My beloved angel, Mr. Jazz – the inspiration for Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is Wednesday, August 28 and for those of you who might want to participate in some manner, I wanted to share the details with you. 

First, as with every year, there is no pressure to participate. I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, as I know it’s not always an easy day for everyone and can be sad. But that said, the outpouring of compassion 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.

Also as with every year, I will also be hosting the annual blog hop here. The post will go live at 12:00 a.m., EST, on August 28 with the code and linking information available then. I have also created a Facebook event page for those who might want to post a picture, share a favorite memory, upload a video, or more. This is the event link: http://bit.ly/RainbowBridge2019FB. Please feel free to invite others you think might want to be a part of the day.

Official Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day logo as designed by Deb Barnes.

I also have an official logo if you don’t already 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. And just in case you don’t know, this is 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.  

It’s a Blog Hop!

Papa Zee surrounded by his offspring – Mia, Peanut, and Rolz.

From all of us at Zee & Zoey’s, Happy Father’s Day to all the cat daddies out there! We wish you a wonderful, happy, and relaxing day! Our Zee, he will probably spend the day napping, one of his favorite things to do!

There’s not much more fun than photo editing my beautiful ginger cat, Jazmine, for an Irish pose!

So it’s St. Patrick’s Day…or in my world, St. Catrick’s Day. As with many holidays that have become Americanized, it’s strayed a bit from its original roots and evolved more into a general day for anyone, whether you’re Irish or not, to join team green and have some fun. I’m not much into the big parties, parades, drinking, kissing the Blarney Stone, or searching for shamrocks, but I do have a bit of Irish blood in me and I do enjoy dressing in green, being one of my favorite colors. I also love photo editing stuff around my cats to celebrate the day. Read more

It’s an interesting dichotomy. I’m literally one of the most goal-oriented, over-achieving, workaholics on this planet, but I’m also one of the biggest procrastinators you’ll ever meet when I don’t want to do something. My brain and body merge into a giant brick wall, rendering me helpless to the inevitable. I’ll do things I normally try to avoid – cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, laundry, grueling yard work – and I’ll also spend an inordinate amount of time, above and beyond what I normally do of surfing the internet looking at cats, leopard print, shoes, puppies, and stories of kids who hilariously react to parents who tell them they’re going to have a new brother or sister. But, alas, all good things must come to an end, and the time has come…to dig through my files of paperwork and begin preparing my income taxes. Read more

Jazmine and Kizmet are my poster cats for Dr. Buffington’s Feline Home Environmental Study.

Feline enrichment is a subject dear to my heart. The correlation between providing our feline friends a stimulating and enriching environment befitting their instinctual nature in relation to their happiness, health, and well-being is significant, especially considering most cats now live indoors for their safety.

We humans as their entrusted caretakers provide them with everything they need – food, water, shelter, and more. They no longer need to hunt for survival, which is one of their primary means to release pent up energy and keep their minds and bodies fit and sharp. Without proper environmental enrichment, cats are suspectable to obesity, heart disease, dental disease, gastrointestinal disease, kidney disease, thyroid disease, and diabetes. They can also become bored, which often results in behavioral problems, such as litter box issues. Read more