My Final Message- originally posted 10-31-2013

My Disciples,

If you are reading this, I have departed. Let us first just acknowledge the weight of that. Our journey together was not nearly as long as I hoped it would be, but please know that it has been an honor to have met so many wonderful people, furred and non-furred, and to have shared the trials and triumphs of My life with you.

It has been an honor.

I know that during My long convalescence many of you were hoping and praying for a miracle to happen that would save My life, and it may seem like that miracle didn’t happen. But I need you to understand something. That miracle did happen. It did happen, and it did save My life, but it happened at the beginning, not the end.

The miracle happened at the beginning, not the end.

The miracle that saved My life happened seven years ago when two humans looked out into their yard and saw a desperate, starving kitten looking back at them.  They didn’t know who I was or where I had come from. They didn’t know what potential lay within Me, or the cat that I could become. They only knew that I needed their help. The miracle happened when they made the choice to rescue Me.

This was the miracle.

Had the Guardians not made that one, simple choice, I might have slipped into The Shadows forever. I would not have experienced seven blissful years filled with love and happiness in their care. I would never have met The Brothers, or Thomas, or Mama Cat. You would not know Me, or even know that I ever existed. There would be no Cult of Otis because there would be no Otis. In My darkest hour I needed a miracle and I got it, and the life I lived afterward was better than I could have ever imagined.

I loved my life.

As all lives must, My life has come to an end. I know that, due to My young age, My end may seem tragically premature, but a life should be judged by its quality, not its length. I had a rich, full life, and all of you helped make it even more so. For that you have My everlasting gratitude.

Thank you all for enriching My life.

But now I must finally say it, My Disciples, the hardest word of all.

Goodbye.

Although My spirit has departed, a part of Me will remain. When you look out into the world without walls and see a cat in need looking back at you, I will be there by your side. You will feel My soft breath on your cheek and My purrs of encouragement in your ear. Listen closely, and through the purrs you will hear My final commandment come to you in a whisper.

Be the miracle.

So Sayeth Otis

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What Is Taking So Long?

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

It’s Thomas.

As I told you, I made a request of the Brothers a week or two ago, but they still have not fulfilled it. I do not understand what is taking them so long!

It has been almost two weeks! What is taking them so long!

Many Posters, One Cat

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here.

The Guardians have been out and about in the neighborhood again and have discovered three new lost cat posters. At first, when Brother Oliver, Sir Thomas, and I heard this we thought “Oh no! Three more cats have gone missing!” As it turns out though, there were three different posters, but all for the same cat. The first poster simply said “Lost Cat!” and it had a photo of a Bengal kitty and a phone number to call if you have seen him.

The first poster just said “lost cat!” and had a photo and a number.

I Think I Made A Bad First Impression

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

It’s Thomas.

Sooooo… ummmm… I am kind of feeling a little bit embarrassed right now. Yesterday, The Guardians were interviewing a person that will be taking care of The Brothers and me when The Guardians are away for a few days. I uhhhh… well… I am really sorry to say that I sort of lost my stuff while they were here.

I did… I lost my stuff. How embarrassing.

Now, you are probably wondering, “How bad could it have been?” Well… remember how good I got at doing Mama Cat’s Flying Squirrel move? If not, here is a picture to remind you.

This is me doing the Flying Squirrel move that Mama Cat taught me.

OK, now imagine me panicking, hissing as loudly as I can, running back and forth a few times, and then doing this move about four feet in the air, bouncing off the back of the cat caretaker as she was coming up the stairs toward me, landing at the bottom of the stairs, and then tearing off at full speed and not stopping until I was safely wedged into a pile of pillows in the bedroom closet in the basement. Yeah. That is how bad it could have been. To add insult to injury, as I was hiding in the closet Brother Henry poked his head in and said, “Dude… what happened? Did you see a 100 pound wiener dog or something?” I did not dignify that question with a response.

Thomas out.

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Thomas Is Changing

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here.

I walked into the living room a few days ago and Brother Henry called me over to him. He motioned to the couch and said, “Brother O! Check this out!” When I looked in the direction Brother Henry had indicated, I saw Thomas sitting on the ottoman at the end of the couch. He was sitting just a few inches away from the smaller Guardian and he was staring at her!

Sir Thomas was sitting right next to one of the Guardians, and he was staring at her.

In The Name Of The Queen

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here.

The anniversary of The Leader’s passing is now behind us, but yesterday evening my thoughts turned toward the second member of our Inner Circle who was lost in 2013. I speak, of course, of Mama Cat.

Yesterday evening, I found myself thinking of Mama Cat.

I Tried Something New… And I Liked It!

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

It’s Thomas.

In general, I don’t like change. Sure, sometimes change is good, like when the Guardians swept me up and brought me into The Promised Land, but for the most part even minor changes make me feel like I’m going to lose my stuff. And to be honest, when the Guardians brought me inside, I did lose my stuff! I even bit one of them, which I found out later is a HUGE no-no.

Anyway, despite my dislike for change, today I decided to try something new. Brothers Henry and Oliver are always going on about how comfy the couch is to sleep on. I’ve always preferred to sleep underneath the couch, but I have to admit I have been very curious about what it’s like up there on top. So I decided to go for it. When no one else was around I jumped up on the couch to see whether or not its comfiness had been exaggerated.

When no one was around, I decided to see if the couch was as comfy as the Brothers claimed.

One Year After Otis

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here.

I was there when it happened. I witnessed it. But I still can’t wrap my mind around it. And now a full year has passed since that day. The day we lost Him. I still remember when He was a kitten in The Shadows. Afraid. Alone. Hopeless. Hiding in a bush by a birdbath waiting for a meal He had only the slimmest chance of catching.

I remember when He was in The Shadows.

I remember the change that came over Him, the hope the entered His eyes when He realized those that would become The Guardians of Otis had truly seen Him.

I remember the change when He realized He had been truly seen.

I remember the overpowering sense of relief He projected as He felt the first, loving touch. His isolation was at last broken, and the light that shined out from within Him forever banished The Shadows from His life.

A loving touch brought out His inner light, forever banishing The Shadows.

He embraced His new, safe life, and all of the joys it held.

He embraced the life of a safe, well-loved kitty.

And He embraced us, His two loyal priests. And we embraced Him back.

He embraced us, and we embraced Him.

But He never lost sight of the fact that other kitties were still stuck in The Shadows from which He had escaped. He reached out to them. He gave them hope.

He reached out to those still in The Shadows and gave them hope.

And when former Shadow Cats were brought into the light, He helped them lose their fear and embrace their new life as He had.

He helped those who were transitioning from The Shadows to a life in the light.

I’ll admit that none of us has been the same without Him. The stories are harder to tell without His guidance. The Good Word is harder to spread with a heavy heart.

We have had difficulty finding our way without Him.

I have heard the bigger Guardian refer to Leader Otis as a muse. A being that enters your life and inspires creativity that you didn’t even know existed within you. I think he’s right. There was something very unique about The Leader that I never could explain. He was an overwhelming presence. A force to be reckoned with. He changed us all forever.

No one could withstand the influence of The Leader.

It may sound crazy to attribute so much power to one cat, but I assure you it is the truth. I lived with Him. I experienced it firsthand, as did Brother Henry, Sir Thomas, Mama Cat, and the Guardians. He really, truly was that special.

Although The Leader is gone, His Teachings are as important as ever.  Millions of cats are still out there in The Shadows. They are all waiting for someone to do as The Leader asked in His final message. They are waiting for someone to Be The Miracle.

Please join us today in honoring Leader Otis by spreading His Final Message. Click on the link and share the message on Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media sites in which you participate. Email it to friends or anyone who you feel might be touched by it. Let His words be heard far and wide, and let us all aspire to make the world a place in which all domestic cats are happy, healthy, and safely confined.

In Otis’s Name,

Brother Oliver

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My Time

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

It’s Thomas.

Ummm… It’s been kind of a weird week, to say the least. First I get accused of being up to something in Kitty Valhalla, and then when we all go up to Kitty Valhalla to see what I haven’t been up to… well… on second thought, I would rather not talk about that. I would rather talk about how Brother Henry has been trying to horn in on my special time with the bigger Guardian. You see, every night and morning, while the bigger Guardian is brushing his teeth, I wait for him on the back stairs. When he is done, he comes out of the bathroom and gives me pets. For some reason, Brother Henry has decided that he should get pets at these times as well! It’s not fair! this is the only time I get pets! I make it clear to Brother Henry that this is MY time and he should wait until later for his pets.

For some reason, Brother Henry thinks he should get pets when I do. He is wrong.

Being The Miracle For Tequila and Malibu

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here.

The Miracle has happened again! Twice! Disciple Amanda wrote to us with this happy news:

“For years I ran an animal rescue and fostered kitties. Since I moved last year, I went months unable to help the shadow kitties of the world. Once we moved into our new place, two very special girls made themselves known to me and have been adopted into our family.

First there’s Tequila. She is a gorgeous long haired calico. I was leaving my home one day to do some grocery shopping when I noticed three kids throwing rocks at and kicking something laying in the gutter. With a sick feeling I stopped the car and jumped out. This kids saw my crazy eyes and ran. I found a skinny, muddy little Kitty laying there. It took no time to get her to come to me. She purred all the way home. She is estimated around eight months old and has one silly personality.”

In the gutter no longer, Tequila was snatched from the jaws of cruelty and taken to the warmth and safety of The Promised Land.

“Second is Malibu. She is an incredibly sweet tuxedo girl. I found her at the gas station, hugely pregnant and starving. I brought her home and she clung to my daughter. We are now awaiting her kittens anxiously!”

Living outside a gas station is no life for a cat. Malibu is in the shadows no more.

A few days after receiving this email, Amanda sent us an update on Malibu. She had given birth to three kittens! Sadly, one kitten was stillborn, but the other two are healthy and will now be able to spend their entire lives in The Promised Land!

Malibu’s kittens will not live in The Shadows.

Amanda, we cannot thank you enough for your caring, your compassion, and your willingness to act on behalf of kitties in need. You are a shining example of what Leader Otis meant when he said, “Be The Miracle“.

In Otis’s Name,

Brother Henry

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