Remembering Tiger
We moved into this little house in this quiet little neighborhood six years ago. After only a few days here, I noticed a gray tabby striped cat hanging around the edge of the property.
I started talking to him and edging closer, hoping he would take that as a friendly gesture. After a few more days, he came close enough that I could pet him. He seemed hungry, so I offered him some food. It disappeared in about 10 seconds. That same day I was able to pick him up, and at that point we had both found a new friend.
He seemed to be homeless, maybe left by the previous occupants of the house. Mrs. Permanut and I invited him in, and he seemed somehow familiar with the house. We made a commitment to make him a part of our family.
Good decision; he was a happy little guy - with no name. We decided to call him Tiger, by virtue of his magnificent stripes.
Fast forward several moths later, when we had a new concrete driveway poured. Kept everybody out while it set, but Tiger managed to make a run down the driveway and leave very light footprints from one end to the other.
Fast forward again several months, to the summer of '24. Tiger just didn't come home one day. I went looking and calling for days, posters everywhere, no luck. Still don't know what happened.
So today I was cleaning the driveway, and I saw those little pawprints, i had to stop. Dang I miss that little guy.
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Such a cute love story with such heartbreak at the end.
I know how much harder it is to lose a loved pet without closure Permanut, and I'm so sorry you're going through this.
There's that little spark of hope that never dies, until we know for sure.
My Snuggles passed two years ago and I thank God every day that I found her.
I hope you said hello, and saw him in your dreams. May your memories keep you.
...the paw prints on your heart. 
In 1978, I got stationed in Japan with the Air Force nurse corps. I had 2 cats at the time that I left with my parents because they would have needed to stay in quarantine for 6 full months if I wanted to bring them to Japan. That didn't seem fair to them.
One was a dilute orange tabby Manx I named Tribble, after the Star Trek critter. I'd taken her in as a stray during my first AF assignment in San Antonio. She was very loyal, and followed me around like a dog. When I'd go across the parking lot of my apartment complex to visit with one of my colleagues, she'd follow me and wait at that apartment door until I came back out.
She disappeared from my parents' house one day, and never came back. I think she probably went off looking for me.
The other cat, and orange and white male name Tigger, went to sleep on a pile of burlap sacks in my parents' garage, and never woke up.
I'll always wonder if I should have subjected them to the 6 months of quarantine.