In honor of Sunday-Selfie, a picture of my angel, Mr. Jazz – the inspiration for Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is on August 28 and for those of you who might want to participate in some manner, I wanted to share a few details in advance. First off, the brief history of the day – I founded Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day (RBRD) in 2015 as a special day for pet guardians to honor the memory of those beloved pets in their life they have loved and lost, but never forgotten – whether fur, fin, feathers, scales or something else. It’s held every year on August 28, in honor of the day I had to say goodbye to my precious Ragdoll cat, Mr. Jazz, the meow author of Purr Prints of the Heart – A Cat’s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond.  

Secondly, as with every year, there is no pressure to participate. I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, as I know it’s a sad day. But it’s also a beautiful day. The outpouring of love I see every year is so touching, as people share in the love they have for their pet(s) and it’s a time when we can all take a moment to collectively come together and comfort one another.

Every year I host a blog hop – the post will go live at 12:00 a.m., EST, on August 28 with the code and linking information available at that time. I have also created a Facebook event page for those who want to post a picture, write a poem, share a favorite memory, upload a video, or share a blog post link. This is the event link: . Please feel free to invite others you think might want to be a part of the day.

I created a new logo for the event last year and this will be the official logo moving forward. If anyone does not have it and would like to use it, please email me at info@zeezoey.com and I’ll forward it to you. There is no requirement to use the logo – this day comes from the heart, so please do whatever is most comfortable for you. If you’ll be sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social venues, you can use the hashtag #rainbowbridgeremembranceday and if you’re crediting me for founding the day in any of your posts, please reference me as Deb Barnes of Zee and Zoey’s Cat Chronicles, author of Purr Prints of the Heart and founder of Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.

Thank you, everyone – my heart goes out to all of you who have loved and lost a pet. Wishes for a peaceful Sunday to all.

Love and kisses from Mr. Jazz for the outpouring of love shown on Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.

First off, on behalf of Purr Prints of the Heart, I wanted to thank everyone who participated in Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day on August 28. The encompassing circle of love from those sharing memories of their beloved pets was so beautiful and I’m touched beyond words. My angel Jazz, the inspiration for the day, clearly lives on and he would be humbled by the outpouring of love.

I had offered several keepsake giveaway items for the day and I’m pleased to announce the following winners:

1. Carol Bryant of Fidose of Reality has won the Bianca Heart Necklace by My Flowers Forever/Bellabeads.
2. Dianna Keen has won the Rainbow Bridge Sympathy Bracelet from Auntie Angel Designs.
3. JaneA Kelley of Paws and Effect has won the $125 Gift Certificate from Nine Lives Twine.

Thank you again to My Flowers Forever/Bellabeads, Auntie Angel Designs, and Nine Lives Twine for their support and generosity. Congratulations to the winners and peace, love, and blessings to everyone. I’m not certain what the immediate future holds for me right now – Hurricane Irma appears to be heading my way and keeping my family safe and secure is my number one priority.

I continue to send prayers to the victims of Hurricane Harvey and I pray for the safety for everyone in the path of Irma. Take care – I love you all and if I haven’t said it in a while, I want you to know I truly appreciate all the kindness and support you’ve shown over the years.

My sincere sympathies and blessings to all participating in Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day 2017.

I founded Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day (RBRD) in 2015 in honor of Mr. Jazz, my beautiful Ragdoll cat who I had to help cross to the bridge on August 28, 2013. l already knew losing a pet wasn’t easy. I’ve had to say goodbye countless times in my life – dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, guinea pigs and more – each loss leaving a hole in my heart and a void in my life. But after sharing my experience of losing Jazz and writing his story in the book Purr Prints of the Heart – A Cat’s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond, I came to a global understanding of just how many people had loved and lost a pet, all going through similar feelings of sadness, anger, loneliness, guilt, denial, depression, etc. that I had. Read more

Macro of rainbow rose heart flower and multi colored petals

As some of you may be aware, I founded Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day (RBRD) in 2015 as a special day for pet guardians to honor the memory of those beloved pets in their life they have loved and lost, but never forgotten – whether fur, fin, feathers, scales or something else. It’s held every year on August 28, in honor of the day I had to say goodbye to my precious Ragdoll cat, Mr. Jazz, the meow author of Purr Prints of the Heart – A Cat’s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond.

I’m mentioning it early for those of you who might want to participate in some manner. For those that plan on doing a special blog post, I will be hosting a RBRD blog hop. The post will go live at 12:00 a.m, EST, on August 28 with the code and linking information available at that time. I have also created a Facebook event page for those who want to post a picture, write a poem, share a favorite memory, upload a video, or share a blog post link. This is the event link  – please feel free to invite others you think might want to be a part of the day. And as with every year, there is no pressure to participate and I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I know it’s a sad day. But it’s also a beautiful day. The outpouring of love I see is so touching, as people share in the love they had (and still have) for their pet(s) and it’s a time when we can all take a moment to collectively come together and comfort one another.

I’ve created a new logo for the event and if anyone would like to use it, please email me at info@zeezoey.com and I’ll forward it to you, as I’d prefer not to post it on my blog at the moment. I will also be doing something special this year with several companies that specialize in products for pet loss and grieving. If you’ll be sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social venues, there is a hashtag #rainbowbridgeremembranceday that was trending last year if you care to use it, and if you’re crediting me for founding the day in any of your posts, please reference me as Deb Barnes of Zee and Zoey’s Cat Chronicles, author of Purr Prints of the Heart and founder of Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

Thank you in advance and have a wonderful Sunday!

Editor’s Note: I realize this post is a heavy subject and probably not one you were expecting, but with the holidays heading our way, I felt the timing was appropriate. Holidays are a time that can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for us – especially for those of us that might be remembering a passed cat who we dearly miss, or those of us that are going through personal issues with a cat who is currently ill, or possibly even nearing end-of-life. In the blogging world, we often think of everything in adult terms, often forgetting that there are others around us who are also stressed and anxious. This post is for those who have children in their lives that might need some guidance with the subject of pet loss and grief. The focus of the article is on cats, but the advice applies to any beloved pet, regardless of the species.

Photo credit: DepositPhotos.com

As someone who is involved in the cat world nearly 24/7/365 via blogging, social media, and other outlets, very rarely does a day go by that I do not hear about one cat or another who has passed on. Online sites have become a therapeutic outlet for those who chose to share their grief publicly – I try not to let it get to me, but sometimes it is overwhelming because I take the circumstances to heart, grieving through association. Read more