there for me before and after my precious Cody passed and I will never forget it. With tears in my eyes, I think it's best if I just include a bit of an email I wrote to Brian's Dad when I heard the heartbreaking news. Hoping he doesn't mind.

"I honestly thought our beloved Brian would live forever. I truly did. He was the epitome of class, bravery, with a stoic personality, kind heart.......just like his Daddy who spoke for him.

How warmly he accepted sooooooo many kitties into his home......he was the glue of all of the kitties who came after. 

I am having so much trouble accepting this. I can only imagine the pain all of you are feeling. I so wish I could be there to offer hugs and comfort. This is the end of an era.  You designed a most meaningful blog after just one kitty.....Brian. Not just one kitty but a kitty that will forever be the heart and soul of our community.

Thank you for sharing him with all of us......thank you for allowing all of us to love him. Thank you for all that you do for cats every single day. May we all try and live more like you and Brian. Stoic, brave, kind, gentle and may we all proudly wear a fedora and be just as jaunty as we can be. Just like Brian........."

Hoping it's ok that I used this!

I WILL FOREVER AND EVER REMEMBER YOU,

I WILL FOREVER AND EVER LOVE YOU,

I WILL FOREVR AND EVER MISS YOU,

I WILL FOREVER AND EVER BE THANKFUL FOR YOU BRIAN.

The Best Way To Memorialize A Cat: A Cat Painting By PortraitFlip! (Sponsored Guest Post)

It is very difficult to move on with your life  after losing a cat.  Our beloved feline friends leave paw prints on the hearts of every pet parent!

Pet memorials help a lot in this unfortunate situation. Most everyone understands how much people are affected by your loss and you also get a reason to survive.

Memorial gifts can really soothe the pain that a cat parent has and give them something to cling onto.

How Does A Cat Memorial Portrait Help?

Cat Charcoal -Portrait Flip

One of the hardest parts of losing a cat, (but it can also bring comfort),  is thinking back over your cats' history and remembering all of the things you and your feline friend did together. Eventually the pain becomes easier to bear.  

Thinking of the deceased cat is normal,  it is important to let your emotions out. Eventually, while it will always hurt, the pain becomes easier to bear. 

A cat memorial portrait of the purry friend can be a lot of help.  It allows you to emotionally connect to it,  and talk your heart out in front of it. It justifies the blank spaces which were created after the cat left you.

Looking at the painting will be of great help to subconsciously soothe the mind.

Something non-commercial like a handmade painting has a very pure thought behind it and acts as a great medium to connect with.

How Can You Get A Painting Easily From A Custom Photo?

Cat Oil Painting-Portrait Flip

The folks at PortraitFlip are serving people with genuine handmade paintings from photos, that they then deliver right to their doorstep! 

They have made it very simple to cater to tailored orders with their 3 step online ordering service:

1. Upload the photos of your cat.
2.    Select one medium from Oil, Charcoal, Pencil, Watercolor, Colored Pencil or Acrylic.
3.    Select one framing option among Rolled, Gallery Wrapped or a Frame and place the order.

YOU CAN ALSO ADD THE NAME OF YOUR CAT

PortraitFlip’s executives will guide you through by suggesting the best photo, they will make any changes that you may want.

They feature a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee so you can be assured of getting what you want.

They offer Free Shipping Worldwide and an option of Express Delivery to cater to rush orders.

One of the best things about PortraitFlip is that they understand the emotional value of the painting which makes them create a painting which you would definitely like to hold onto for your whole life!

In A Nutshell:

Cat Pencil Sketch Portrait Flip

Memorials have an enormous impact in helping people heal from the loss of their pet.

When you lose a beloved pet don't make huge expectations of yourself. Eventually you will be able to get back into your routine. 

Something like a cat memorial portrait by PortraitFlip can be a huge help in the healing process. It will help you to stabilize the whole journey of moving on!

During this difficult time spend time with those who bring you comfort and be gentle with yourself!! 

Find PortraitFlip:

Website: www.portraitflip.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCWeM6IABe4gS1dp19BQP56g

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portraitflip/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/FlipPortrait/?ref=br_rs

Twitter: https://twitter.com/portraitflip?lang=en

FTC disclosure: this is a sponsored guest post that was written by Portrait Flip with some editing done by me. I received a small fee for featuring their product.

"Tears In Heaven"

Some of you might remember this post from last year. It is now a tradition, that I post this on the anniversary of my beloved Bobo's passing. The only change I made was that Bobo is now gone 6 years and this year I changed a few photos. Sorry about the quality of the photos, they are quite old. The song mentioned in the blog heading  was Bobo's "love song"....when thinking of what I wanted to write this year....all I could think of was publishing this post again.

Bobo is who this blog is dedicated to.

 There would be no Cat Chat if I hadn't shared my life with Bobo.

 My Baby Bobo, I miss you today, I'll miss you tomorrow,

 I will miss you until the day we meet again.  

It is 6 years ago today that I lost my beloved Bobo, or my "Baby Bobo" as I often called him.

Bobo passed the day after his 18th birthday.

He was  my  "Soul Kitty".

 What is a "Soul Kitty?"

 A "Soul Kitty" is a  once-in-a- lifetime pet.

A "Soul Kitty" is  the yin to our yang.

A "Soul Kitty" is  a  pet tied more deeply to us than many people in our lives have been, or could ever hope to be.  Our fur babies are ALL special but I believe if you think really hard there is just one who stands out from the others.

  A "Soul Kitty" is the  one whose fur would be dampened by our tears as he  snuggled peacefully by our side, just to offer us comfort.

A "Soul Kitty" is the one who makes us laugh til our sides ache, watching  his kitty craziness.

I was upset with Bobo's behavior one day
and packed his kitty toys
in a bandana

A "Soul Kitty" is the one who you swore that " there was no other cat out there quite like him" (isn't it funny how we ALL say that about our cats?)

When Bobo was still a young cat, very much alive and vital, I often played music in the apartment that we shared.  There was one song, "Tears In Heaven" by Eric Clapton,  that for some reason Bobo particularly liked.  Whenever it would come on he would come walking into whatever room I was in. He would rub his head and face against my hand or my leg. He did this so often that I began to call it "Bobo's Love Song" or  "The Kitty Love Song" . I used to become sad thinking that one day, even if it WAS many years down the road, my Bobo would no longer be with me.  Even with Bobo being so young the thought would bring me to tears.  I couldn't imagine not having  my "Baby Bobo" in my life.  It's been six years since Bobo passed.

I still cant.