I actually thought Possum had died yesterday, because she was curled up in the corner of her cage and didn’t respond to my nudges. But when I carried her cage out to the kitchen, she suddenly sucked in a huge breath. It was as if she inflated, then deflated. After a minute or two, she inflated again.

So I knew her time was near. Today she was still and cold, and definitely not breathing anymore. She looked pretty peaceful, actually, as if she had gone to sleep. Peter took her passing pretty well. I wrapped her body and placed it in a box, because the foot of snow on the ground isn’t conducive to a burial right now. Her cage and toys have been cleaned. The untouched bowl of food has been discarded.

She was a good little critter, and I’ll miss her.