Welcome
to
the Memorial of
Booboo Kitty
Click on picture for more images
Booboo, a 3 1/2 pound, 20 year old calico born
in CT and transplanted in NY.
A kitty who is very precious and a special companion.
She has been such a blessing in my life and is loved very much!
Thank you to a dear friend named Lorraine who has opened her heart and
beautiful home to Booboo and who has cared so much for her!
I will love you unconditionally always.
Dear Booboo, I will never forget the most valuable trade I had
ever made. Always will
I remember the vacuum cleaner!
Early February, my dear
Booboo suffered a stroke that has caused some difficulty in her ability
to get around. Amazingly she has enormous strength and desire to gain and
maintain as much
independence as possible. After returning from the vet, I had been
moving her about in a wheeled chair
as well as carrying her and feeding her but when I left her alone,
I had noticed she was getting around
and taking care of herself! Being a person with disABILITIES, I was
very attuned to her needs. So, one
thing I made sure was she had easy access to and from the daily needs
of her litter box by constructing
a ramp and steps as I wanted her to have as much of the independence she
so much needed.
She is quite remarkable and a very special gift that has given me something
I have seldom had much
of in this world and that is "Unconditional Love!"
March 29th, 2008, my precious Booboo
went to a special place. A place where she will no
longer feel pain, hunger or the struggle to just move around. The struggle
I lived with for some
time was in doing the right thing. See, my dad and I had spoken a week
or so before and his words
"Think of Booboo and don't be selfish in thinking of yourself."
He also mentioned that if he or
someone else I loved was terminally ill, they would not want to be kept
alive but allowed to pass
with dignity and compassion. His forward but loving words stayed around
haunting me during
those few difficult weeks. Do I keep her alive or let her go? I
believe one of the most
difficult decisions a pet lover will ever make is whether to put their
beloved pet to sleep.
Each day I would gather some chicken soup and water and feed her
thru a syringe
as well as try and get her to eat some solids. Keeping her comfortable
as possible with
a heating pad and comforter, I would spend time sitting with her just laying
besides her,
talking to her, singing to her and letting her know how much I love her.
There is truly so
much power in the simple phrase "I LOVE YOU" because in her eyes,
I could see it so.
On the morning of the 29th, there was something in her eyes letting me
know that she had
had enough. It was time to go and be with our loving Lord G-d. No longer
was it a difficult
decision to make as I knew that the suffering had to end. Out of my last
act of "I LOVE YOU"
to her, I made her comfortable for her last trip in the van to the animal
hospital and
within the 20 minutes of arriving at the animal hospital, she
was being examined
and, within a few minutes later, the final decision was made.
Trying to keep myself together, I cuddled her head, looked deep into her
eyes as
she looked deep into mine and began singing the following:
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know just how much I love you
So please don't take my sunshine away...
After the song , there was a moment of silence as she spread her
wings for her journey home
to be with G-d. I know now that she is at peace and suffers no more but
the grieving process
for me will be a long road. She is someone that has touched my life in
such a way that there
will forever be an emptiness in my heart.
I LOVE YOU very much Booboo.
The lives that Booboo has touched where immense as
she was truly very special and a great gift.
I still remember the day I found her on the beach in Fairfield, CT. Looking
for a spot to get comfortable
to wait for the 4th of July fireworks. As we were sitting there, this adorable
year or so old tortoise shell
calico strolled by in front of us. My friend commented about wanting to
pick the cat up so we both agreed
and went after her. Holding her the rest of the time we were at the beach,
no one came by to claim her,
so took her home. At first I was not sure I wanted a cat but shortly
afterwards, the decision was made.
Rubber Bands, Rubber Bands...
One day while returning from an outing, I had noticed something peculiar
about Booboo. It seemed she had
something hanging from her mouth that just did not look right. Upon closer
examination, it appeared to be a
rubber band. What made it most bizzar was that another identical piece had
been hanging from her rear.
Being baffled, hysterical and dumbfounded at the same time as she
ran off (possibly in shame?), I was trying to
figure out how to take it out. Which end first... So, after collecting
my thoughts and catching up with her, the
rubber band ectomy was completed from the "business end" and
all was well. Booboo was once again respectable.
Today, I look back on that day and say it was one of the greatest decisions
I made. Not truly knowing her birthday,
I decided that her special day would be July, 4th as she would always be
my little "Independence Day Kitty."
The funny thing is I could never remember how she was given the name
Booboo. She did live up to the name
and it was a name that always seemed to fit her though. One of the funny
times I remember with her
was after watching a show on cats, there was this particular fact that
showed when a cat is dropped from a height,
they will usually upright themselves to land on their feet. Well, since
that fact had amazed me so, I had to put "science"
to the test and find out how true it was. Gathering some couch cushions,
I placed them in the living room
in a manner to allow the science "experiment" to move forward.
With a friend on one end of the cushions,
and I on the other end, I gently began sending her aloft on her brief journey
upward and each and every time
she would come back down into the cushions on her feet. The great
thing about the "experiment" was that she
did not seem to mind because she pretty much stayed in the cushions and
waited to be picked back up.
"Thank goodness you spend much of the time sitting, your lap is
the most comforting spot I know of."
Something that was always special to me was where she would find enormous
comfort, my lap. A place
that was great for the both of us since I would enjoy taking her places
with me and knew she would stay.
Since being in a wheelchair, it would be difficult to carry her and move
about. One of the beautiful places that
I will always remember was the walkway along the Bronx River Parkway in
Westchester County, NY. Since the
parkway is considered a park, there was so much beauty with the various
trees (and their colors in the autumn),
flowers, and river complete with swans and geese. Ah, the geese...
The geese were plentiful and vocal.
On one ocassion in particular, I decided to just sit out back and watch
the people go by. In looking for that perfect spot,
I had noticed Boo was acting different in that she was trying
to hide and lay low. She would burry her head into my side
and ocassionally "peak out" to see if they were gone. Seeing
they were still there, she would again go back into "hiding."
I had tried to comfort her in letting her know I would protect her from
the "big bad geese" but it didn't work until they were
pretty much out of site. Most people would pass by looking at me with her
sitting on my lap wondering why I would take her
out without some leash or restraint (like the time I sat along a semi busy
roadway brushing her and watching the cars go by)
as one woman pretty much let me know I was crazy for doing it. But, I
replied we have been doing it for so many years,
she has never left my lap outside before. She would always be safe in
the most comforting spot she knew of...
I will always miss the beautiful places in Westchester County, New
York. Truly a place where memories were made.
Many of the lives that Booboo touched were from people I volunteered with
to friends/acquaintances that
have come into my life. One of my friends who particularly interested Booboo
was Richard. Richard was
someone who did not seem to enjoy the company of cats very much but Booboo
would try to change his mind.
She would often go to him and want his attention as if to be saying "how
can you not want to get to know me?"
A place she would occasionally go to with me was a camp in upstate Connecticut.
A very special camp for
persons with disABILITIES. I was a camp counselor and computer instructor
for a few week. Being I was gone
for a period of time, I would take Booboo and keep her in my office and
at my friend's place upstate. The wonderful
thing was she loved it up there and so many of the campers loved her and
wanted to hold and pet her. Also, I believe
this was wonderful therapy! The biggest concern I did have was for her
safety though as this was a camp for persons
with disABILITIES. There were plenty of wheelchairs, power wheelchairs
and scooters. Fortunately people slowed
around her to let her move about as well as they were always excited to
see her and want to hold her on there laps.
During a very dark day in America, on 9/11/01, a close friend of mine named
Bob stepped in to care for her for
a few weeks while I was volunteering doing various disaster related relief
with the American Red Cross and
emergency communications thru Ham Radio. Bob is very special because he
is just someone with a big heart.
I would not have been able to do what I did had he not been there for us.
I remember him saying "his contribution
to America was taking care of Booboo because if he didn't, I would not
have been able to care for those in need."
Another friend whom she was often intrigued with was Cliff. Cliff would
come over occasionally and want to sit
in his "usual chair" (stool as my friends broke the backs off
the chairs by leaning on them) but would always have
to move Booboo out of it or get another chair. For some reason, it seemed
like Booboo would find Cliff's attention and
favorite spot another source of comfort. Also, since I had to make sure
that the apt was "baby proofed,"
I constructed and placed a sign that read the following: "Please
check all rubber bands and weapons at the door"
Since Booboo had the hunger for rubber bands, it was most appropriate to start
off on the sign.
As for the weapons part, many of my friends were police officers and knew
they would get a kick of out it.
A special person who touched Booboo's life was Lorraine. So special did
Lorraine see Booboo that she "rewrote"
the words from the song "Must Be Santa Clause" by Mitch Miller:
Must Be Booboo
By Lorraine-4/2/07
Who is black
and brown and white?
Booboo is black and brown and white!
Who
lays on papers day or night?
Booboo lays on papers day or night!
Black,
brown white
Day or night
Must Be Booboo, Must Be Booboo, Must Be Booboo Kitty Cat!
Who does
“meow” as her talk?
Booboo does “meow” as her talk!
Who goes
sideways in her walk?
Booboo goes sideways in her walk!
“Meow”
her talk,
Sideways walk,
Black,
brown, white,
Day or night,
Must Be Booboo, Must Be Booboo, Must Be Booboo Kitty Cat!
Who
has to enter an empty box?
Booboo has to enter an empty box!
Who
likes to smell both shoes and socks?
Booboo likes to smell both shoes and socks!
Enter Box,
Smell those Socks,
“Meow” her talk,
Sideways walk,
Black,
brown, white,
Day or night,
Must Be Booboo, Must Be Booboo, Must Be Booboo Kitty Cat!
Who
has a special rubbing love?
Booboo has a special rubbing love!
Who is
soft as a cooing dove?
Booboo is soft as a cooing dove!
Rubbing
Love,
Cooing Dove,
Enter Box,
Smell those Socks,
“Meow” her talk,
Sideways walk,
Black, brown, white,
Day or night,
Must Be Booboo, Must Be Booboo, Must Be Booboo Kitty Cat!
There are just so many fond and beautiful memories of my
beloved precious Booboo that over time,
I plan to continue the writings. She has left a very big part of my heart
forever empty but at the same
time has left my heart so full of very special memories that can never
be taken away.
Is it ok to open your heart again so soon?
April 4th. As another way to honor my baby's
memory, I decided to head over to the local SPCA
and make a donation in her memory. By giving a donation, I felt it was
a way to continue showing
my love for her in other animals that were less fortunate with a place
to call home as well as someone
to love and who loves them in providing care unselfishly being many volunteer
their time over there.
After filling out the paperwork and making a donation, I decided to make
a visit to the "free range room"
(which is a place where the cats are kept in a community type setting)
where there were so many adorable
fur babies of various colors and sizes. Both young and older. Being that
many of them were abused, I had to
move slowly to an empty spot and then exit my wheelchair to sit on the
floor so as to not look so threatening
(often so many animals seem to be afraid of the wheelchair). Within a few
moments, a few would cautiously approach.
Sniffing, rubbing and just checking me out was the task of the moment.
After deciding I was gentle, they would insist
on some good old fashion long awaited affection. Since I am so much an
animal lover, it just came natural. While looking
around at all the various creatures, one in particular caught my eye. A
4 yr old butterscotch colored cat named "Mr. Bill."
Mr. Bill was high up on a cage just looking down. After getting his attention,
he eventually came down allowing me to
approach him. Once I placed my hand in his direction, he came over to me
and insisted on getting his due affection.
Without hesitation I started "loving him up." There was just
something about Mr. Bill. Well, after spending awhile with him,
I had to get going but before doing so, I decided to speak with a shelter
staff person. I enquired on his health and general
well being and was told that he was a very gentle and quiet cat. One that
usually was alone from the other ones. Considering
possible adoption, I filled out some paperwork and let her know that I
was just not ready but that if he was still there a week
later, I would adopt him. Part of me feels like I need more time and another
part feels like he has so much love to give and is
looking for. Did I do the right thing? Can the love I once gave something
so precious come out again?
Today April 7th, a new creature has found a place in my home and heart.
His name is "Jet" and is a 4 year old shorthair domestic.
Thank you Helen for giving me that extra strength in knowing it is
the right thing to do in opening my heart and home again!
April 21st, I decided to tend to my beloved's grave. The time
I spend alone with Booboo is something that brings me much comfort.
Usually after talking to her a bit, I tend to the recently planted
iris and pull an ocassional weed. After a silent moment in
thought, I
begin singing "You Are My Sunshine" followed by the words
"I Love You."
Cat Sites...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dealing with Loss Sites...
|
|
|
|
|
|
This page was created using Microsoft FrontPage, Trellian WebPage and
Netscape Navigator 3.04 Gold