It's been a sad weekend for the felines in our lives. Tobias Mathias, the walking creamsicle, was laid to rest in the burial ground up on the cliff. He was 17 and had been slowly taking on the eccentric traits of a cat that is in the winter of his life. First he stopped grooming. Then he devloped an odd fascination with liquids where he would not drink his water before he had swished movement into it with his paw. He would also climb into the tub and meow in a low, spooky monotone until someone came to turn on the faucet so that he could sit in and enjoy the running stream. One month ago he went entirely deaf. Around that time I took what would be the last picture of him during dinner out on the deck. He was always present under the table while eating with my parents, and his appetite could never be satiated. As you ate he would suddenly stand up on his hind legs and with one paw on the table for support he'd silently reach out with the other and gently tap your arm until you shared.