We had a "wild" kitty we called "Grey." (Smokey would have been a better name for him since he was the color of smoke.) Anyway.....We fed him for about five years. We got to the point where we could pet him a little. He was pretty old when he showed up here. I fixed up a cat carrier with a heating pad for him every winter. Hubby found him dead on our deck two years ago while I was away. He buried him in the field behind our house and marked the grave with a stick and a beer can he found in the field and stuck it to the stick so I could identify his grave upon my return. You have to understand that hubby is very allergic to cats and therefore, doesn't know them. His voice actually cracked when he told me about his passing.
Understand why you were so attached and now sad. I'm so sorry.
Thanks, LBKQ. Our animal friends add joy to our life, even when they are transients and moochers. I understand your husband 's sadness, and yours, over your old stray.
What I like to think is that we gave animals like Gray and Smokey some comfort and happy times in their hard lives.