Catherine (Cathy) Bosley passed away at home on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 in Kanab, Utah after a battle with cancer. By her side were her husband of 29 years, Randy, and her three cats (BB, Ridley and Willow) along with several of the senior cats they foster for Best Friends Animal Society. 

Cathy was born July 1961 in Oak Park, Illinois.  She was always interested in animals and even at a very young age would gravitate towards any animals she saw, though she preferred dogs.  

She attended Forest View High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Not sure what she wanted to do after high school, she attended a couple of different schools until she found her true passion. In 1986 she started a pet sitting business (Cozy Critters) in the suburbs of Chicago so that pets could stay in their own homes when their owners traveled. Cathy would do this while also working a full-time job. When she started Cozy Critters, Cathy thought this was a great compromise since she lived in a place that didn’t allow dogs but she could get to see all the dogs she wanted by taking care of other people’s dogs. 

This is where Cathy’s life took a dramatic turn. Initially, because of a bad experience when she was young, Cathy was not fond of cats. This changed with just one cat. Once Cathy met and fell in love with this one cat Mai Tai while pet sitting, her focus shifted to learning about and taking care of cats. As she always said, “If you don’t like cats, it’s because you haven’t met the right one.”

Cathy also met the love of her life, Randy, through another client. She knew he was perfect when on the first date he was on the floor playing with her cats, barely giving her a glance. They married October 15, 1994.

September 11,2001 had a profound impact on Cathy and she wanted to give back. A local shopping mall had a volunteer fair and Cathy thought about volunteering with The Red Cross or American Cancer Society but instead saw a table for a local cat shelter and jumped in with both feet. When Cathy found something she was passionate about, she didn’t hesitate and would do everything she could to help make it a success. Shortly after working with the shelter, Cathy and Randy found an organization called Best Friends Animal Society and went out to Utah to volunteer at their Sanctuary. This changed their lives and four years later they moved across the country so that Cathy could work with her passion, cats. Cathy thrived in Kanab working for Best Friends, making lifelong friends both feline and human. She easily made friends with visitors and volunteers to the Sanctuary. Her enthusiasm and her passion were hard to miss and she had many successes with the sick and feral cats in her care.

Cathy was an extremely giving and generous person who was greatly valued by all who knew her. She was always quick to offer support and was never happier than when she was helping others, both human and feline. She will be deeply missed.

To honor her legacy, in lieu of flowers, please send donations to Best Friends Animal Society at 5001 Angel Canyon Rd., Kanab, UT 84741 or by visiting bestfriends.org.