In Memory of Mr. Jazz Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day was created by author Deborah Barnes in honor of her beloved cat, Mr. Jazz, who passed on August 28, 2013. It’s a day to remember the pets who touched our lives and left pawprints on our hearts.
Today we honor the pets who shared our homes, our routines, and our hearts. Pet loss is a grief that cuts deeply. They become family, and when they’re gone, the silence they leave behind is enormous. Many people say they mourned a pet more than a person — and while that can feel uncomfortable to admit, it’s true for many of us. We love them fiercely, and we lose them fiercely. And still, we adopt again. Because love is worth the risk.
My Rainbow Bridge Roll Call
Mittens – My first cat. Black with white paws, and the beginning of it all.
Squinty – A semi‑feral, long‑haired, scruffy stray… but I loved him anyway.
Starsky and Hutch – A matched pair of white cats with black ears and black caps on their heads.
Shadow – A polydactyl adventurer who loved car rides and terrorized every squirrel in the neighborhood.
Pyewacket – The sweetest little black‑and‑white kitty.
Little Joe – A rescued Persian, loyal right to the end.
Smoky – Saved from animal control and a hoarding situation. Declawed, poor thing, but still gentle and sweet.
Buddy – My boomerang cat. I tried to re‑home him three times, but he kept coming back. He wanted to be with me — and he was, until he passed.
Rocky – My first orange cat. A very special boy. We were together almost 20 years, and his passing left a hole in my heart.
Each one gone, each one remembered. All of them loved.
And beyond the cats…
There were dogs who wagged their way into my life, a parakeet who filled quiet mornings with chatter, and even a horse whose steady presence taught me patience and trust. Each one left their own mark, but the cats — oh, the cats — have always been the constant thread through my years.
The Present Moment
Banner and Balboa are here now — six years old already, somehow. Half their lives lived, half still ahead.
A Wish for You
If you’ve recently lost a pet — cat, dog, bird, reptile, or a companion I can’t even imagine — I wish you comfort. I believe they will be waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge, whole and happy, ready to greet you again someday.