"Max" by Christina Shafer

Max came into my life in early December of 2010. I’d say he was an early Christmas present. When he arrived, he was about 6 or 7 weeks old, I’m guessing . One day I heard meowing in the garage. Once I got closer to the sound, the mewing stopped. There was a narrow gap between an interior wall of the garage and a large trunk placed next to it. The sound had come from there, yet it seemed too small a space for a cat. However, when I pulled the trunk away, out darted a little tiger-striped kitten with white paws and nose, not as small as a teacup, more like coffee mug size. (I probably came up with this type of comparison because it was 6:00 a.m. and I hadn't had my coffee yet!) The terrified kitten scurried across the garage to another hiding place. All the doors were shut, so the little guy couldn’t escape. The hunt was on. After about twenty minutes of “cat and mouse,” I finally caught the squirming little mound of fur. I put him in my dog Riley’s rarely used dog crate, along with a small litter box, bed, wet food, water, and some of my cat Al’s toys. Then within a few hours, I could hold the kitten without him trying to flee. He purred (and still does) with the loudest motor I’ve ever heard from any cat, let alone a small kitten.

Today Max is probably going on 5 months old. He fits right in with the family. He bugs his big brother Al by jumping on him and trying to bite his neck. Al is a lover not a fighter, so typically he pins Max and then gives him a tongue bath. ( Al is the most fastidious of cats.) He is very patient with the younster. Sometimes, though, he's had enough and retreats to the out of doors where Max cannot follow, yet.

As for Max and Riley, they are great friends. Max can get a bit slap happy with Riley, but she has very good boundaries with cats. When Riley came into my home nearly two years ago, she was taught to respect Al; he is not a play toy. She was taught the command, “Don’t touch.” (This is the one command that I taught her well.) That’s not to say that she and Max don’t play, they do, but it’s supervised. Riley is particularly impressed with Max’s antics with empty soda can boxes, one of Max’s favorite play things. Max will put his head in the opening and then very quickly scoot the box around on the floor. Sometimes Riley puts a paw on top of the box to halt Max-the-boxhead’s progress. This is entertaining stuff - The Max and Riley Show.

Max wasn't a planned pet, but neither was Al, and I cannot imagine my life without him. Max found us and we're glad he did. Well, Al is most of the time.

Chris Shafer

---------------------------------

Previous The Cat Corner Issues:

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011

February 2011