Today we bid a final farewell to our cat brother Bert who passed away on Wednesday. He lived a long, full life and enjoyed good health until the end. We will all miss him as he has always been here with all of us. Some of us bonded more than others with him. Bert always was a want to be dog at heart and he loved us all. He will be missed around here as he is our last cat.
Bert was adopted from the Animal Humane Society at about three years old in October 2008. Our late sister Sophie was adopted along with him. Both kitties joined Emma and Katie at our house. Emma was the boss and when she started her blog in 2011, Bert became a part of it.
He always loved sitting in the front office window to take a sun bath. Even in the dead of winter he would hog our dog beds to be in the window. You have to agree, he was a happy guy!
Even our reserved sister Emma enjoyed playing with Bert. “Look out, incoming hound!” If you think Bert was upset about the wild play, that was not the case. He almost always kept coming back for more.
Bert also loved going to his yearly vet appointment. He was a true explorer, and pretty much fearless. Since he was a smart guy, he knew there were dog treats on the counter in every vet room. Sneaking some of them for himself was a favorite activity while the other pets were getting exams.
The first six or seven years of our blog, we did a lot of product reviews. Emma had Bert help review cat products sometimes. He loved the job as it usually meant toys or food. Because Bert ate his toys, it was a special treat to play with a toy while supervised for a short time. After a few minutes of play with this fish, he did start to eat it, so game over. It was sad as he loved to play but it was too dangerous for him to have toys.
Bert also dressed up for holiday photos and other blog activities. Here he is as an elf in Santa’s workshop.
Mom and Bert had a love/hate relationship. While he was a fun and funny cat, he was a lot of trouble as well. From day one, he insisted on jumping on kitchen counters and the dining tables. He chewed up electrical cords, and he ate paper, thus toilet paper had to be kept up high, never on the roller thing. Mom and him would have yelling matches with each other as she would be so mad, and he would yell back.
In 2013, Bailie joined the family. Bert always loved the fireplace. Some nights the whole family, minus Sophie, would lie in front of the warm fire. He was just one of us dogs.
Although he loved us pups, we also had our spats. He never once backed down in any disagreement with us dogs.
Bailie was never a big fan of Bert. The past few years, he loved to cuddle up next to her in the big dog bed. She put up with it for a while, then she would leave and get Mom to have her move him to another bed. Bailie was polite but not a big fan of the cat.
In 2019, Olivia joined the family. She kind of liked Bert. The two of them had their spats, but they also had a lot of tender moments.
Nelson came on the scene in 2022, and Bert was thrilled to have a brother. As with all of us, he and Bert fought now and then. Bert would always come back for more which was rather humorous.
The “boys” had their fights, but also their own tender moments.
I, Madison, was the next dog to join the family shortly after Katie passed away. Honestly, Bert and I never had a relationship. I ignored him, and he never cared to hang out much with me. Sometimes when he was finally allowed to go outside, he would come by and say hello to me. Why then am I writing our final farewell post about Bert?
Bert’s health started declining Thanksgiving week, but we didn’t think much of it as he was pretty old. Monday this week something changed. Tuesday, I started to follow him around the house and cry. Sometimes I would get Mom and bring her to him and I would cry more. I licked his head, which he had always liked. Mom suspected something bad was happening. We think he had a stroke of some sort. Wednesday, when he stopped breathing, Mom was holding him, I was crying, and I was also licking his head. Not Bailie, nor Olivia, nor Bert seemed to care. Mom and I cried together as he left us.
Probably the best part of Bert’s life were the last three summers. Mom finally let him go outside. He never once left the fenced yard which was amazing! When we dogs were out with him, he loved to come and hang with us. We think before he landed at the Humane Society, he must have been an outdoor cat as he tried to run out the door since Mom brought him home. We are all thankful he finally got to be where he wanted to be, outside. He did some hunting as well as we would note by small carcasses or feathers on the deck.
We hope you like our final farewell to you, cat bro Bert. You were often a pain in the furs, but we are all going to miss you around here. We don’t know life without cats, especially cats like you. Thankfully, you didn’t suffer, and your health was good almost until the end. Run free in the great outdoors of heaven. Say “hi” to Katie, Emma, and Sophie. Thank you for being the best “cat dog” we can imagine.
We are joining the Feline Friday Blog Hop held by Messy Mimiās Meanderings.
We are going to miss Bert We are glad he had such a good life. Madison, we are glad you were there to comfort him so much at the end. We know he had a lot of friends waiting for him too. Purrs
We miss him. It is different now without any kitties at our house.
We always loved reading posts about Bert and we love all of the pictures. Bert was sure a special cat and we will miss him. Hugs to you allā„
He was loved by so many online and in person. I don’t think he knew how popular of a cat he was. We will miss him.
He raised many a good dog. Sorry for your loss – DogDaz
He did and he always felt he was a dog. Hopefully he will find his place in heaven.
You wrote a lovely tribute to Bert, Madison. He had a good long life and obviously enjoyed being a cat dog. He will be missed by all his friends.
We will miss his craziness and wrestling with him.
hugs to you all… we will miss him… he was a little like a weimaraner… and we keep him in our memory as Bert the weim-cat ;O)
Bert would have been the ideal cat for you guys. Even his fur color would fit right in. He was the king of chaos.
I am so very sorry to hear about your dear Bert. We always enjoyed seeing him sharing time with you pups. I know you will miss his presence but he will be watching over all of you. Hugs and love from all of us.
Thank you. We find it especially quiet without him yelling at all of us and getting into trouble constantly. It was not always fun for Mom, but he never meant any harm and he had a great life.
I’m so sorry for the loss of Cat Bert. They are family. I’m glad you and mom were there so he didn’t go to the bridge alone. Big healing hugs. ā„
Mom was very happy he could pass away at home and with us right there.
Sorry for your loss, Bert was loved for a lot of years. He is at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for everyone.
It is amazing how loved he was by blogging friends and people he knew in person.
That was a beautiful tribute to Bert. He sounds like he was quite the character and we’re sure he’s making all kinds of new friends at The Bridge. Thank you for sharing him.
He’s probably trying to eat the bridge, just for starters. His goofiness will be missed here.
A beautiful tribute. Run free little one. We will all miss you.
Things will be boring without Bert.
We’re so sorry to hear about Bert’s passing. He sure lived a full life with all you pups, and will be missed by you all and us. How sweet and sensitive you were to alert your mom to Bert’s declining health, Madison. We bet it was a comfort to him to have you there at the end.
Mom still can’t believe how upset I was since I never cared about him at all in my seven years of living here. The three that hung out with him showed no emotion at all.
Madison, what a beautiful and touching tribute to your brother! I’m glad you could be there with your mom to cry together. Thanks for looking after him in his last days. Small, but mighty, you are, Miss Madison!
I am the boss of the hounds here, so I guess it is my duty to help anyone in need.
Dear Joy, Bailie, Madision, Nelson and Olivia
I am so very sorry to read about Bert’s passing. Bert lived life to the fullest and made sure all of you K9’s knew he was really the boss. To quote the poem Fog…by R Frost I think. Bert was in and out on quite paws like the fog.
Hugs Cecilia
Thank you. We will miss him and the fun we had wrestling and stuff with him.
Correction on the poetic it was
BY CARL SANDBURG
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
And I guess he has moved on but he won’t be forgotten here.
Bert was a lucky fur baby to live with ya’ll.
He outlived our Dido boy with two yearsāexceptional age for any kitty.
Back in The Netherlands I had a black kitty and a miniature black and tan Dachshund girl and they were inseparable and slept together.
Lovely and touching story, full of human and brotherly/sisterly love.
Yes, it is tough when we lose one of our beloved furry family members but the memories live on inside our hearts.
Hugs,
Mariette
It is hard to lose a family member. Mom’s first cat lived to be 19 1/2, but her last years she had a lot of health issues. Bert had a really good, healthy life.
That is a beautiful farewell to Bert, who was clearly a much loved cat who had a wonderful long life.
But it’s always sad when our beloved pets depart – they leave a big hole.
Sending hugs to all the family,
Gail (and Nobby).
It is sad and now we don’t have our wrestling buddy to play with anymore.
bert, yoo were a berry hansum catdoggie. we r happy dat yoo had a berry good life wif your furrambly.
He was a good looking guy and very popular too. We lost a good guy.
We are going to miss Bert and his silly antics…Run free little guy!
xoxo,
Rosy and Sunny
Things will now be normal at our house, no more crazy Bert stuff to keep us entertained.
I was extremely heartbroken to read about Bert. I don’t think he seemed like a “pain” at all. He was just unique and spirited and probably highly intelligent. Each cat is different. I don’t call being mischievous a pain. It just seems that he was misunderstood and you are a dog person. There are cat people, dog people and people who love both. Nothing wrong with being a dog person, but that’s probably why Bert’s unique personality doesn’t seem to have been appreciated because you are 100% a dog person. Having a cat doesn’t make one a cat person. I will miss him for sure. I’m extremely sorry that he passed.
Mom was always a cat person from the time she was a little girl. She has had ten cats since she was seven years old. Cats are very different from dogs, but Bert was more of a dog than a cat. He got into so many things, it was very tough to deal with. Mom had three male cats and they all had big issues for some reason. We loved Bert for who he was, but his destruction around the house was difficult. We think his first years he was probably outside and on his own to survive judging from his behavior. For now, we are going to be catless. If at some point another feline joins the family, it will be a female, too many bad experiences with the males. We are happy he had a long life and a home to live in for most of it. He will be missed by all of us.
My condolences to you all. He was a wonderful cat, and I was glad to have him join Feline Friday a couple of times. Thank you for putting your tribute to him on a Feline Friday, I consider it an honor.
Thank you. He liked being included in everything we dogs would do, including the blog. Feline Fridays were a perfect spot for him. He was a popular cat on a dog blog.
What a beautiful tribute to your Bert. He had a wonderful and full life with you, and did his best to keep all of you dogs in line. Madison, you are the sensitive one. I am certain that Bailie, Olivia, and Nelson knew something was going on with Bert, and they handled it in their own way.
Mom still can’t believe how upset I was for two days, but I am the boss of the house, so it is my job to watch over everyone.
Bert was a handsome boy. I am so sorry for your loss. XO
Thank you.
I’m so sorry to hear that Bert has gone to Heaven. He certainly lived a very long and happy life but I know he will be missed. Keep all the good memories tucked away in your heart. ā„ā„ā„
We have a lot of memories and photos. He was a challenging cat, but we had a lot of fun with him, and he loved trying to be a dog.
What a beautiful tribute. I’m in tears over the loss of your precious Bert. I especially love the photos of him upside down in the dog bed, as an elf, and touching foreheads with Olivia. I’m so glad you and your mom were with him at the end.
Mom feels better that he passed at home surrounded by all of us in her arms. He will be missed.
When a soul leaves its mortal body, it is lifted by the wind unseen by adult human eyes, which have been cleared of the ability to experience magic. The soul floats to the nearest river, then rides the current until it enters the River of Life, which gently carries the soul to Rainbow Bridge. The new angel emerges from the water, having discarded all the pain and sorrow of mortal life (often transferred to those mortals nearest to them,). The soul then crosses the River of Life via the Rainbow Bridge and is reunited with their predecessors who loved them while they were mortal; then, a glorious reunion takes place. Their predecessors teach the new angel how to dream visit, to inhibit the bodies of furry and winged creatures so the angel can watch over their loved ones. So, if you see a bird or little animal watching you, or wake up from a dream feeling light of heart, know your angel has been with you. Death is not the end, it’s a temporary separation, and if you never stop loving the angel, you will be together again in a place called Rainbow Bridge.
Beautiful. Thank you.
What a life Bert led, surrounded by dogs. There must have been quite a few conversations over which was the superior species. But it was clearly all in the family. Bert was loved, and Bert loved. His was indeed a wonderful life. Godspeed, Bert.
He loved being a dog in a cat’s body and we all had a lot of good times together. We will miss him.
You are so smart, Madison. Other pets in the home usually know what’s going on with their fursibs before the people do. I am glad you and your mom were there to comfort Bert as he left. I am sure he appreciated that.
Bert sounds like a real character. What a great mancat!
We are so, so sorry for your loss. We know he will be watching over you all now – until you meet again <3
Purrs, hugs, and love from me, Tylan, and Giovanni <3
Thank you. We were all together in Mom’s office, but the other three dogs didn’t pay any attention to Bert. Mom and I were there holding him, me licking his head. He didn’t die alone, his family surrounded him.
Dear Bert ~ all your brothers and sisters (the wonderful woofie ones) have so many pretty ribbons they won, well earned. If we were to award a ribbon to you ~ the “cat”egories having been Good/Better/Best for a Life Well Lived, there is no question you’d be wearing the Gold, the Best. Rest well now, sweet boy, forever. Ann and June
Thank you. He was such a dog of a cat and he loved it that way. Hanging out with his hounds was what he wanted to do. He is missed.
Ahh, Bert, You were such a special kitty…a doggy in a cat body, perhaps. You will truly be missed by all your family and everyone who knew and loved you.
May all his memories be your comfort now.
Sending loads of hugs.
š„° ā¤ļø š„°
I made a memento in his honor, I’ll send it via email, but it will also be on our blog, soon.
Thank you for the memento, it is beautiful. We miss him around here, and we will now adjust to life without our cat/dog.
This is a beautiful tribute. We are all so touched by it. We loved reading about Berts antics. We will miss him too. Well done being his support and nurse, Madison. Maybe not during his life – but when it mattered most. We bet he appreciated that very much and we know he loved that your mom was right there. love, your friends Chester and Lilly.
We were all together in Mom’s home office when he left us. Three of us were napping, Mom was holding him, and I was licking his head. He did like that when dogs licked his head. We cried and I was upset for two days, but now we are adjusting to our new life, minus one.
So sorry to learn of Bert’s passing. Elsa and I are sending oodles of poodles of comfort. He seemed like quite the character and your remembrance photos and info about his life with all of you provided some smiles between the sadness. š
We miss him. It’s odd living without any cats for the very first time.
I always looked forward to reading a “Bert” post , but not this one. I’m sorry for your loss. He will be missed.
Mom said he will live forever, but he didn’t. It all happened pretty fast and was unexpected.
Mee-yow Bert WAS a CAT-Poochie at heart!!! What a beeuteefull tributte to Bert. Wee are furry sorry fore yore loss. An sad hee iss yore last cat….
Bert DID live a long an happy life with all of youss’ an yore fotoss’ show so much love an deevotion ‘tween Bert an all yore Poochiess!
May memoreess an fotoss’ comfert youss now an fur ever <3 <3
***purrss*** BellaDharma an (((hugss))) BellaSita Mum
We are happy we have all the memories and photos to look back on. He is already missed.
You lost a fine cat and I am so sorry he’s gone. He sounds an absolute gem of a cat erm… dog…. Fly free Bert – rockstar and dogstar.
He was a popular cat and a big success when he posted on our dog blog. People who knew him in person all loved him too. He is missed by not only his family, but many friends.
We are so sorry for your loss.
Such a beautiful tribute xx
Thank you.
We are furry sorry for your loss. We neffur had the privilege of knowing Bert, but from the beautiful tribute you wrote for him, We can see he must have been a wonderful kitty and much loved.
May he run free now, beyond the Rainbow Bridge, safe in the paw of the Great Cat in the Sky – and may you take comfort in the knowledge that you will be reunited one day.
Thank you. He spent fifteen years living at our house. We all grew up with him and he always loved us dogs. Bert was a dog in a cat’s body. He is already missed every day.
Bert was quite the character and we loved seeing him when he was featured on the blog. Madison, it was so sweet that you were there for Bert at the end. He knew he was loved, even when your Mom was mad at him! We are sad for your whole family. RIP, Bert
It is very odd without him or any cats in our house. We all grew up with Bert and Sophie and they were a part of our lives, especially Bert. He is missed.