[Cats] anyone still out there?

[MJ]

Hi, all!

Kids are back to school and all of the back-to-school issues are coming 
to a close, so I have a bit more time to devote to my own interests 
again. <big sigh of relief>

You're all so quiet!  The summer was eventful for all of us.  Vacation, 
getting my middle daughter ready for high school, and dealing with a 
loss in our household.  We lost Phoebe (the dog) to cancer.  It was too 
far advanced for her to fight.  Chemo was too taxing for her, so we 
discontinued it and lost her a week later.  She died on her own (no 
euthanasia) in the car on the way to my vet's office.  Dummy me 
reflexively stated CPR before I realized what a stupid thing it would be 
to resuscitate her.  Bill wanted her ashes back - the first time we've 
ever done that - and they're now sitting on the mantle in a pretty 
wooden box with her collar and a lock of her hair.

Hugs misses her - as we all do.  He has no one to bring stuffed toys to 
anymore.  He still carries them around in his mouth and now follows the 
humans around while he carries them, meowing insistently.  My ancient 
one, Pumpkin, about 22 y/o now, is still going strong.  He's deaf as a 
door post, but he still gets around like a youngster.  The youngest, 
Harry and Hermione, are 4 y/o now.

It's funny how when we lose a fuzzer from our "herd," one of the others 
takes on personality traits of the one who's gone.  Harry is getting 
more and more like Corey every day.  And Hugs has taken over the bedtime 
rituals that Tammy used to do every night.  It's sort of comforting to 
see this, while at other times it gets downright creepy. <g>

What are everyone else's fuzzers up to?

-Marie