RIP Max

Our 17 year old family cat passed away today. I remember when we picked him out. My mom's co-worker had a litter of kittens. Max was this tiny furball with huge claws and he just clung to us. We put him in a picnic basket lined with blankets and he meowed all the way home.

He was our third family cat. The first two had been hit by cars. Max was the first cat that we kept indoors hardcore for about 15 years. He grew into a chatty and affectionate cat. He loved my brother's shoes when we were in high school. During the night, we kept him in the kitchen and over the years, he learned how to work a doorknob so we'd wake up and find him purring away on the sofa in the living room. He loved stretching out in front of the radiator or the refrigerator.

We got a cat leash and took him outside occasionally. Every sound we made and step we took, he winced like an embarrassed teenager. During the summer, he would roll around in the grass and gnaw on certain weeds.

When my parents were away for the summer, my brother and didn't shut Max in the kitchen during the nights. He would jump on my bed, circle me, and fall asleep on my hair so I woke up with a tail in my face. The way he'd beg for food during dinner was priceless. He'd get up on his hind legs and tap our fork holding hand as we raised food to our lips. He had weird food interests too. Sometimes we had to explain to him, "Max, it's pasta. Cats don't eat pasta." It didn't matter to him, anything that came from our plates was manna from heaven.

We would have complete conversations with him because my family is delusional like that. He'd meow, and we'd reply, "Yes Max, the paint job in the kitchen looks great." If anyone was standing around, he'd meow and meow until he was fed. Around the holidays, he liked chewing on ribbon.

My parents brought him to visit me when I was in the rehab hospital after my stroke. When I got home, I think he knew something had happened to me. He used to sit quietly in my lap while I stroked him with my damaged left hand. He also loved being scratched with big toes. If he saw any of us sitting with our shoes off, he'd sprawl in front of us enticingly. His favorite lounging place was the upper chest/shoulder area. His purring would slowly lull you into a nap until he started licking your ear.

The last couple of years, his health had been touch and go. He lost a lot of weight, threw up a lot, and became so dehydrated he couldn't meow so my parents would take him to the vet. More medication or injections and his health would improve for several months then the puking and dehydration would come back. This last time, he did gain weight but not in the areas needed. There was a vet appointment for this afternoon but this morning Max was lying in front of the sink, let out a yelp, and died with my mother by his side.