Saying goodbye is never an easy thing to do, especially when it is to a dear friend and companion. This past Friday I had to say goodbye to my dear kitty Maxie. Maxie was nearly 17years old and her kidneys had failed in March. With treatment, she was able to improve but over the last week, her quality of life declined and it was finally time to say goodbye.
Maxie was the first cat that I had that was all my own. My parents were raising and showing Scottish Folds when I was in Veterinary School and they had a litter of kittens. They happened to be born on my Grammy’s birthday and there were 3 girls in the group so they named them Dori, Maxie, and Nellie after Doris Maxine Nelson. Maxie was a long haired Schottish Fold and at the time, they weren’t able to show long haired folds. So my parents called me and asked if I might be interested in this little tortise shell kitten. They sent me a picture and I have to say, it wa probably the cutest kitten I have ever seen. Over the years I somehow lost this picture, but trust me, she was the cutest thing ever! I told them YES and so my dad traveled across country to bring me little Maxie.
Maxie was such a funny little cat. She was always very small, never over 5 1/2 pounds and she always had a mad look on her face, hence one of her many nicknames, “Mad Max”. She also sat really strange, kind of like a person sat in a chair, and it always cracked people up. Maxie developed pretty severe arthritis in her elbows as she got older and I always figured that would be her demise. But with medication, Maxie lived years and did quite well. She was always very sweet, had a cute meow, and you really couldn’t help but love her 
I wish our pets lived longer. Maxie lived to nearly 17 but it just never seems quite long enough. It always seems a bit unfair that we inevitably have to let them go but such is the responsibility of a pet owner. It is our job and our duty to take care of them, and sadly, that means letting them go when it is time. Maxie’s time had come, and while I didn’t not want to do it, it did give me some peace and comfort to know she had lived a long and relatively healthy life. It made saying goodbye a little easier as I knew it was right. I tried not to focus on losing her, but focused on the joy and happiness she brought to my life. While she will be missed, she will live on in many happy memories in the minds of many who knew her. Good bye Maxie, I love you.
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- How does she sit like that?
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- Rolling around
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- In the jungle
