we tend to look on cats as more utilitarian than as pets Pretty insensitve I know and I apologize. Any animal can reach inside of us and find feelings we didn't know we could experience. We have a cat that is so independent we may not see her for 3 or 4 days and then she shows up with a mouse or a mole. I know you and Gail boyh are just as fond of your cats as we were of Jake. Time will heal, but it still hurts.

Rick, I like your thinking and believe you may have hit upon a number of possibilities.