Bart came to me in the year 2000. This beautiful and shy black cat had started hanging around outside the house, hiding under a bush in the back garden. I made a cat house for him and put it on the back step. (Woodworking not being my forte, the house was a cardboard box lined with a towel and with windows cut out of the two sides.) It didn’t take him long to suss out that the cardboard house was for him, and then he realized that behind the big door lay a much bigger house that could also be his. Bart had arrived.
Bart’s personality soon blossomed. He became more confident, and even soon established himself as head of the house. He greeted people, even strangers, that came to the house and generously offered himself to be smoothed.
Bart was first and foremost a people cat. He loved to cuddle, and to be hugged and kissed. When I picked him up, he would grip onto my shoulder, “like a little bear” as someone once said. He would often lift his face up to mine so that I could kiss him and tell him how beautiful he was.
Although born in Vancouver, Bart moved with me to the UK and quickly adapted to life in another country. He loved to lie in the sun on the grass, or on a blanket on the drive. When that got to be a bit too warm, he would relocate underneath a bush to cool off.
In his final years, Bart developed more than his share of health problems, yet he handled each one with dignity and a positive attitude. He overcame many of his illnesses, but they finally overwhelmed his earthly body, and we helped Bart to cross to the other side on July 17, 2013.
Beautiful Bart, you will always be in our hearts and minds. And one day, we will have the most glorious reunion on the other side…