A little update...

Supposed to be getting Rita's ashes back from the vet tomorrow morning. That's probably going to hurt. I'm planning on burying them near where I buried the last two cats I partnered with; part of me is hoping they find each other to play together in the afterlife.

Rita's daughter Rikki is generally being extra-affectionate, and I'm doing my best to support. Still an open question whether she'd be better or worse off if I adopted another cat to give her companionship; she was adopted as a pair with her mother because she was the only one of Rita's kits who couldn't bear to be separated from her. I'm hoping the last eight years have given her enough of a base to be happier and more stable, regardless of whether she gets a new companion.