[Scott from the Left Coast]

And, if I still have the heart to cycle again, I have to cycle alone from now on...

As a dog owner I really sympathise with your loss. It is terrible, but always nice to hear of a dog living out its full life in a great home. That is something to celebrate.

And if I may be so bold...you are obviously a fabulous dog-owner...and you know, there are puppies out there that desperately need a great home. Desperately.

Can you think of a better monument for Gigi than a fantastic new home for a puppy in need?

[wimpycat]

Although it's probably the last thing on your mind at the moment, I must echo what these other two are saying. Nature must take its course, so Gigi couldn't live forever (the one downside to cats and dogs), but some day soon, I think it would be a nice way to honor Gigi by rescuing one of her brethren in the doggy world. Everybody's different, but it took us only a couple of weeks to get another cat. The house was just so empty! At first I thought we'd made a mistake (going from an old, slow cat to a young, hyperactive one can really throw you for a loop), but slowly she's grown on us. And she's alive. Personality-wise, she's nothing like Wimpy, and I picked her out on purpose because of that. She's her own cat who deserves to be accepted for herself. No, it's not the same. It will never be the same. But it's a new and different life.