GoodbyeTo Bo Bo

When our children left home at exactly the same time a few years ago, Jane and I were left with the last “adopted” cat, Bo Bo.  Over the years our children rescued many stray cats who needed a home; and with those eager, compassionate looks on their little faces, we just couldn’t say no.  Once we had five of them at one time!

Bo Bo was a real test of our family’s resolve.  She was an orange Persian cat, all dirty, mangled and forlorn when she turned up in our patio.  Her very strange behavior indicated she had probably been abused in some way, so we all pitched in to make her feel at home.  The issue was, she simply could not be litter trained and we were totally flummoxed about what to do.  Thank goodness we lived across the street from a veterinarian, who confirmed for me that there are some cats that never are trained.  She also didn’t spend much time grooming herself which left her long fur matted and tangled.

It was never a consideration at this point, that we could relinquish this cat, so we finally came up with the ideal solution.  Cats love small spaces, so we bought the biggest cages we could find and build her a two-bedroom condo in our garage.  She loved it in her own little fortress, and was allowed into the house for visits when we could keep an eye on her, the kids could spend some fun time with her, and we could observe and see that all was going well with her.

To solve the grooming problem we simply kept her trimmed in a “lion cut.”  She was so tiny without all her fur!  She looked like she was just a small lion’s head walking around without a body.  When people first met Bo Bo, they could not get over how strange she was, but she was ours, she was loved, and that’s all that mattered.

This is the lovely note I got from my daughter when Bo Bo got so ill I needed to take her to the vet and sadly, let her go.  Stacee’s note meant the world to me at that point.

Dadders,

I was so sad and sorry to hear about Bo Bo’s passing. As much as I pretended to hate her, she was a sweet kitty and I’ll miss her a lot.

I’m glad you were there to take care of her and see her off when she needed us most.  I love you and I hope there are no other kidney issues in the Ballback family anymore (knock on wood).

Bo Bo was a great kitty and you were a great caretaker and dad to her just like you are to Jaik, Brandon, and me.  I love you so much and I can’t wait to see you and show you around Santa Cruz when you visit me.

Thank you for everything that you do for all of us, and thank you for being there for all of our kitties as well when they need help.

Love,

Your Mon Cheri,

Stacee

 

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