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"I really don't want another cat," I said to my co-worker back in 2003.
The cat was a small stray she and her husband had found at their rural house. She was guestimated to be around two years old and they had named her Zinnia. She insisted that I needed another cat, that my one cat Murphy needed a companion for those days I was out of town. I stated that I couldn't take her because she had claws and wasn't fixed. It was a grand excuse really. However, she showed up soon with the same cat, front claws gone and spayed. Now I had no reason to say no, so reluctantly, I accepted her.
So, the cat gave up her plans for world domination and her ovaries, albeit involuntarily, and moved in with Murphy and me. I renamed her Maggie the Cat (TM).
Maggie the Cat (photo by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mikiedoggie)
2002(?) - March 7, 2016
Unlike Murphy who was very affectionate and playful, Maggie was neither. She was aloof and skittish. Where Murphy was more of a pet, Maggie was almost like a roommate. She would fool with me only when it suited her. She often fought with Murphy anytime he wanted to play. Luckily, her lack of front claws saved him from serious harm, but it never deterred him from trying to snuggle up to her.
When Murphy got sick and left us in 2013, Maggie took up the mantle of head housecat, resulting in a big reversal of behavior. She was still aloof, but seemed to want to be in my lap more often. She was more affectionate. She seemed to enjoy being around me. The line between being playful with her and annoying her was still very fuzzy, and I have the scars to prove it.
Maggie the Cat Attacks!
As I'd mentioned in a previous post, Maggie had a seizure over the weekend. The vet initially called me on Sunday evening to let me know that she hadn't had another seizure and I could pick up her the following morning. When I went to the vet ER this morning to get her, they informed me that she had two seizure episodes around 4 AM. The vet told me that the blood I'd seen was the result of Maggie biting her tongue during the seizure, which she had done again there, meaning that she had likely had one or more while I was out of town. They recommended I take her to my usual vet and discuss the possibility of seizure meds.
I left the Vet ER to my usual veterinarian immediately. He and I had a frank discussion. He said that in cats Maggie's age such seizures are often the result of brain tumors or lesions. To determine if this was the case, it would be a costly MRI. He said that the end result would be knowing a physical defect was there, but there was nothing they could do about it. Maggie would get worse over time. I weighed the options, including the amount of care I could give her with the quality of life she would have.
It is one of those decisions that we have to make that truly places us in the grown-up category. I've done it before, but the idea of choosing euthanasia for a pet you care for is horrific, no matter how much sense it makes logically.
Maggie put up a fuss one last time on me, drawing blood on both hands and nearly getting the veterinarian too. She always hated going to the vet, and almost always bit me when there. So this was normal. She definitely had felt better. He gave her a couple of shots and it was over. I kissed her forehead one last time and stroked her chin. We wrapped her in a thin, white towel and placed her in her carrier. I cried all the way home.
I took her inside our house one last time. I grabbed a couple of things and then took her into the woods behind the house. I found a nice tree for a marker, dug her a grave, and gently placed her inside. I put Murphy's ashes next to her, said a little prayer, and finished up. I placed a small log to block it off.
Be nice to Murphy when you see him on the Rainbow Bridge, Maggie. He'll show you the ropes.
And remember that I love you.
The cat was a small stray she and her husband had found at their rural house. She was guestimated to be around two years old and they had named her Zinnia. She insisted that I needed another cat, that my one cat Murphy needed a companion for those days I was out of town. I stated that I couldn't take her because she had claws and wasn't fixed. It was a grand excuse really. However, she showed up soon with the same cat, front claws gone and spayed. Now I had no reason to say no, so reluctantly, I accepted her.
So, the cat gave up her plans for world domination and her ovaries, albeit involuntarily, and moved in with Murphy and me. I renamed her Maggie the Cat (TM).
Maggie the Cat (photo by
mikiedoggie)2002(?) - March 7, 2016
Unlike Murphy who was very affectionate and playful, Maggie was neither. She was aloof and skittish. Where Murphy was more of a pet, Maggie was almost like a roommate. She would fool with me only when it suited her. She often fought with Murphy anytime he wanted to play. Luckily, her lack of front claws saved him from serious harm, but it never deterred him from trying to snuggle up to her.
When Murphy got sick and left us in 2013, Maggie took up the mantle of head housecat, resulting in a big reversal of behavior. She was still aloof, but seemed to want to be in my lap more often. She was more affectionate. She seemed to enjoy being around me. The line between being playful with her and annoying her was still very fuzzy, and I have the scars to prove it.
Maggie the Cat Attacks!
As I'd mentioned in a previous post, Maggie had a seizure over the weekend. The vet initially called me on Sunday evening to let me know that she hadn't had another seizure and I could pick up her the following morning. When I went to the vet ER this morning to get her, they informed me that she had two seizure episodes around 4 AM. The vet told me that the blood I'd seen was the result of Maggie biting her tongue during the seizure, which she had done again there, meaning that she had likely had one or more while I was out of town. They recommended I take her to my usual vet and discuss the possibility of seizure meds.
I left the Vet ER to my usual veterinarian immediately. He and I had a frank discussion. He said that in cats Maggie's age such seizures are often the result of brain tumors or lesions. To determine if this was the case, it would be a costly MRI. He said that the end result would be knowing a physical defect was there, but there was nothing they could do about it. Maggie would get worse over time. I weighed the options, including the amount of care I could give her with the quality of life she would have.
It is one of those decisions that we have to make that truly places us in the grown-up category. I've done it before, but the idea of choosing euthanasia for a pet you care for is horrific, no matter how much sense it makes logically.
Maggie put up a fuss one last time on me, drawing blood on both hands and nearly getting the veterinarian too. She always hated going to the vet, and almost always bit me when there. So this was normal. She definitely had felt better. He gave her a couple of shots and it was over. I kissed her forehead one last time and stroked her chin. We wrapped her in a thin, white towel and placed her in her carrier. I cried all the way home.
I took her inside our house one last time. I grabbed a couple of things and then took her into the woods behind the house. I found a nice tree for a marker, dug her a grave, and gently placed her inside. I put Murphy's ashes next to her, said a little prayer, and finished up. I placed a small log to block it off.
Be nice to Murphy when you see him on the Rainbow Bridge, Maggie. He'll show you the ropes.
And remember that I love you.
