Thanks Rick, Dan,
Yes, Ben, my old moggy, was 18 1/2 years old, not bad for a cat, and has been in our house for 16 years. Lately he was a little incontinent, but he could have gone another two years I'm sure. He always appeared when we arrived home, hovering around the car waiting to get into the house for his food. In recent times he's become a bit slow changing direction because of arthritis in the back legs, and when I swung the car around, reversing into the garage, he failed to get out of the way in time and the outside front wheel hit him. He died in my arms in 5 minutes; it was all the more shocking as I was driving.
Brought up on a farm, I was always surrounded by animals, and can't live without them. My Father is the same; we both love cats and dogs. He still watches TV with his cat on his lap, at 83! I laid Ben to rest and will now wait until the winter is over before we get another tabby.
We are all saddened by death, but ruefully I've noticed that all creatures that are born eventually die. It is equally likely, of course. The manner of our death, and our relative comfort until that moment, is probably all that really matters. Ben had a great life, lots of good food and much love. If I was a cat, I'd want to live in my house.......
Cheers,
Hugh