That's what Mammoth is to us. We watched him being born. His mother pawed her way into our life a week before she went into labor. They always find me. I'm a sap/pushover. We've now had him--or he's owned us, I should say--for 16 years. I know every nuance of his moods. He knows mine. He charged my son, on several occassions, when in his teenage years, he made the mistake of yelling at me. Mammoth wrapped around his calf and sank his canines.
It was a beautiful moment.
From there forward, if my son & I started arguing, here came Mammoth....and there went my son, running like mad to his room..the cat chasing him. Having a devil of a time typing this, because I still laugh.
Don't mess with momma.
That darn cat also is the one who comes & sits with me when I cry.
Yeah, it's going to be like losing a child, buddy, shadow, when he passes.
I feel you and your wife's sorrow. It's horrible, the not knowing.
Yes, owls can lift rabbits and have even been known to cart off newborn deer (can't remember if there's a certain name). If you live with owls, and you decide to get another cat (go to the pound or humane society if possible & rescue one of those), I would opt to have it be strictly indoor. Now, males are much harder to keep in. They've a natural 'Tom' need to roam. Females are easier, but only when fixed. Otherwise, when they go into heat...whew...worse than a horny teenager.
You remember those years, dontchya?