#BestCarcass Final House Cat Update

--Jan 19th, 2026 Final/Update--
A lot has happened since I first found the poor cat. The once beautiful orange tabby (since dubbed 'Carlton') has fully eroded to just bones, dust, and a small but tough leather hide. Small critters (likely beetles, squirrels, moles, and the neighbor's annoying chickens) have been disturbing the corpse over the past year. No human has touched it until today.

The vast majority of the skeleton has been scattered around by nature. Sadly, his jaw is now missing and his skull is fully disconnected. Only by a tiny patch of his left cheekbone was his hide connected.

Today I broke a promise.
Today, I (a human) disturbed Carlton's corpse. I've finally collected his remains for burial. I have yet to decide where to lay him to rest, as I have few options. I'm considering buying him where he fell. Under the abandoned mobile home.

I also find myself at a crossroads decision. Do I bury his skull with the rest of his remaining remains; or do I keep and clean it so he's remembered? There were no flyers, nor local ads ever put up in search of him. It's as if he had been forgotten before he passed away. I have little thought that old Carlton was the great-grandfather of some of our current cats. They all have a tabby strain with hints of orange fur. Before Calton, my parents had no orange cats, but black and white cats. Today, all but a recent adoption is a clear tabby.

What do you think? Should I preserve Carlton's skull? Or bury it with the rest of his remains?