Casualties among the families of Denizens.

Name Muffy, Muster the Guard!

Settle down, Scout!

Cricket, Castle Chef, and her family lost Tigger two weeks ago. I asked her for a picture, but she had none, and sent this "thousand words," instead. 'Tis enough, methinks.

I have been looking for one for the past week and a half. I thought we had one or several on the desktop and the laptop, but no such luck. I have checked my camera's storage chips and nothing. And that has upset me more than I realized, because he was such a great cat and I was the one who had the pics of him jumping into the car, sleeping on Rebekah's lap, and my personal favorite; his naptime on her bed with her beanie baby teddy bear. He was so very gentle, for all that he was a redhead. He never bit or scratched anyone, and was a real gentleman. His favorite thing to do was plop in the middle of the kitchen during mealtime preparations and just watch.

He knew that if he was patient enough, he would get a bit of raw meat or some other tidbit such as tuna or even potato. He loved clam chowder...vegetables too. Needless to say, because it is rather rich, we didn't let him sample it too often. He left a couple of litters and they are all very handsome and very well bred cats just like their sire.

There were times he would pay the rent by leaving a few mice or squirrels on the back deck... and the time he left a couple of items for his mate to drag back to her kittens. He tangled with a bobcat; had a serious wound and that was when we found out he was positive for feline leukemia. We have had the other cats vaccinated.

While we waited for the vet to get ready, he sat on my shoulder, then Rebekah took him. She held him while he was injected first with the sedative, then the fatal injection. We cried all the way home. He is buried in the hobbit hole the kids dug the first year we moved here. He can see the other animals and join in the moonlight hunts.

All I have is the word picture, the memories, and a new space in my heart.

Murray, Castle Metalsmith and Trebuchet-maker to the Stars, lost his companion Jessica T. Hill, his pal of 18 years.

And Castle BarnCat, Sergeant S'mudge, has been moved from the MIA list, to Missing, Presumed Lost.

Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance sing three sparks to the Great Hunting Ground and Tennis Ball Chasing Facility.

They await us at Piddler's Green.