Today was full of heartbreak. The end of the road for our fluffy little tabby cat, Dave.
She came to us in March 2011, sitting on our back porch and wooing us all with her big green eyes until we had to take her in.
She has been with us through thick and thin, for almost as long as the kids can remember.
Always a constant presence. A warm furry body to snuggle away a sleepless child's anxiety. The jingle bell on her collar, warning birds to beware. The hum of her purr as she settled herself on the hip or belly of whoever sat still long enough in a sunny spot.
There's a legend that she was a street cat, a fighter. Sometimes she'd disappear for days, reappearing with sticky fur or nicks taken out of her ears.
But she always came home.