My tributes to my Ozzy cat

Some of you may have already read my post In Memory of Ozzy Cat.  For those of you who haven't heard, my cat died December 21st.  As a way to cope with his death, and honor his life, I made a special grave marker and a stuffed Ozzy cat.  Keeping my hands and my mind occupied was pretty important.  I still miss him very much, but I think he'd approve of his stuffed likeness.  I used soft black yarn to knit the cat, and lined it with dark brown fleece.  Ozzy had a nearly invisible dark brown undercoat.  I filled his body and front paws with rice to add weight and make him feel more realistic.  Of course I realize this is not a replacement for my Ozzy- it's just to comfort me and allow me to remember the many hours he would sit on my lap and keep me company.  The stuffed cat is just about life size and weighs about 6 or 7 pounds.

For his grave marker I knew I had to make something special.  Ozzy was a very cool cat, and he liked cool things.  I used a stepping stone kit and alphabet stamps to create the message.  I made a little polymer clay sculpture of Ozzy and pressed that into the mix, along with glow in the dark stars and little red hearts.  I made an impression of a paw print to one side as well.  Once the stone was dry I painted the paw print black and filled the letters with glow in the dark paint, then sealed the stone with a high gloss glaze.  I feel like the glow in the dark elements represents Ozzy's glowing spirit.  I'll probably wait until spring to put it on his grave- I don't want to risk having it freeze and crack.

I still plan on making an Ozzy Angel sculpture.  I haven't done any sculpting since he died.  I want to thank everyone who has offered their kindness and sympathy since I lost my kitty.  It truly has helped to ease the pain.  And a special thanks to ButtonWilloe, who made me a very sweet little Ozzy sculpture, and has really been there for me.  By the way, the picture above is from when Ozzy was a little kitten.  He was always such a feisty little man (but never mean).  He was as playful as a kitten until the last few months of his life.  Now he's free to jump and play again.

-Michelle of CreativeCritters