His absence is deafening

I cannot stand it.

I've been parted from more than one cat in my life, and Tashi's takes the cake for totality of impact.

I cannot fathom what mom must be going through, having lost dad.

The grass on his grave is now mostly like the rest of the yard. It is marked with a stone from the yard, but I plan to change that, but have not made a decision on how I want it to be. I don't want some tombstone type thing, but I do want to mark it as special.

Mom has suggested planting cat nip on it...

I don't know, but will decide over the winter how I want to honor the gifts he gave us.

I intended to report on what I am calling Beetle Mania, but Tashi is so everpresent that he is often on my mind. I studiously avoid looking at the top right corner of the blog because I melt into a pool of tears each time I see him there.

I know in the coming months he will recede as the dominant thought, and then become a warm and happy memory that I had the gift of knowing him at all.

I am considering putting up a 72" welded wire fence and gate in hopes it will deter them from the road. The welded wire is fairly soft to discourage climbing, and the openings are 2" x 4" which is too small for a cat to get through. I have read that it is a very common fence type for pets. I will have to address the gaps around the gate...

It is too late to save Tashi from the road, and it may not really work for Snuggie or Jaz, but if I don't at least make a well educated attempt, I will be in really bad shape if another loss is incurred before I move on to a more remote property.

Well, the Beetle Mania post will just have to wait...