If you`ve visited Island Arts across from the Post Office on Second Street in the past two weeks you`ve probably asked "Where`s Bo?" If you don`t know who Bo is, then let me tell you, you missed meeting the coolest shop cat in Cedar Key. Bo, short for Bojangles, came to Island Arts about six months ago and quickly became a main attraction at the shop. Whether he was sleeping in a $98 ceramic bowl in the front window or, lounging between glasswork and sculptures on the first pedestal you see as you walk into the shop, Bo got attention and generated predictable comments and questions like: Is he real? Does the cat come with the bowl? OMG - he`s breathing! Almost everyone fell instantly in love with him. We never knew where he came from, but it was clear he was not your typical Cedar Key stray because he really liked people and their attention. Never did he flinch when a visitor would just have to pet him, wakening him for the umpteenth time that day from a snooze. He was always appreciative and gentle and we even have wondered if he is the reason our sales have increased lately. What a guy! Each morning when one of us came to open the shop, he would greet us and then walk to the door and put his paws on each side of the keyhole to show us where to put the key. Then he`d waltz right in and stand by while we completed our "opening routine" which, of course, included feeding him. Every afternoon, we`d have to shoo him out, but he never seemed to mind except when it was really cold. But what`s most impressive is that a couple of times when we accidently left him in, he politely turned over the trash can and carefully "took care of his business" on a little pile of trash that he would mound up so that he wouldn`t make a mess in the shop (TRUE STORY). So, what happened to Bo? The Happy Sad Story is that on Monday, April 9th, Phillip Campbell sat down on one of the benches in front of the shop while his wife went into the bank. Moments later, Bo proceeded to jump up into his lap, which was not his routine, and after checking out a scarred pad on one of Bo`s feet, Phillip knew he had found his lost cat, Jack. When Shirlene came out of the bank tears filled her eyes as joy filled her heart. It was a happy reunion and a sad goodbye. We miss you Bo. Come visit if you can... but next time tell your family where you are going. | 
