{"id":2486,"date":"2025-10-30T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/?p=2486"},"modified":"2025-10-26T09:55:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T23:55:53","slug":"sixteen-years-with-takkun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2025\/10\/30\/sixteen-years-with-takkun\/","title":{"rendered":"Sixteen Years With Takkun"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s been a month since my last post, and there\u2019s a reason for that. Takkun, my cat, my shadow, and my daily companion for sixteen years, passed away a month ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the start of his life, it was just the two of us. Two bachelors living together. He\u2019d follow me around the house, sit on the couch beside me when I watched TV, or squeeze onto my lap while I worked at the computer. During the storms that caused the 2011 floods in Brisbane, Takkun sat on my lap on the front patio, watching the rain with me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He loved his routines and wasn\u2019t a big fan of change. When I met my wife and she eventually moved in, he wasn\u2019t thrilled at first, especially when she introduced her cat, Burrito, to the household. It took him a few months, but he got used to the new normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My wife often said Takkun was a dog in a cat\u2019s body<\/a>, not because he was messy, but because he lived for food and company. Everyone who met him loved him, even Dad, who was never really a cat person. \u201cWhy would you want a cat? They don\u2019t come when you call them,\u201d he\u2019d say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell\u2026 watch this, Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Takkun trotted over when I called his name. Dad was amazed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

.Takkun enjoyed sitting in the sun on the front patio and getting all the pats he could get from everyone who came to the house, family, friends, delivery drivers. He didn’t discriminate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every night he\u2019d remind everyone that it was dinner time. He\u2019d chase Burrito around the house and into the kitchen, because she was always fed first. Once she\u2019d eaten, he knew it was his turn. He\u2019d clean up her leftovers, then without fail, as I sat down to eat, he\u2019d place his paw on my leg, a quiet request for a share of my meal, and for a while, he’d even jump up onto the stool next to me to really get my attention, even though he\u2019d already had more than his fill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After dinner, he\u2019d wait on the couch until I sat in my spot, then place his paw on my arm, his signal that it was time for a hug. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At bedtime, he\u2019d sleep at my feet, and as he got older, he\u2019d slip under the covers between my wife and me during winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was in the pool, he\u2019d sit close by, usually on my towel, watching me from the edge, probably wondering what I was doing in a giant bowl of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, Takkun had cancer. It had spread too far by the time we knew. He had a scare a few months earlier where he had injured his hips, but it turns out that’s about the location the cancer must have started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I could change one thing, I\u2019d have let him eat whatever he wanted in his last few months. I\u2019d have skipped the diet that was intended to ease his hip pain and let him live like a king. That\u2019s my only regret, trying to keep him healthy when all he really needed was to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If he were here now, he\u2019d be lying beside me while I wrote this. Burrito, his little sister, has been doing her best to fill the space he left. She sits with me more often now, and I appreciate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people say, \u201che was just a cat.\u201d But when you\u2019ve shared sixteen years, dozens of routines, and a lifetime of quiet companionship, it\u2019s far more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a month since my last post, and there\u2019s a reason for that. Takkun, my cat, my shadow, and my daily companion for sixteen years, passed away a month ago. At the start of his life, it was just the two of us. Two bachelors living together. He\u2019d follow me around the house, sit on the couch beside me…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"A quiet reflection on sixteen years with my cat, Takkun \u2014 the routines, warmth, and small moments that made him part of every day.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":false,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PXL_20231105_063215763.MP_.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1831,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2024\/02\/15\/triumphing-over-watercooling-woes-with-diy-solutions\/","url_meta":{"origin":2486,"position":0},"title":"Triumphing Over Watercooling Woes With DIY Solutions","author":"Ryan Lenihan","date":"15 February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Sometimes, days just don't go as they're planned. Short Version What did you get up to on the weekend Ryan? \"Oh, I repaired a waterblock in my desktop PC\" Long Version I have a few hobbies, mostly extensions of things I was interested in when I was younger, but with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Personal"","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/category\/personal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mix of tools for diy works","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mix-of-tools-for-diy-works.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mix-of-tools-for-diy-works.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mix-of-tools-for-diy-works.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mix-of-tools-for-diy-works.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mix-of-tools-for-diy-works.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/mix-of-tools-for-diy-works.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1828,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2024\/02\/22\/revit-bulk-unit-conversion-addin\/","url_meta":{"origin":2486,"position":1},"title":"Revit Bulk Unit Conversion Addin","author":"Ryan Lenihan","date":"22 February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Journal scripting once offered a quick fix for converting Revit model and family units; it helped speed up the process, but it had the habit of failing on certain family types or dialogue boxes. To tackle this, I developed an add-in, which I shared on revit.com.au; which both overcame the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital"","block_context":{"text":"Digital","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/category\/digital\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tape measure with numbers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tape-measure-with-numbers.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tape-measure-with-numbers.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tape-measure-with-numbers.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tape-measure-with-numbers.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tape-measure-with-numbers.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tape-measure-with-numbers.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2275,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2025\/01\/23\/reflection-and-goals-for-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":2486,"position":2},"title":"Reflection and Goals for 2025","author":"Ryan Lenihan","date":"23 January 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Stepping into 2025, I\u2019ve been reflecting on the content from last year here on digitalbbq. It\u2019s been a year of exploration, learning, and sharing insights, but admittedly, I also hit the pause button for a bit. I decided to take time off for the \u201csilly season\u201d \u2014 a term I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Personal"","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/category\/personal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"New Year holidays event background, 2025 numbers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-year-holidays-event-background-2025-numbers.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-year-holidays-event-background-2025-numbers.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-year-holidays-event-background-2025-numbers.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-year-holidays-event-background-2025-numbers.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-year-holidays-event-background-2025-numbers.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-year-holidays-event-background-2025-numbers.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2689,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2026\/07\/23\/acc-model-upgrades-surprise-part-6-its-not-the-tech-that-breaks-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":2486,"position":3},"title":"ACC Model Upgrades. 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I\u2019m thrilled to introduce you to this new space, where I\u2019ll be sharing my knowledge of digital delivery and glimpses into the broader industry, along with the myriad adventures I embark on outside of work. 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