This candle is lit in remembrance of all kitties who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge alone. Some of them were lost, others were abandoned. Some of them were feral cats who never knew the pleasure and comfort of a home. Many of them were older cats. Often when neighborhood cats disappear, their families never know whether or not they are at the Rainbow Bridge. The pain of "not knowing" is very hard for them to bear.

This memorial was suggested by BabyCat Milliken and her family after Emmy Miller, former Guild Master of the Older Cats Society, was missing for several days. Emmy's family was, of course, very worried and they searched everywhere for her. Finally, they found a black and grey tabby that they presumed to be Emmy. It was impossible to be 100% positive, but thinking the kitty was Emmy, they buried her under a tree alongside their brother Leo. Imagine their delight and surprise when Emmy came home! Sadly, there is no way of knowing if the other tabby had a home. A few years ago, an unknown orange tabby was also laid to rest under the same tree.

The Crowley Cats have buried several unknown kitties in their memory garden, near their brothers' graves. This is their story:

One day Meowmie was driving home and about a mile from our gate, she saw an orange kitten in the middle of our road. She stopped, thinking it might still be alive, but it wasn't. Also, there was another kitten, a black one, just a few feet away. This made her so sad. The kittens didn't look as if they'd been hit by a car, so she thought some cruel human must have thrown them from theirs. She brought the kittens home and we had a memorial service for them.

Before Scrappy went to the Rainbow Bridge, our dad saw a black cat lying on the side of our road. He knew that Scrappy never went that far, but he checked to make sure it wasn't him. He brought the kitty home and we gave him a proper burial, too.

In a wonderful act of kindness, The Kitty Tribe rescued a feral cat and comforted him as he crossed the Bridge. They named him Gabriel and a special service was held for him in the CLAW Rainbow Chapel.

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