Bosko, a black kitten with extraordinary athletic ability, could jump seven feet in the air – a feat that earned him the nickname 'the great flying cat'. His owner, artist Gary Baseman, says he always knew when Bosko was about to leap because the cat would stare intensely before launching himself towards the ceiling.
Baseman, creator of the animated series Teacher's Pet, has long drawn inspiration from his pets. After his beloved cat Blackie died from illness in 2020, Baseman was consumed by grief. 'I felt as though I’d lost a part of myself,' he said. It took him a year before he could consider adopting another cat.
In 2020, a fan fostering three black kittens arranged a visit. Baseman felt an instant connection with one cat, whom he named Bosko after the American chocolate syrup. Bosko was playful, energetic, and had a tiny purr. His most remarkable trait was his agility: he would dart across rooms and land on Baseman's shoulders, seemingly flying through the air.
Bosko became Baseman's muse, infusing his art with a renewed sense of joy and vitality. 'Before Bosko, my art was focused on grief and remembrance,' Baseman explained. 'Bosko ignited the feeling of being alive again.' He drew comedic sketches of Bosko drinking chocolate syrup and shared videos of his acrobatics online, which gained a large following.
Tragically, in December 2024, Baseman returned home from a sunrise hike to find Bosko lifeless on his bed. He rushed the cat to a vet, desperately administering mouth-to-mouth en route. Despite the vets' efforts, Bosko could not be revived. 'I sat in the back room cradling his body, completely overcome by shock,' Baseman recalled.
Since Bosko's death, Baseman has adopted two more black cats, but he will always remember Bosko as 'the world’s greatest flying cat' who gave his creativity a new lease of life.
