That's not daft, you are still very raw with emotion and the cardigan is a last connection with her, after all it probably still has her smell and fur on it. At least she is not far from you and you can visit her grave. It never gets any easier though does it!

it's a very expensive cashmere long cardigan from London, which i bought 25 years ago, it is still my favourite but coming apart at all the seams etc i keep meaning to try to repair it.

it was the warmest thing i had so she was wrapped in it on her last night, as we cuddled and chatted, and when she was gone, she was put in the shower room and covered with the cardigan. it smells of her but also of death. I will launder it one of these days and repair it, just can't quite do it yet!

i have moved her baskets so we can chop and prepare food again but her water fountain is still there. the other cats use it so will leave it there.

she was a little thing but we miss her very much.

Smokey obviously had good taste then I found the hardest things were removing bowls etc and the routine you get into with them and obviously always expecting to see them. I think there will be lots of people on the forum who miss all the stories and updates, thank you for sharing Smokey with us.

her bits and pieces have been put away and when another elderly british short hair comes along, a bed is waiting.

her tree over her grave is beginning to bud up and will soon be in flower, Saffy's grave, our previous blue, is sprouting daffodils. So sad that the two old biddies are gone but never forgotten.

We went on the search for a british blue but ended up with two geriatric persians - neither of which are blue. so what, they are lovely cats, very much in need of a final home.

Next time we have a death in the family, the search for a british blue will resume.

The little persian is quite like a cross between Saffy and Smokey, as frail as Smokey but with a bit of the Saffy I rule the world attitude. She marches around quite the thing, not fazed by anything, just like the Saffy did. Smokey didn't quite have enough of the self confidence.

It's sad when you lose these old ladies, as they have strong personalities.