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Welcome to Buddha's Forever Home pageThis page will grow along with our relationship with Buddha. |
If you have met our beautiful Buddha and have a story to share about your visit, you can email your story to buddha at companionbook dot com. Selected messages will be posted on this page.
December 7, 2011 - Home for the Holidays!
Buddha is a real homebody. Last Christmas, our experience of taking him out to have his picture taken with Santa was quite memorable. Buddha was very uncomfortable and frightened. We discussed it thoroughly and it was decided that it would be unkind for us to cause him unnecessary anxiety by taking him far out of his comfort zone for a photo just to go tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas.
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Instead we decided to send Buddha's cousin, Mister, for a photo with Santa. Mister was adopted in September from Action for Animals through their Adoption Centre in Vancouver Pet Food which is just kitty corner from Companion Book (couldn't resist the pun). Mister is only 8 months old and bold as brass - as you can see in his photo with Santa. He thought this was a great and wonderful adventure and he got treats to boot! (which he shared with Buddha) |
Naturally Mister's confidence was bolstered by the presence of 'big sister', Sweep. She was not necessarily happy with sharing Santa's lap with her bratty baby brother... and they did get to tell Santa what they wanted and give him Buddha's list too. Satisfied with many goodies they are awaiting the Big Day and they are so very happy to have a home for the holidays! This brings us to Buddha's wish list. As you may already know, Buddha is himself a rescue cat. While he was treated very well in the shelter, what he really wanted was a home to call his own. Now that he has one, he is very focused on staying here! Buddha's wish is for every pet to have a Forever Home. If you are an animal lover and are looking for a fur-friend to share your life, please seriously consider adopting an animal from your local shelter or rescue society rather than purchasing from a pet shop. You can change the life of an animal forever, with the gift of love. Here are some of the places you can look: |
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November 20, 2011
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Hola! Dos corvites del gato por favor. (We couldn't resist trying it on him. He is SO patient with us!) |
May 23, 2011
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This great candid photo of Buddha was sent to us by Hanna. Thanks for sharing! Buddha clearly likes resting on books. He also likes to drape himself over our file tray |
May 22, 2011 - The Great Wasp Hunt!
The weather has been so wonderful the past few days that we opened the windows to let the spring breeze blow gently through the store. On the breeze came the first very large wasp of the season - a not uncommon happening when you have no screens. The wasp's presence would have gone completely unnoticed if it hadn't been for the sudden and unexpected stirring of Buddha's true kitty nature.
Buddha couldn't resist watching this novel new toy that didn't have a string attached. It moved all by itself. He was intrigued. He followed it, watching closely. It kept buzzing around. Buddha would catch it. He would pursue it and pounce on it. The great hunt was on!
Cam, working at the counter, noticed Buddha stalking the wasp and predicted dire consequences for Buddha if he were successful. What could do you do for a cat who gets stung? He tried to distract Buddha while looking for something with which to whack the wasp. Who knows where the fly swatter has been put? Do we even have one?
The wasp meandered in to the display window with Buddha in hot pursuit. In desperation, Cam grabbed up a book destined for the dollar bin, leapt up to the window, restrained Buddha and began trying to smack the wasp with the book. Buddha was furious! He loudly yowled his outrage at his hunt being thwarted and redoubled his efforts to get that wasp. Cam struggled to hold Buddha back and kill the wasp. After several loud thumps and bangs he succeeded and the wasp was dead.
Poor Cam turned around to see a gathering of customers who had all come to the front to find out why Buddha was howling like a banshee. They were all looking at Cam questioningly and he had no idea how long they had been standing there. It dawned on Cam that what the customers witnessed was Cam reaching over into the window and flailing about with the book and Buddha shrieking. From the customer viewpoint there was no wasp visible. Somewhat embarrassed, Cam picked up the dead wasp with a tissue. Buddha leapt, unharmed, from the window. Not a word was spoken.
Cam reported this event to Paul in case one of the witnesses was worried about the perceived treatment of Buddha and Paul relayed the story to me. I couldn't help but laugh. Sorry, Cam, this was just too good to not add to Buddha's story. Thank you for trying to save Buddha from his own folly!
We now have a convenient fly swatter for future need.
May 15, 2011
With spring trying to make its appearance, we are seeing signs that Buddha is experiencing Spring Fever. He seems to be spending more time in the window and has been caught romping about the store in the morning. We have to be careful not to laugh out loud when we notice our big boy frolicking down a book aisle in pursuit of some invisible thing. I sometimes think he is embarrassed to be caught acting like a kitten. If we giggle, he stops playing, gives us "the look" and then stalks majestically away from us with his tail waving and that is the end of the game. Later, when he wants chin rubs or treats, he seems to forgive our merrymaking at his expense.
April 2, 2011
We have discovered Buddha's favourite treat is dried salmon which we get from our neighbouring store Van Pet. He gets so excited that he drools on the counter when we open the bag. We've actually had to hide the bag because he was following his nose and trying to get into the drawer where we were keeping the package. The treats became necessary as a reward (or a bribe) when he had an eye infection and we had to keep putting an ointment in his eye. He found it very distressing to see that tube of medicine approaching his eye and the reward refocused his attention. The eye is perfectly ok now and Buddha still wants a reward. I hope his weight doesn't go up!
March 20, 2011
Buddha has lost weight! He is now down to 20.7 pounds. This is an official weigh-in at the veterinary clinic when we took him in for his annual checkup.
We have observed him bounding down the aisles more frequently and had thought it was just spring fever; but perhaps it is because he has more energy having lost that bit of weight? If you want the chance to see a bounding Buddha you would have to be in during the morning hours. By lunch time he is back to his supervisory position on the counter, or lounging in the window.
January 30, 2011
February 1st celebrates Buddha's 2nd anniversary at Companion Book and Buddha's 6th birthday. His favourite tasks are supervising the front counter from the vantage point on top of the file trays and redecorating the window displays (otherwise known as napping in the window and toppling the books when he jumps back to the counter). What can we say; we love this big bundle of purrsonality!
During our recent New Year clean-up we decided that a cart we had been hanging on to in the back room was just not suitable to our needs and had only become a place to "pile stuff". Once the "stuff" was sorted into its proper place the empty cart sat, briefly, at the front of the store before it went to its new home at Renaissance Books in New West (remember we Recycle). While at the front of the store it was a helpful work surface for one of our staff and Buddha found the shelves perfect "kitty caves" for lurking. We had to remove him or Renaissance Books would have gotten a cat too!
December 10, 2010
Finally, I got the chance to put up the photos of Buddha with Santa Paws! It has been a very busy week and several people have asked to see them. We heard that this fund-raiser to help kitties find forever homes was a wonderful success. Buddha is glad to have helped out with his donation.
You may notice that Buddha is hanging on to Santa in some of the photos. This event was noticably more stressful for him this year. When he returned to his store he was trembling and rather desperate to get to his bed on the counter where he remained for the rest of the day. He really is a homebody.
December 1, 2010
Buddha is all ready to go again this year and have his picture taken with Santa Paws! As soon as we have his picture it will be posted here on his page. Stay tuned.
If you would like to take your own fur friend for a photo with Santa Paws this Saturday December 3, follow this link Santa Paws. There are goodie bags for all pets who participate and the money goes to an animal rescue group. Buddha highly approves of this as he was a rescue.
November 4, 2010
Well, Hallowe'en has come and gone and Buddha made it through all the excitement. I think we had more visitors this year and it became a bit overwhelming for Buddha. He finally decided to take himself off to the back of the store where it was a whole lot more quiet. Once the event was over he was willing to return to the counter and assist with his standard bookish work. A party animal he is not.
Before things got busy and exciting we dressed him in his costume and tried adding devil horns. Buddha was NOT amused. I'm not sure whether it was the horns or our laughter that put him off.
October 12, 2010
For this Hallowe'en on the Heights, Buddha has decided to reprise his role as BOOdha. This is a good thing since we couldn't find another costume that he can fit into. After Thanksgiving he goes back on his diet. Please, no treats for Buddha on Hallowe'en. We have a special treat planned for him.
October 3, 2010
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Okay, I take back what I said about Buddha's diet not working. We took him to the vet for his check-up and when they weighed him it turns out Buddha has lost a whopping .3 of a pound! Yay Bu!! The vet and clinic staff think he is beautiful. He was a bit nervous on the drive over and had to be coaxed out of his carrier. The technician wanted to get his weight so we urged him onto the scale. Buddha decided that the scale was a comfortable spot to wait for the vet so he lay down and I got this photo of him. He was so relaxed on the scale that the vet decided to do her examination of him right there. She proclaimed him healthy, if a tad overweight. We're going to keep to our story that he is just "big boned". After all, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I might just save him a little turkey treat. |
September 23, 2010
It doesn't appear that Buddha's diet is working. We got him the food dispensing balls to give him some exercise and mental stimulation while chasing down his dinner. This week we caught him sitting with the food ball and giving it just enough of a smack to make it spill out food. Then he whacks it back with the other paw and more food spills right in front of him. He has learned to get the food with minimal effort. What a clever fat boy! We need to come up with another strategy.
August 8, 2010
Buddha has been with us for a little over a year and a half. We think he is finally relaxing into being a store kitty and taking on some of the duties of customer relations. He has been seen following customers through the stacks, rubbing against their legs and flopping on his side to get petted. While not as forward in demanding attention as Tigger was, we think he has learned that some folks would like to pet the cat.
May 5, 2010
The spring cleaning sale was over and we were in on Monday to tidy up, change the window around and, of course, to feed Buddha. Wait, I wrote that in the wrong order. First we pet/cuddle/love-up Buddha, refresh his water bowl and give him breakfast and then we do the other stuff. Naturally, we are boring once we are involved in the "other stuff". Buddha was not impressed that we were redecorating the window because he was going to go there for his after breakfast snooze. Off he stalked toward the back of the store. We finished the window, the shipping and our other tasks and we hadn't seen Buddha since we fed him. We filled his food ball and made up his soup (he likes his canned food mixed with water) and on the way to put his soup bowl on the counter we saw where he had hidden himself. The search for a camera ensued. In the end we got these photos of Buddha in the bookshelf...
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March 25, 2010
Does the new photo we placed on Buddha's page look a bit familiar? We liked this photo of Buddha so much we decided to use it to advertise the store. If you shop at the Hastings and Willingdon Safeway, you might see Buddha's image on the front of the shopping cart. Hanging out on the counter and resting on a book pile is one of his favourite ways to supervise his humans!
March 1, 2010
Spring appears to be here and Buddha is still practicing his own Olympic sport of breakfast pursuit. He has gotten on to the idea of chasing down the chow but it doesn't appear to be causing to lose much weight. He does like his kitty greens treat. At least he doesn't have to run after his salad! We need to find more ways it keep the big guy's mind and body active!
February 3, 2010
It is now a whole year since Buddha came to live and work with us!. Time flies. In some ways it seems Buddha just arrived and in others we love him like he has been here forever. He is such a lovey boy. When we arrive in the morning he greets us with total enthusiasm. At first we thought he just wanted food. Now we get showered with affection - Buddha style. He thinks numerous head bonks are the way to say "Great to see you!" Then he wants to climb on us, purr and get chin rubbies. He is too big to just sit on your lap.... and still he tries. We understand he is a bit more reserved with folks who visit the store. It's just his way. Frankly, we think it is a good thing that he doesn't try to crawl right up on people the way Tigger used to do. He is a whole lot bigger and heavier than she ever was and it could be quite frightening to some folks to have a 21 pound cat trying to walk up the front of them!
Buddha has fit right in. He has his favourite things to do and his 'scheduled' nap times. You are always welcome to adore the Buddha; but, he might not get out of his bed to greet you. He is a real energy conservationist! When he feels playful we get the relatively rare opportunity to see him bound down the aisles. Our latest scheme to get him to exercise more is to shake the food bag and walk briskly down the aisle ahead of him. He usually trots the first row and then he just strides purposefully after us until we decide it is enough and fill his nibbles ball. If we make him walk too far (in his estimation) he has a rest and then bats the ball around to get a second breakfast. We're starting to believe he is related to Hobbits!.
January 3, 2010
Buddha rang in the new year with a new attitude toward food - he runs after it! The food ball is a big hit and Buddha has caught on to this new way of getting some of his chow. Because he is on a special diet, we are trying him with some different foods to see what will work for him and what he actually likes. Anyone who has ever been owned by a cat can tell you how finiky they can be. We tried him with a new flavour over the holidays and he is starting to show a preference. This is a good thing in that we want him to be happy with his diet change and we do want him to like his diet food so it won't be so hard for him to do the diet. Buddha would like to get more chin rubs these days. Any volunteers out there to drop by and rub a cat?
December 19, 2009
We understand that some of our customers like to bring Buddha a treat; however, we would greatly appreciate it if you could just give him a chin scratch. Our favourite boy has some serious health issues that require we carefully monitor what he gets to eat.
Buddha had a recent trip to the vet for his regular check-up. We learned that dear Buddha has food allergies. The really sad part of all this is that his allergies make him feel hungry all the time and this is why he has been gaining so much weight! Who would have guessed?
Buddha is now on a very special diet to eliminate the things he is allergic to and help him lose weight. We even opened one of his Christmas gifts early to help him out. He has a special "food ball" that helps him get a workout while getting breakfast. It took him a bit to catch on to how to get the ball to "give up" some chow and he was very frustrated the first few days. Now he has everything under paw and chases down his lunch too.
November 29, 2009
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Van Pet Food and Supplies were having a fund raiser for the local shelter by offering a photo of your pet with Santa. We thought it would be fun to take Buddha but were concerned that he would flip when he saw the dogs. We bundled him into the carrier to take him. He had no idea where he was going and wasn't impressed with the rain on his short trip across the street.
When we arrived, Santa's Helper took Buddha from his carrier and over to Santa. You can see he is a little unsure and wondering what is happening here. Once on Santa's lap you could see him looking about for an escape route. Fortunately there were no dogs in close proximity and Buddha only had to deal with being held by strangers. Buddha isn't really happy being picked up because he is so large and most folks can't support him easily. Naturally Santa is well aware of this so Buddha has nothing to worry about. I saw Santa with a Golden Retreiver on his lap!
While Buddha and Santa were working out how Santa was going to hold a wriggling 22 lb. kitty, we watched Buddha's reaction to being in Santa's arms.
First he looked up to see if there was a high place he could jump up to and get away. OK, maybe UP was going to take a lot of effort. Buddha looked toward the floor for his next option. Then Buddha looked down and over his shouler and realized there were Dogs visiting Santa. DOGS! Santa, there are DOGS here! DOGS!!
Suddenly Santa was Buddha's best friend in the whole world. He gave up his wiggling and we got a lovely picture of Buddha with Santa.
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Buddha with Santa - two big guys! A big thank you to Santa's Helpers, and the staff of Van Pet, for helping Buddha feel safe getting his photo taken! The photographer was wonderful and I really appreciate his providing the extra photos so I could put them on Buddha's page and share his experience. Buddha's favourite part was the swag. He has a new favourite food that he got to try and the catnip had him trying to get into his gift bag soon after we returned to the bookstore. Happy Christmas Everyone! |
November 2, 2009
Buddha's first Hallowe'en with us. He graciously wore his costume without trying to eat the shiny pumpkins that dangled on the ends of his ruff. We were really concerned that he was going to object to the costume by chewing on it. Lots of folks wanted to take his picture and out popped the cell phone cameras. Buddha, in true Zen style, took it all in stride. There was a short time where he found the whole trick-or-treat crowd just a little too overwhelming and tried his usual escape route into the window. This didn't last long when he realized that there were hordes of goblins racing about "out there" as well. Luckily for Buddha, Bonnie came in and took Buddha to a quiet spot near the back of the store for a big cuddle. |
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October 17, 2009
Halloween approaches and Buddha is well into the store's routine. He is busy frustrating the heck out of our window dresser with his constant re-designs.
We're wondering what he will think of Halloween on the Heights. This was one of Tigger's favourite events where she enjoyed sitting on the counter to supervise the handing out of treats to our goblin visitors. We have no idea how Buddha will behave.
Buddha is all ready with his costume. He has tried it on and we think it quite suits him. He will be in disguise as BOOdha
(No treats for Buddha please. We have a little something special for him that he will really enjoy and it won't hurt his diet.)
September 27, 2009
Not completely satisfied with minor readjustments to the window; today, Buddha decided to help with redecorating the window. He spent a great amount of time trying out the various bits and pieces as bedding. In order to get the window completed I tried tossing pieces of kitty kibble around to get Buddah to move out of the way. We discovered "hunting" for kibble is a great way to entertain and exercise our portly boy!
September 8, 2009
Poor Buddha is back on a strict diet! His weight has increased significantly and we and the vet are very concerned about his health. His Doctor has drastically altered what we are permitted to feed Buddha and all treats are now a thing of the past. Cheek rubs and cuddles are the only rewards we can offer Buddha at this time. If you come by to visit our big boy he would really love a friendly pat.
August 24. 2009
Buddha appears to be quite happy with his life as a store cat. He has taken to sleeping in the store window and we frequently find him there when we arrive to open for the day. He quickly scrambles out of the window to demand affection and breakfast. After a nibble, he supervises the front desk and eventually goes for a nap.
We think Buddha is starting to lose his fascination with the great outdoors. He does enjoy looking out the window to watch the world go by. This is his favourite place for an afternoon nap. If you want to see Buddha in action, then you really have to come and visit us in the morning. He is much more active then.
As all cats do, Buddha puts himself in various places. He recently decided that a bag of books was something the kitty should try on for size. We were amazed that he fit and frankly don't know how he managed this feat without having both bag and himself falling to the floor. Many thanks to John for sending us these candid cat moments he captured on camera!
July 12. 2009
A big THANK YOU! to all of our customers for helping keep our curious big Buddha in the store. He is still quite interested in checking "out there".
About 6 months with us now and Buddha has slimmed down and is no longer officially on a diet - although we are keeping an eye on his weight. He is still close to being a sturdy 18 pounds.
The "Dog days" of summer are also, apparently, the "Cat days". The heat has made Buddha a bit more of a layabout. In his search for cooler places to stretch out he has discovered the counter top. This frequently makes it awkward for us when the place where we would normally sort books and package shipments is occupied by a lounging kitty. We have complained to him -- and he ignores us. He has definitely become family!
| Buddha continues to try to be helpful. Yesterday he took over managing the telephone. Perhaps he was feeling guilty about having taken over the counter again. He wasn't the least bit concerned when it rang. Please forgive us if we sometimes can't answer the phone right away. First, we may have to liberate it from the Buddha's paws. |  |
April 19, 2009
| It is nearly 3 months since Buddha joined us in the store. He is has tried his best to fit into everything. Unfortunately for Buddha, he is too large for some things - like this basket that used to be Tigger's.He kept pushing hard to make it bigger. Now he has his own plush bed on the counter where the basket used to be. |  |
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Ever helpful, Buddha takes a break in the file tray. If you visit us in the mornings you are more likely to find Buddha on patrol around the store. Sometimes he hops over into the window and watches what is going on outside. We have seen him stalking dogs on the other side of the window - he doesn't like dogs! During the the afternoons he helps us out at the sales counter or supervises book pricing from his bed. He is always willing for a pat and a cheek scratch! |
in the beginning...
Buddha began his new life with Companion Book on Sunday February 1, 2009. We don't know what his life was before we adopted him, only that he had found himself in an animal shelter and needed a forever home.
We were searching for a friendly cat to take on the serious task of Chief Mouser. This is a very serious position when you have a bookstore in an older building. We've never seen a mouse (and don't want to!!) and we like having a cat around to help us with our book work.
We chose Buddha over two other cats recommended by the knowledgeable shelter staff because he seemed to be best suited to a busy bookstore environment. He was chosen on January 26th 2009, the New Moon and beginning of the Chinese New Year of the OX.
To those who believe in auspicious circumstances, the New Moon means new beginnings. It signified the beginning of the Year of the OX where the Chinese zodiac describes the OX as being "Responsible, dependable, honest, caring, honourable, intelligent, artistic, industrious, practical". Buddha has proven, thus far, to be dependable, responsible and practical in his dealings with customers.
A gentle giant who likes children, adults and a friendly cheek scratch, he is also large and has been described as being "like a bull in a china shop". The name Buddha (we liked it so we kept it) means "awake" or "enlightened". A Zen Buddhist monk who visited our store seemed to approve and remarked, with a smile "next time human being?"
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On his very first afternoon, brave Buddha was patrolling the aisles and exploring his new home. The store was a bit quiet; we had placed signs on the door announcing his arrival and were asking folks to be aware of our new friend while he sorted things out for himself. Within a very short time Buddha had met a customer in the aisle and rubbed against the man's pant leg. He stayed closer to the back of the store where he could quickly dash into the storage room. At one point I was looking for a large (and only half filled) box of window decorations. When I went to pick it up it was much heavier than I remembered so I opened it to make sure I had the correct carton and found Buddha inside peering up at me. |
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Buddha made another new friend! Having a peaceful, friendly cat is a must when children want to pet the kitty. This was the only concern we had with bringing Buddha into the book store. We were delighted to learn that Buddha is a very mellow boy who remains calm in most situations. Here Buddha is playing with his new friend. We also learned that Buddha is a real energy conservationist - except when you are offering him his dinner!
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By the end of his first day Buddha was up on the counter checking everything out. He really is a big boy and appears to have no idea just how big he is. He bumps things over and looks totally surprised when they topple. We dare not leave anything breakable or a cup of coffee where it might be in his path. Lately, Buddha has taken to strolling in the window and chatting with passers by. If you are in the neighbourhood a little before we open you might see him there. We think he is asking for breakfast. |
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Buddha enjoys exploring the bookshelves. Here he is perched on a step stool getting a scratch from one of the staff. Buddha has put himself into spaces on the bookshelves where there aren't any books. Already he has had to be "rescued" when he wriggled behind some books on the shelf and then thought there was no way for a kitty to get out! We believe Buddha is happy in his new forever home. We're certainly very happy we brought Buddha into our lives. He is a wonderful cat and already has a growing fan club among our customers. Drop by and say hello! |
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