Photo by Chris Engel, www.chrisengel.com

We lost Casey on Wednesday evening, New Years Eve.

He was stuck by a vehicle on our street. At least the person had the heart to stop and move Casey to our neighbors porch. (I saw a plumbers truck stopped outside my neighbors house and slowly pull away. I believe I saw the person and he saw me. But I did not make any connection.) When our neighbor arrived home 20 min later she came right over and asked us to come and identify if the cat on her porch was ours. There are no words to describe the sadness that hits you when you see your pet dead. We buried him in his favourite part of the garden where he used to hang out and watch the birds and squirrels.

His death squashed any New Years Eve spirit we had, even going out for dinner to try get away from the house did not help.

There is a definite hole in our family now. Yes, I know he was just a cat, an independent inside/outside one at that, but he was still a part of our crazy family.

He used to just melt into your arms when you picked him up, no matter how he was held. He would sit on the bathroom sink while you were around, until you turned the water on at a trickle so he could drink fresh water. In the Summer time one of his favourite places to sleep was in the bathroom sinks, probably because it was nice and cool.

It is hard to think that he will not be there in the morning bugging me for wet food or terrorising the other animals. Time to try move on and focus on the other animals.

Casey was an inside/outside cat so there is always the risk that this would happen especially as we live on a cut through street. This makes it no less bearable. I have since clipped Oscar's claws (our other indoor outdoor cat), so preventing him from climbing the fence, and running the risk of him suffering the same fate.

In the Christian faith we are told animals do not go to heaven. I guess I like to believe that if they don't then than their spirit lives on in some other way, shape or form. To quote a movie "The Universe wastes nothing." I believe this is true.

Casey (AKA Casey Cookie/Cooks), you were a great cat. We love and miss you dearly.

Rest in peace.