04/01/2026
This is Barbosa aka Bosa. Today is his 20th birthday. He was not the first cat I had ever rescued but he was one the that started me into rescue. He also was one that has the sad story in what humans can do the animals. His mother was an owned cat but as soon as she was no longer a cute kitten, she was discarded. Neighborhood kids
were cruel to her and she became very fearful of humans. She then had a litter of four at a young age and when she tried to protect her kittens was turned into animal control for a vicious animal. This happened in my neighborhood and when I heard about it, I couldn't let them take the mom or leave the kittens out there to starve. I found were the trap was and monitored it daily to make sure she didn't get caught as she would have been destroyed. This went on for a couple of weeks until I come home one day and see neighbor kids around a dog crate poking at something with a stick. I went to check and they had three kittens that were only about 10 weeks old, terrified and Bosa had a cut on his eye. I took the kittens unsured what I could do for them. I reached out to a rescue and the said they would take them if I could foster for two weeks. I agreed. I named the kittens Barbosa, Ragetti (aka Rags) and Ruby. I started their vet care and had set up a trap to catch their mother and a fourth kitten that the neighbors had said they did not catch. They said she was a Tortie. Rags warmed up very quickly, then Bosa but really only with me and Ruby remained very standoffish although never aggressive. Bosa was much larger then his siblings and had continued to grow faster then the other two. The vet at first thought he was from a different litter. Three weeks after taking them, we had come home around midnight from visiting family for the 4th of July, as we approached our home we spotted something running in the road, it was a tortie kitten. I found out that another neighbor had been feeding her and lied to me about seeing her because she enjoy seeing her and didn't want me to take her away. I was able to quickly trap her and start her vet care. I named her Opal. The rescue never took them from me so they completed all their vet care and I started taking them to adoption events. Rags did well, Bosa always kept his eye on me and Ruby and Opal would just sit in the back of the adoption cage. I believe it was the third weekend that I took them to an adoption event that I had made a promise to Bosa, that if someone did not adopt him with his brother today, I would adopt him. Well, Rags got adopted that day to a wonderful home. Bosa got adopted by me. After a few weeks and one failed adoption for Ruby and Opal, they also stayed with us. Ruby was always very shy but she was gentle and would allow nail trims and meds with no issues. We lost Opal to cancer at the age of 17 and Ruby last year at the age of 19. Bosa has arthritis and had spent 2 1/2 years on Solensia. It had helped him greatly but we stopped it two months ago because he had lost over 7 pounds since he started it and I was having trouble with him eating. The weight loss seemed to help with his joint pain and I noticed that he ate better after stopping the meds. We know he is also in Renal failure which is adding to his eating problems. He also went deaf when he was about 16. We know we are grateful for each day with him but I watch him decline almost daily. I am sharing his story now because he may not see another Birthday and it is because of him that I got into rescue and thousands of other cats have been helped not to mention so many more unwanted cats. I did eventually catch his mom but not before she had a second litter which I also was able to catch and find homes for. Momma was cared for by another neighbor and after several years, become a full time house cat again. The last I heard she was still alive and doing very well but that was about 4 years ago but she would have been 17 by then.
