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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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.

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.

Brother Oliver Was Moved By The Spirit Again

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here.

Not too long ago, Brother Oliver was moved by the spirit of The Leader as he… well… as he indulged in something he shouldn’t have been doing. Wait… What’s that Thomas? Oh… Thomas was just pointing out that I’m not one to disparage others who partake of the nip considering my recent weak moment. True enough.

Anyway, I believe that I witnessed Brother Oliver being moved by the spirit again recently. I walked into the bedroom to find Brother Oliver, the Guardians, some open boxes, and an array of boards, shiny fasteners, and other building materials. Brother Oliver was laying on his side looking over a book with strange diagrams in it. He was saying, “Ok… we need a few of these boards… a couple of these round shiny thingies… oh, and some of those wood stubby things…”

Bother Oliver was laying on the floor looking at some strange diagrams.

Meowmorial Day 2014 Call For Submissions

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

It’s Thomas.

Meowmorial Day is nearly upon us. For those of you who have become Disciples of Otis only recently here is what Meowmorial Day is:

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.

This year’s observance will be a bit hard for all of us here at Cult headquarters as it will be the first since the passing of both Leader Otis and Mama Cat. Brother Oliver, Brother Henry, and I are still trying to sort out which one of us will act as master of ceremony for the observance as it was always Leader Otis who held the honor in the past.

Meowmorial Day is a day to remember, and honor, the felines we have loved and lost. This year, that includes Leader Otis and Mama Cat.

Rest assured that we will sort out the details and the observance will go forward as planned, and we hope you will join us in honoring as many kitties as possible on this special day.

If you would like your kitty to be included in this year’s Cult of Otis Meowmorial Day observance, please send your photos and stories to cultofotis@gmail.com by noon on May 29.

In Otis’s Name

Thomas Out

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I Was Moved By The Spirit Of The Leader

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here.

This morning I was feeling very sad and missing Leader Otis. It has been 5 months since we lost Him, but I am still having trouble accepting it. I’m ashamed to say that this morning I was so full of despair that I turned to the catnip banana for comfort.

In order to drown my sorrows, I turned to the catnip banana.

The Cult of Otis Lives!

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here. We are all still processing our painful loss, but we are beginning to heal. I want you to know that, although Leader Otis is no longer with us in the fur and flesh, the movement he started continues. The Cult of Otis lives!

The Cult of Otis lives!

My Final Message

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