Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart, and then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.

(Edna Clyne-Rekhy)

My dearest and most beloved friend Biggles. He was my constant companion for over 14 years. Since the day my daughter brought him home, he bonded with me like no other cat I had ever had. When he was very young he had to be touching me all the time. If I was sitting, he would sit down beside me and put his paw on me, or just get in my lap. For all those years my Biggles was right there with me. He followed me everywhere I went, he slept with me, he ate near me (sometimes from my plate) he did not want to be away from me.

There are so many stories I could tell about him, but I will just add a couple of the best. One of his traits was to bring me presents. Mostly small rodents, snakes or lizards. Once he brought a live rabbit into the house and dropped him in the living room. He also brought a couple of mice and did the same thing. He even brought a full size feather duster home so we could play. He loved to play with a feather on a stick so I guess he went out and found his own toy and brought it home. I have no idea where he found it.

After many years one day my dear Biggles went missing, I was totally devastated. I searched the neighborhood for 4 days, I looked in the woods for hours on end trying to find my Biggles. After 4 days I came to the conclusion that I would never see him again. Then on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. I could hear him yelling his head off outside my window. I was out the door in a flash and there he was. I had no idea where he had been, but I was so happy he was home. Later that day a neighbor came over and asked if my cat had come home. I asked him, how did he know about that? It turns out Biggles decided to have a look around his house and got locked inside. My neighbor had left his door open so he could put his luggage in the car because he was going out of town for a few days. His brother was to come over and feed his cat while he was gone. My neighbor said that when he got home that morning it looked like an atomic bomb had gone off in his house. I guess Biggles and his cat did not get on.

Sadly one day I realized that my beloved Biggles was suffering and that his time had come. I made the appointment and then waited. I held him for the last hour of his life, just me and him sitting in my chair. I stroked and cuddled him and he purred and purred. The day he made his trip to the Rainbow Bridge, Sept. 19, 2016, was one of the worst days in my life. It still hurts now just to think about it, I miss him so much.

Our Scruffy. She was born under our bed and was the runt of the litter. She was only saved because my wife bottle fed her and took care of her. She lived a good life and was a loving cat for 12 years. One day she was out in the yard, her time was getting close to the end. My wife said that Scruffy looked up at her, as if to say goodbye, and went off for a walk. We never saw her again. She made her trip to the Rainbow Bridge alone and is now waiting for us at there.

Our Snorky, always playful and loving, some unknown type illness took her from us after many years. Now she waits for us at the Rainbow Bridge.

Our Ripley. She was a six toed cat (not one of Hemingway's) that my daughter brought home from the Vet clinic where she worked. She had health problems and nobody wanted her, the Vet was going to put her down. With a big heart for animals my daughter brought her home and she became a beloved part of our family. Sadly her life was short and only a couple of years later some unknown illness took her to the Rainbow Bridge to wait for us.

Whisper (left) and Sebastian. Both strays showed up a couple of months after my Biggles died. Sebastian went to the Rainbow Bridge in the winter of 2017, probably from leukemia. Whisper had three litters of kittens. She had four in the first litter, but one went to the Rainbow Bridge just days after she brought her to us. She was a little orange female who had a hole in her intestines and had to be sent to the Rainbow Bridge. The other three, Julius, Tiberius and Constantine were brought inside as soon as they were old enough.

The second litter, Augustus, Octavius and Claudius were also brought inside. We had played with them since they were old enough to walk so they were easy to catch. They did not warm up to us right away though. Octavius was the first to allow us to pick him up and cuddle him then Claudius, but Augustus would have none of it. He would stand just outside arms length and when you touched him he was off like a shot. He finally, after many months of trying, became a very loving cat.

The third litter, Athena, Neptune and Poseidon had to be hunted down because Whisper took them down the street and hid them from me. First she hid them under a shed then moved them to a home down the street. I became worried so I surreptitiously followed her and found her going under the house. I asked the owner if I could crawl around under there to get them and he agreed. I could not find them that day though. A couple of days later when I was coming home from work I passed the home and noticed the owner blocking up the hole that Whisper used to get in and out. I asked him if he had gotten the kittens out and he said there were no cats under his house. I knew that they were under there so I asked if I could go and check one more time. He agreed so me and my wife went for a look.

We found them hiding in a corner, Whisper was not there, I think she got scared by all the noise the owner was making. Capturing them was a task, we spent two hours crawling around in the dirt, spider webs and who knows what else until we got them. We were not greeted with enthusiasm by the kittens. They all yelled, scratched and bit us, especially Poseidon, I was bleeding pretty bad by the time I got him home. They put up a pretty good fight considering how small they were and how big we were. They were in rough shape, Athena and Neptune's eyes were all sealed up and they could not open them, I guess this is why they were easier to catch. When we got them home we cleaned them up nice. I built a large area for them that they could not get out of because I knew they didn't want to be there. But after a few days of picking them up and cuddling them they got used to us. I thought that Poseidon would be the hardest to break, but he has become attached to me now almost as much as Biggles was.

Whisper still had to feed them so finally, after over a year of trying, we got her to come inside, but only after she heard them crying. She would come in few times a day and feed them, but when she was done, out the door she went. She only stayed inside overnight one time in her entire life. We finally captured her and got her fixed. She finally allowed us to pet her at will, but never really liked being picked up. Our Whisper disappeared in Nov. 2018 and is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for us.

Our Octavius. One of the "Heathens" Whisper's second litter. He was the first one of the three to warm up to us. He was the also the first one of Whisper's kittens to leave us. He disappeared (along with Whisper) shortly after this photo was taken in Nov. of 2018 and is now waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge.

Our Neptune. He was one of Whisper's third litter. So playful and loving, a real cuddlier. Sadly he vanished only weeks after this photo was taken. We think that someone picked him up and took him home because he was so friendly, but he may be waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for us.

Our Outlaw. He got his name because when he was a kitten he would come up on my porch and steal food and run off with it. Him and his brother, Bugsy (so named because he had huge bug eyes) just showed up one day. We did not think he would live because he was in such a pitiful state. Of course he would not let me touch him, but after a few days of stealing food I accidentally picked him up thinking he was one of the other orange cats I had. After petting him for a little while, he decided that he really liked it and that was all it took. That day we brought him inside and he stayed.

We had to trap Bugsy because he wanted nothing to do with us. Sadly when we took them to the Vet to have them tested, both of them had feline leukemia. Bugsy had to be put down because he was a outside cat which would spread the disease, but I would not allow them to take my Outlaw. Even though he had the disease, I kept him because he loved me so much and I loved him back. He lived just over two years before the disease took him from me. On Aug. 5, 2019 I took him to the Vet and held him until he made his trip to the Rainbow Bridge.

Our Nefertari. She was another stray kitten who showed up from out of the blue. We never did find out where she came from. I trapped her to bring her inside and she was none to happy about that. She bit and scratched me over and over. She lived in my house for several weeks without having anything to do with us. It was a strange relationship, I had never had a cat before which didn't like me. After the appropriate time we took her to the Vet to get tested and fixed, she also had the disease. Of course they wanted to put her down, but since she came inside she had developed a close relationship with Outlaw. None of the other cats liked Outlaw, but Nefertari and Outlaw loved each other. Naturally I could not put her down, so she came home.

She only went outside one time after I captured her. She got out a window about a month after I got her. I could not find her and I figured she would never come home, but later that night we found her. My neighbor came over and told me there was a cat whining near his house, so I went to investigate. Sure enough it was her, so I put the trap out and she got in and I brought her home. She never tried to get out of the house again. While she did not like to be picked up by anyone, she did come to like her lovins. She would stand on the back of a chair or on the bar and let you cuddle her for as long as you wanted to. So she finally became part of the family. But the disease took her too. After two years she made the trip to the Vet, on that day, Feb. 21, 2020, I finally got to hold her, but it was only to comfort her as she went to the Rainbow Bridge.

Our Julius. He was one of the original "Tyrant Kings" as I called them. So named because they demanded so much attention from us. Julius was a most beautiful cat, stout built and loving. He ranged all over the neighborhood, which was his downfall. I even think he went across the busy street to mooch off the people at the warehouse on their lunch hour. I had seen him over there before. I found him in the middle of the street on Oct. 18, 2019, he had been run over. His body was still warm when I picked him up off the street. My beautiful Julius had crossed alone to wait at the Rainbow Bridge.

Our Tiberius, another of the "Tyrant Kings" litter. He was the biggest of Whisper's cats. Another big, beautiful loving feline. We would play with the feather and the laser every night. Tiberius was a lap cat, if anyone sat down, he was immediately in their lap. He would sleep in my lap for hours while I was working on this website. If he was not there, he would climb up on my desk and sleep there. He went outside for his nightly "patrol" on Apr. 25, 2020 and never came home. My neighbor's security camera caught an image of him at 8:52 p.m., that was the last I have seen of him. My beautiful Tiberius now waits at the Rainbow Bridge for me.

Our Athena. Her nickname was Baby Girl and she always answered to that name. She was from Whisper's third litter (along with Neptune and Poseidon) and was such a lover. She was another one who was all over me all the time. Her favorite place to be was on my shoulders. She would jump off of a counter or even climb up my back to get there. Then she would drape herself across my shoulders and just stay there. I did laundry, dishes and even cooked dinners with her on my shoulders. She was never afraid of anything, not water, not the vacuum cleaner, not anything.

She would get on the kitchen counter and watch me do dishes, she would wait outside the shower until I was done, then climb up my robe to get on my shoulders. Athena was another one who slept with us almost every night. One of her trademark behaviors was to get on my chest and knead on my beard, it hurt, but she loved doing it. My Baby Girl disappeared the same night as my Tiberius did, we think a predator got them, probably a coyote. When we told my six year old granddaughter she was gone, she looked at my wife and said that Baby Girl loved Papa so much and that Baby Girl would never leave him. It tore my heart out to hear those words, much like it does writing them now. Nevertheless my Baby Girl is now waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge.

Our Augustus. One of the "Heathens" as my daughter named them. He was from Whisper's second litter. Augustus took a considerable length of time to come to love us. While he had lived inside since he was a kitten, for the first many months he did not want anything to do with us. He would go outside during the day and reluctantly come home at night. Even though he did not want us to touch him, he still liked living inside the house where there is food all the time. After a long time he finally came around to become a loving cat. He just soaked it up when you would pay attention to him, he would purr up a storm. Because he was so skittish I thought he would never be caught, but I was wrong. On May 9, 2020 he went outside and never came home. Perhaps a coyote or bobcat took him to the Rainbow Bridge, my loving Augustus now waits for me with so many of the cats he grew up with. Waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for me to cross with them.

Cute, loving Harmonia.

The essence of Angry Kitten.

December 29, 2021: Our hearts are broken once again because our beloved Little Gray (A.K.A. Patch) went to the Rainbow Bridge today at 12:03. He was 19 years old and is the last of the Biggles era cats. He has been with us for so long, I can't remember what it was like not to have him in our lives. He was the best cat with kids ever. When the granddaughters were born and brought home, Little Gray would go right up to them, sniff them, then lay down next to them. He stayed by them all for hours and hours. When they got older and started handling him, he never bit or scratched any of them, no matter how they handled him. He was just a big lover.

He has been in declining health for several months and we finally had to make the terrible decision to send him to the Rainbow Bridge. He was supposed to go yesterday afternoon, but he got out of the house and could not be found when the time came. He did not come home last night and I assumed that he had gone and found a place to lay down and die. Cats know when their time is up. However, this is cruel and devastating to us humans. I got no sleep last night thinking that my beloved Little Gray was just curled up somewhere, alone, waiting to die. I came home from work early today, partly because I was exhausted from not getting any sleep, and called for him. He did not come and I had resigned myself to the fact that he would die alone and I would never see him again. But, in a stroke of luck, I was trying to get another cat (Keeley) to come in out of the rain, when I looked out and saw Little Gray walking around the shed. If I had not looked out in those few seconds, I would never have seen him. I was able to catch him and bring him in. He was in pitiful shape and I knew he was ready to go. I called everyone home so that we could all say good-bye to him and then we made the journey. I held him in my arms until he laid his head down for the last time and drew his last breath. I take great comfort in the fact that he did not die alone. He was loved by so many, he lived a great, long, healthy life. Goodbye my dear friend, I will see you again when I come to the Rainbow Bridge so that we can cross it together.

This is Bones, so named because that is all it was, skin and bones. A neighbor brought Bones to us on Dec. 30, 2021. This poor, starving, kitten never had a chance. We force fed it and even got it to drink a little on its own, but Bones was too far gone and died sometime in the night. We cuddled and held him for hours that night. I doubt that Bones had ever been held since he was a stray. I take some comfort in knowing that before Bones died, he got to feel some love in his short life. He is waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge knowing that someone loved him, even if it was just for a little while.

April 6, 2022: My beautiful Keeley Kitty vanished sometime during this evening. She went outside at 4 p.m. and never came home. She was a stray that I captured. We called her Achilles at first, but when we found out she was a girl, it became Keeley. She was skittish, but I believe that she had been around people. I also believe someone dumped her. She liked to cuddle and be loved on. She would wake me up every morning at 0330 because she wanted attention. So I would pet her and she would lick my hand, after minutes she would lay down, on my hand and fall asleep. When Anastasia arrived, Keeley took to her quickly and they would play and play all day. She acted like her mother, she would bathe her, teach her and sleep next to her. They were always together. I miss my Keeley so much, but she is waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge and someday I will see her again.

Those are some of the stories of my beloved friends who are waiting for me to cross the Rainbow Bridge. Fortunately I still have several of my beloved cats with me. Constantine and Claudius are the only survivors from Whisper's litters. I live with the knowledge that they too will cross to the Rainbow Bridge to wait with the others. I hope and pray that I will not have to post their photos anytime soon.

On Nov. 7, 2020 two new cats showed up on my porch. A white cat with a black tail and a deformed paw. And a orange and white small female. The white cat I named Arctic, and I was able to handle him straight away. He came in and stayed overnight. The next day I asked around and found out that he had been abandoned by someone who was evicted from their home. We decided to take care of him, but he left the house yesterday and has not returned. I have been told that he was adopted by another family who had previously had contact with him.

The orange and white cat I named Achilles, but when we took him to the Vet, it turns out he is a she, so Keeley it is. She was a little skittish and would not approach us for three days. When she finally came up to us she is as loving as can be. I can only think she has either been abandoned or dumped by someone. She will become part of our family. [Apr. 6, 2022: Sadly, Keeley is now one of the cats waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge.]

The day before Thanksgiving 2020 another cat arrived, a beautiful gray and black kitten, I call him Romulus. He was starving and ragged, but less than a minute after we saw him, he was in our hands and he has stayed ever since. He is a loving cuddlier who climbs all over everything. He is usually laying on my desk as I am working on this website. We fell in love with him in minutes. I hope I never have to add a photo of him to this page.

In October 2021 a tiny Gray kitten arrived, screaming and starving, hiding under my shed. It took no more than 30 seconds before I had the little kitten in hand. I brought her inside and gave her some milk and food. She immediately cuddled up to me and turned on her motor. She attached herself to us quicker than any other cat before. Anastasia is a carbon copy of Little Gray, the fact that she is a girl notwithstanding. She even has the small white patch of fur in the same place as our recently departed Little Gray. I will think of him every time I see her.

1.
Apr. 18, 2023

I was reading all the stories on the Rainbow Bridge as my cat, Bubbayega, passed away a couple days ago. He was just one year old. Bubbayega was one of our best cats, he was so smart, loving, trained, and so cuddly. He always wanted to be next to his daddy, he would always follow him everywhere. He will be dearly missed. He will always be with us in our hearts.

Samantha Enriquez