Bento The Keyboard Cat Has Died

The Keyboard Cat has died, long live the Keyboard Cat. Bento The Beneficent was the second of what one can only presume will be a long line of feline rulers to wield a Casio to uplift and inspire a weary populace. The Spokesman Review reports that Bento died on March 8th. While Bento’s soul is immortal, his body was 9 years old at the time of his ascension.

Bento, known the world over for his generosity of spirit, his enduring patience and his wittle white mittens became an internet sensation on the hocks of his predecessor, Fatso The Faithful. Fatso was the first feline known to perform the thaumaturgical act of playing a keyboard while wearing pajamas. Fatso’s miracle was caught on tape and uploaded to YouTube many years after his death. And thus unto us a ginger dynasty was born. After Fatso and his original tune “Do do do do do dodododo do do do do do dododo” went viral in 2009, his owner Charlie Schmidt realized the universal void left in Fatso’s wake must be filled.  According to The Spokesman Review:

Schmidt scoured animal shelters for a suitable replacement. He found a new cat, named him Bento, and together they assumed the mantle of internet legend, attending conferences and churning out merchandise, in addition to making regular appearances around Spokane.

Personally, I hate that Keyboard Cat went commercial. I love all kitties, especially orange boys (I’ve had orange kitties since I was eight: Charlie, Henri, Brak, Waylon (RIP, my loves) and his brother Willie who I tried to take a picture of “writing” this post but I got bit), but while Bento was a generous and benevolent soul, his association with the Super Bowl and those pistachio commercials were beneath him. I’m sure soon enough we’ll be seeing a little poof of green conclave smoke coming out of the some chimney in Spokane announcing that a new feline has been chosen. Until that day we pay tribute to Bento, who was a good boy.

Pic: YouTube