I lost my elderly kitties last fall. In mourning them I have found the rainbow bridge poem to be helpful to trigger the grief. However to me it felt like the animal it described was a dog and it didn’t resonate for my relationship with my cats. So I wrote an alternate version of it that I thought I’d share in case it is helpful for anyone else. If the original poem resonates for you and your cats that is great too.
Rainbow Bridge for Cats
The rainbow bridge is an in between place on the other side of life. The best waiting room you can imagine. When a cat dies they go to the Rainbow Bridge.
There are sunbeams for sleeping in. There are gardens for chasing (but never catching) butterflies. There is grass to chew on that never upsets their tummy. They can drink from a flowing fountain and watch the koi swimming in the pool of water at the bottom. They can stretch up and scratch their claws on tree bark and rub their fur against rocks to scratch their itches. They can cuddle in a pile with other kitties or curl up in a soft bed of their own for sweet naps.
Their health is restored and they feel youthful again, ready to engage with the world in a way they couldn’t in their last days before coming to the Rainbow Bridge. They are happy and their life is nearly full but a piece is missing - the person who loved them so much before they died.
One day, their head will perk up as they hear a familiar voice. They will trot over with their tail up in a happy greeting. They will rub their body on your legs and purr louder than they ever have before. You will lean over and scratch their chin and you are finally reunited. You both lived in each other’s hearts even when you were apart. Now you are together again and can cross beyond the Rainbow Bridge to the next life with each other.
