Bodhi is best known for his photo with Robert's photo. But Bodhi was unique.
I first met Bodhi in September of 1997 when I was feeding a colony of feral cats near the beach in Santa Monica. Suddenly one day as I was feeding the seven remaining cats, a large kitten bounded into the place I was feeding them. He was definitely a kittne, maybe seven months old, large, happy, fearless and bounding with energy.
He integrated immediately with our other cats at the time, a very playful kitten, running and playing.
But as Bodhi grew older, he seemed to lose interest in the ther cats, and was just very quiet, loving to lie near me or Kerima. He was a large cat, maybe 15 pounds.
Many times I thought he was Robert because Bodhi was born about the time Robert died in 1997, and as he grew older he had that same quiet depth that Robert had.
For the last 4-1/2 years Bodhi had been suffering from kidney failure, which gradually worsened. During the last several months we were giving him sub-Q fluids everyday, and gradually added other medications as his condition worsened.
He could barely walk at the end, getting out of his bed to go to his litter box 3 feet away, or to his water bowl just outside the box.
Daily we'd carry him to our enclosed patio to lie in the sun as long as he wanted.
But two days ago his breathing became labored, and his nose grew plugged with phlem. He struggled to breath. We started him on anti-biotics. By this time he had eaten nothing for three days.
Watching him struggle to walk, ignore food, fall over repeatedly, and then struggle to breath, broke my heart and Kerima's. Michael was moved to by Bodhi's plaight and was of mixed mind to putting him down.
But finally we took him to his vet yesterday, because he was fighting to breath. Al during the day I gave small doses of Buprenorphine to quiet his panic and make him rest easier.
The vet had set up the room especially for Bodhi like a little alter. He was given an anesthetic to put him to sleep first, and about 10 minutes later the pink shot of 10X overdose to still his heart.
Kerima cried a lot, but I felt such releif for him. He no longer had to struggle just to breath. But his loss is great for us. He was 19 years old when he died, and it is unusual for a cat to live so long.
Realizing the Manifest Self--the Life Force permeating our humanity--and the Unmanifest source from which it arises.
i'm so sorry for your loss Ed. There's something about the mysterious life of an animal that is sad to lose
ReplyDeleteJuly 7th,1991 (from transcript)
ReplyDeleteR: Kerema and Ed's cat died after sixteen years. And they are both very upset over this situation. So they are having a funeral today. Therefore let's have a moments silence for their cat.
(silence)
R: Remember to love yourself, to worship yourself, to pray to yourself, to bow to yourself because God dwells in you as you. I love you all. Peace. God bless you.