It was bound to happen eventually. Max loved being outside, and would dash out the door the instant we opened it. He was the King Cat of the neighborhood, and everyone knew him. He loved to sit at the edge of the field next to our house when the kids would play football. The kids would come by between plays and pet him, then dash off to continue the game. He would sit at the busstop with the kids waiting to go to school, and he had a number of houses where he made his daily visits. And he was always waiting for me when I came home from work, and he always came back at night to spend the night where it was warm and dry. He was cuddly and sweet, and thoroughly mellow.

One of the neighbors came by today, after finding Max on the highway. She'd wrapped him in paper and was crying as she handed him over to Jack.

Sigh. He was such a cool cat.