Today Is Meowmorial Day 2015!

People and Fur People who are Disciples of The Leader Otis,

It’s Thomas.

Today is Meowmorial Day, so please join us on Facebook and share your stories and photos of the dearly departed kitties you would like to honor.

For those of you who do not have Facebook, Below are the two honoring posts that we placed on the wall. I wanted to make sure you got to see them since it was my idea to try having Meowmorial Day in a different format this year.

Thomas out.

First Facebook Honoring Post

Cult of Otis honors our namesake, Leader Otis, on this Meowmorial Day. Leader Otis was The Light, and The Way, doing His best to spread The Good Word about keeping cats happy, healthy, and safely confined.

He named me and Henry His High Priests dubbing Brother Henry “The Muscle” and me “The Brains” of Cult of Otis. He knighted Sir Thomas and named him “The Heart” of The Cult, and He dubbed Mama Cat “The Essence” of our movement. We all worked together to try to make His vision a reality.

But before all of that, He was simply a cat. He was one of the millions of neglected, frightened cats wandering alone in the wilderness and crying out for help. Fortunately, His call was heard, and He got to live out the remainder of His life as every cat deserves- surrounded by love and kept safe from danger.

Today we not only honor Leader Otis, but also the cat He was before. The smart, loving, endlessly optimistic kitty that Brother Henry and I met in 2006. All we knew when we met him was that the Guardians called him Otis, and that he seemed bound and determined to make us love him. When he departed seven years later, we felt, to the very depths of our souls, just how successful he had been. – Brother Oliver

The Cult of Otis honors Otis, the cat that changed our lives forever.

Second Facebook Honoring Post

Cult of Otis honors Mama Cat on this Meowmorial Day. Brother Oliver and I decided to show you the lighter side of Mama Cat by brining you a never-before-seen photo of the dearly departed Essence of The Cult. Thomas had been hiding the photo because he felt it might mar Her royal status. Brother Oliver and I felt it could only serve to help everyone remember her even more fondly.

The Guardian’s put this dress on The Queen not long after she was swept up in The Capture and brought into The Promised Land. Strangely, she seemed to like it. We thought that was a little weird, but not as weird as the Guardians for putting it on her.

If you are new to Cult of Otis and do not know Mama Cat, We encourage you to read about her on cultofotis.com and in the Blog of Otis archives. She was an amazing girl and we miss her every day. -Brother Henry

The Cult of Otis honors Mama Cat, our dearly departed Essence of The Cult.

Meowmorial Day 2015 Reminder

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here.

As Thomas mentioned at the beginning of the week, we’re trying something a little different for Meowmorial Day this year. Instead of having an observance here on the blog we are going to do it over on Facebook. Sir Thomas worked pretty hard to convince Brother O and I that this was a good idea, so I know he will be thrilled if everyone participates.

Please help make this the best Meowmorial Day yet. Thomas will be forever grateful if you do.

So head on over to the Cult of Otis Facebook page this Monday (June 1) and post your photos of stories of the kitties you have loved and lost. Let us all honor them together, and by doing so keep their memories alive.

In Otis’s Name

Brother Henry

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Meowmorial Day Is Coming!

People and fur people who are Disciples of The Leader Otis,

It’s Thomas.

As you may be aware, Meowmorial Day is coming up next Monday! If you are new to The Cult and have not yet heard of this very special day, here is a description from The Cult of Otis website:

MEOWMORIAL DAY- THE FIRST MONDAY IN JUNE

Meowmorial Day is a day to remember all of the cats that we have loved and lost.  Our feline friends bring so much joy to our lives, they deserve to be remembered with respect and gratitude.  Plant a tree in their memory.  Donate to an animal rescue organization in their name.  Most of all, just remember them all for the special individuals they were.

I have suggested that we try something a little bit different for this year’s Meowmorial Day observance and the Brothers have agreed to try it! I am so excited that they thought it was a good idea!

I am excited that The Brothers are letting me try my idea!

So, this year, instead of emailing submissions to us here at the blog, On June 1st we invite you to post your photos and stories of your dearly departed feline friends on the official Cult of Otis Facebook page. It is my hope that having the Meowmorial Day observance in that format will allow people to communicate and connect more easily with one another as they share their stories of love and loss.

I hope you will all join us and take part in this very special day of remembrance!

In Otis’s Name,

Thomas Out

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Sir Thomas’s Mew Year Revenge

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here.

Last night was a bit rough. The humans in our neighborhood decided to celebrate Mew Year’s Eve by setting off what sounded like 1,000 pound bombs, or possibly low-yield nuclear devices. It started just after sunset and continued until about 12:30 am. Every time one we heard one of those explosions we thought the world was ending. Sir Thomas was especially frightened by the noise, and he spent a lot of the night running from one hiding spot to the next. He had recovered by this morning though, and as his fear dissipated it was replaced by a driving need to get back at those who had tormented him during the night. To meet that need, Sir Thomas came up with a plan.

Because they were setting off explosions until the wee hours of the morning, Sir Thomas deduced that the culprits must be attempting to sleep late today. So, just before sunrise Sir T went out into our Outdoor Domain and put his plan in motion. He began yelling “Happy Mew Year!” as loudly as he could. He did this over and over and over, and I’ve never heard a kitty yell so loud.

Thomas went out into the Outdoor Domain and began yelling “Happy Mew Year!” very loudly.

Box Day 2014 Catstravaganza!

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here.

It is my honor to be the Grand Marshall for the 2014 Box Day Catstravaganza! In order to get myself in the proper spirit, I have spent the last several hours sitting in a box. OK… I’ll admit it… I would have been sitting in this box for hours even if I wasn’t going to be overseeing the Box Day observance. I am a cat after all.

I would have sat in the box whether or not I was Grand Marshall of Box Day. I’m a cat… and it’s an awesome box.

Meowy Catsmas!

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here.

Since the Guardians put a sweater on me and antlers on Brother Henry, I figured it was only a matter of time before they dressed Thomas up to show his Catsmas spirit. And they did! They made him wear a Santa hat. Here’s the photo to prove it!

See! the Guardians dressed Thomas up too, so he shouldn’t have laughed at Brother H and me.

That’s right, Thomas had to wear something silly too! I bet he regrets laughing at Brother Henry and me now! Huh? What did you say Thomas? This never happened? I created the photo in what? “Photoshop”? What’s that? Is that a place you go to buy cameras? What did you say? If  you’re wearing a hat in the photo why are your ears showing? Uhhh… ummmm… well… clearly the hat had ear holes! Why are you laughing at me again? Never mind.

Meowy Catsmas everyone! From the Guardians, Brother Oliver Brother Henry, and Sir Thomas… who is definitely wearing a Santa Hat.

So Sayeth Brother Oliver

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The Brothers’ Holiday Spirit

People and fur people who are Disciples of The Leader Otis,

It’s Thomas.

When I walked into the living room this morning I could not believe what I was seeing. Brother Oliver was wearing a Catsmas sweater! Before I even knew what I was doing, I started laughing out loud. He just looked so funny!

Brother Oliver was wearing a Catsmas sweater. It was so funny!

Box Day 2014: Call For Submissions

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here.

Box Day 2014 is nearly upon us! I have been given the honor of being this year’s Master of Ceremonies, so I’ve been sitting lots of boxes to get myself in the right headspace for the job.

I’ve been sitting lots of boxes in preparation for my job as Master of Ceremonies.

Be Vigilant This Howloween!

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here.

Howloween is tomorrow! Leader Otis taught us the following:

Howloween is also known as “Black Cat Day”. Since at least the Middle Ages these unfortunate souls have been vilified in human mythology. They have difficulty getting adopted from shelters and heartless and cruel people often torture them on the human holiday known as Halloween. Otis was appalled by the unfair treatment of his dark-furred brothers and sisters and he officially designated October 31st as a day to celebrate all black cats. It is also a day for all Disciples of Otis to be especially vigilant in watching out for the safety of cats in their neighborhoods. People will be less likely to attempt to harm animals if they know we are all watching out for them.

This Howloween I intend to honor Leader Otis’s wishes and keep a sharp eye out for the poor outdoor kitties in our neighborhood!

I will make Leader Otis proud this year.

Tomorrow night, I shall sit right here in the front window, keeping an ever-vigilant watch to ensure that no one is mistreating my feline brothers and sisters in the world without walls. This spot is perfect! It is elevated so I get a great view of my surroundings. It is well-decorated with candles and pumpkins that have little black cats popping out of them. It is also very cushy so I will not experience any bum discomfort from long-term, vigilant sitting!

This is the perfect spot to be vigilant.

This spot is also close to the door, so if any kitties need a safe haven I will be able to… well… I can’t actually open the door… but maybe I’ll be able to yowl at the Guardians and make them open the door! Yes! That’s what I’ll do! I’ll yowl and the Guardians will open the door and let the kitties run in to safety! It’s a perfect plan!

The door is right over there. I will be able to let kitties in by yowling at the Guardians!

Wait a second though… to humans, Howloween is “Halloween”. They celebrate the day by dressing their children up in silly and/or frightening costumes and unleashing them on the neighborhood to beg for high calorie, low nutrition food stuffs. That means a steady stream of little kids with very sticky hands is going to be coming to the door all night! Kitties can’t come through there! If they tried, they would end up getting pet by all those sticky hands and their fur would be disgusting! And if I’m too close to the door, those sticky hands might be trying to pet me too! Yuck!

The thought of all those sticky hands petting a kitty, possibly even me… oh man, I feel a little sick to my stomach right now.

Yeah. On second thought this perch just won’t do. I think that side window over there would be much better. It’s got all the advantages of this spot minus the possibility of my fur getting all sticky.

Hmmm… on second thought, over there looks better.

Plus, if one of those little sticky-fingered nightmares gets past the Guardians, I’ll have enough time to make a break for my safey-safe in the office closet. So I’ll be able to keep an eye on the neighborhood and minimize my chances for my own personal Howloween nightmare. Yep. Sounds good to me… and I’m pretty sure Leader Otis would approve. He would want me to be vigilant, but not foolhardy. Have a safe Howloween everybody, and may your fur remain un-sticky.

So Says Brother Henry

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Meowmorial Day 2014

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here… and Brother Henry… and Sir Thomas.

After much consideration, and after reading the many supportive and encouraging comments you all left on the blog, we decided that it would be best if the three of us shared the responsibilities of Master of Ceremonies for this Meowmorial Day observance. We have suffered a great and painful loss, as have all whose kitties are honored here today. Today let us all look beyond the feeling of loss and remember the feelings of love that preceded it. Most of all, let us just acknowledge that these amazing, beautiful kitties once walked the earth, and they forever changed the lives of those who were fortunate enough to have known them.

I will now turn it over to Brother Henry for our first meowmorial.