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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Maine coon cat Max: His Story

Alright, get your tissues ready. I'm geared up to talk to you about Maxwel, Maximilian the Grrreat, Maxine (because he sounds like a girl), Maxi, etc. Our newly adopted main coon cat.

MAX in the shower

Momma was coming home from the animal shelter and she was supposed to bring home a large Akita and German Shepherd mix, Darla--only. Well, as it turns out, when M goes to the pound, ya never know what she'll bring home. So, I wasn't terribly surpised when she got out of the car, Darla's leash in hand and a huge box in the other. What was that box doing there and what was in it?
As M was leaving the shelter with her daughter, my beloved Sissy D, they discovered that one of the cat cages had a notice on it. Of course they rushed in the office to enquire. Max's hours were numbered. Momma tried to plead with the shelter, to give her 'till Monday (it was a weekend), but they shook their heads and confirmed that Max would NOT be around on Monday.
"Well, in that case, wrap him up!" M is decisive that way. Apparently, not only was Max "too old", he was eight, he had also been adopted out once. He had made it to the parking lot. Between the animal shelter and the lot he had apparently coughed up such an enormous cough ball that the lady turned around in her heels and returned him! OMD the fool!
It was July of 2008 the day M brought Max home. She hadn't even seen him at the animal shelter, not a glimpse. He had been curled up at the back of his cage at the shelter and he was barely visible. We all got to see him for the first time when he started coming out of his box, and coming, and coming, there was no end to this dude. Max is enormous! I now know that it's normal for a maine coon cat. He's much bigger than me, no surprise there, but he's also much bigger than the twins, the catnip addicts, Bob and Jet.
Max was covered in poo and we all held out breaths at both his beauty and his stench. M took care of the latter and we could all breathe again. Underneath the poo was one of the most gorgeous kats we'd ever seen.

This is Max the day he came home.
The face! This dude was not supposed to enjoy life any longer? What?!
See the "M" shape over his eyes? We think he's a Maine Coon Cat

The problems with Max became obvious immediately. M would occasionally and half-heartedly try to find him another home. I'd hear her on the phone: "I'm looking for a home for Max. He's awesome. He's the best. We should all adopt a pet. You can only have him if you really want him, because I want to keep him. Plus he has a couple of health issues. I love him sooo! Are you sure you can provide him with the best home, because actually, no, never mind, I want him." Needless to say, nobody dared adopt Max from my mom. But there was also no controlling the twins, out tailless cats. They hated. The reason? I personally believe they're still afraid of him. It's been a year and a half since then, but things haven't changed much. We've seen very little blood, and their fights are a mockery, but they do not get along. M got a bunch of feline anti-anxiety sprays, some herbal potions, and she did everything the experts said, but it didn't make a difference. M had a personal problem with Max too. He didn't want her. She'd try to pet him, and he'd worm away. She'd find him lying about contented, attempt to touch him, and he'd move. I could see the disappointment in her face. The worst part was, that when my human siblings would visit, Max was all over them, begging to be petted. What's up with that cat behavior? M is a charmer (with animals mainly, don't get me wrong), where was her mojo? My guess is her mojo left along with that first poo she had to clean off him.

Rescue Maine Coon Cat in his bed on his bed in his own bedroom

We lived like this for eighteen months, when M decided to get Max an As Seen on TV EmeryCat Scratch Board. Scratch boards are Max's passion, plus he hates having his nails clipped. So, M ordered him two and held her breath. Would they work on Max's nails? Would they make him happier? The Emery Boards finally arrived. They came with a kitty toy, that Max loves and two cheap looking de-shedder tools. Hmmm, M put the tools aside. She's got the Furminator and she loves it, even though Max winces and tries to squiggle away from her, somehow they were getting the hang of it. Golly, this almost sounds like a review, but I can't tell you much about the Emery yet. I need more time to have a educated opinion. Anyhow, the cheap looking de-shedders were abandoned in some kitchen drawer, until ...

Happy Max The Yogi

Friday night, a long time after we adopted Max from the animal shelter, we were all hanging in the living room, and what do I see? Max is all over M being brushed with the de-shedder and purring loudly. I guess Max didn't like the Furminator, his loss. M was mesmerized while Max was hypnotized. They remained there for about half an hour, while Bob made uneasy circles around them, vocalizing his frustration. Frankie put an end to it. She got fed up. She went up to Max's face and yelped "My turn!". He got the message and left to play with the fluffy cat toy that came with his EmeryCat. I have never seen a shinier kat. I have never seen Max more content. As for me, I'm a lady, and I patiently remained on my heating pad from where I observed all I just recounted, even though, between us, I was dying for my turn!
There's a feeling of tranquility in my home that wasn't there before. I want to believe that the Max-saga is coming to a fast end. We want him not just alive, but happy too, and he's finally getting it. What can I say, katz may be able to catch birds in the air, but when it comes down to their IQ, they are slower than k9s. Oh, I can also say that EmeryCat's de-shedders get an A+ from me, as does the Furminator for the rest of us. 
Twink!

30 comments:

Gus, Louie and Callie said...

What a wonderful story. We are so glad that Mom couldn't find anyone to adopt Max. He is yours now..

Big Sloppy Kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

NUPTIALS?????? OMD OMD Twinkie PLEASE tell me that isn't French for TUTORING!!!! I already had that... and did not care for it one tiny bit. YIKES!! Explaination PLEASE!!!
Ruby and Penny have already had WhoWhoextomies and I was TUTORED. We three are all about giving, BUTT enough already with the body parts!! I'm just sayin'.

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

Okay now for MAX. FURST... MY MOM IS ALL LEAKY EYED. She says Max reminds her of ... the ONE and ONLY CAT that ever has lived with her. His name was Prang. He lived to be 9. She took him to school with her every day. He was her Pet Therapy Cat. That was when she taught handicapped students age 5 to 10.
Now for Max. That is just a deeelicious story. It seems that Max was destined to be a part of your lives.
As for your mom's trouble getting Max to LOVE her... well, all I can say is that the Best things are WORTH WAITING FOR!!!

JacksDad said...

What a wonderful story. I do hope that Max realizes how much your M loves him. And I'm glad she gave him such a wonderful home!

Chester said...

Hiya TWinkietinydog! Nice to meetchya! I came over here to learn more about you and I find a handsome cat named Max. No Twinkietinydog! But in the process I learned that your M is a wonderful 2 legger who loves and adores animals pretty much the same as my Mom does. Only thing that stops her from bringin' home a bro or sis for me is Dad. Boo Dad. He thinks I'm plenty of animal for the house, although I did live with 2 guinea pigs when I first came to live here. We will wear Dad down eventually.
Hope to see ya again Twinkietinydog!
Chester ;0=)

Martine said...

Hi Twink,

Max is sure a pretty and big kitty! I miss having a kitty, I left my sweet little Valentina(sphynx) with my parents and Herod when I got married. She is very attached to Herod and our Staffy Bull Sherman who passed last year. It would be too mean to take her away. None the less we almost got another kitty last Christmas.... but it ended up not working out. So I will enjoy Max via your blog. He is so cute!!!

Glad the deshedder got M on Max's side!

xo martine & the kiddlets

houndstooth said...

Mom says she once had a cat who looked just like Max! His name was Alex and he was quite the character. Mom says she laughed a lot at him!

Bunny

houndstooth said...

Mom says she once had a cat who looked just like Max! His name was Alex and he was quite the character. Mom says she laughed a lot at him!

Bunny

Martha said...

We just loved hearing about Max. Our mum had a cat called Mouschi for 22 years - she died a couple of years back.
We are so glad your mom was there for Max.
love and kisses
Martha & Bailey xxx

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

We really aren't all that into cats, but the story of Max made our Mom teary - what a beautiful story and what a wonderful and patient Mom you have.

Woos, Phantom and Thunder

Lucy-Fur, as typed by Dr. Liz said...

What a great story! I'm so glad that Max finally decided that he fit in! He is SOOOOOO handsome! And has most impressive claws! We all love stories with happy endings! Thanks for telling us about Max; he's a lucky guy.

*kissey face*
-Fiona

Lorenza said...

Hi, Twinkie!
Well... it took some time but finally Max got the idea!
Glad he is happy and makes your Mom happy too!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza

Sagira said...

Your mom sounds like a very nice lady. Max was very lucky to have her on his side. I just love the photo of Max almost smiling when you first brought him home.

Dexter said...

Your mom is so patient to stick with Max for all this time. Maybe she has found his secret. I sure hope so.

Slobbers,
Mango

The Adventures of the LLB Gang said...

We are so glad that Max is a part of your family, thank you so much for sharing him with us!

Smileys!
Dory

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

KhonKhats?


Seriously, thank woo FUR sharing the story!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Ms. ~K said...

We love this story!!!
So happy for Max and M!!!
Licks and sniffs,
Zack, Sassy and Buddy

Scooter said...

That wa such a great story. I am glad that Max is happy and part of your family and that makes Mom happy too.

Smiles
Jazzi

meemsnyc said...

That is a lovely story about Max. How lucky that he has you and vice versa.

This is our catnip toy. It's so wonderful, we all love it.
http://www.kittycity.com/catnipcigar.html

Pat Wahler said...

Max certainly does look like a Maine Coon to me. And a very handsome one, indeed.

With critters, patience usually does pay off!

Smushie Ranch said...

Twink,

Mom got a purebred Main Coon kitten as a pressie a long time ago. Everything you describe about Max sounds exactly like her old cat. Mom says Main Coons are known for being kinda independent and aloof. And, his poo was the size of a Great Dane!!!! Mom thinks he weighed closed to 27lbs.

We're so glad you gots Max outta the shelter. He looks so happy!

Love,
Stella

Life With Dogs said...

Max has much to be thankful for, and so do you - even I don't have a heating pad! :)

kissa-bull said...

mommish just loves to see storys of the meow meow's
she had nothing but kitties growing up with our grammy and has always had a soft spot for the big fat ones
i guess, thats why she likes me so much
teehee
wiggles and pibble sugars
brinks

Sketching with Dogs said...

Aww, thank goodness your Mum rescued Max from the shelter. Eight?? Tell that to our cat brother Dylan Thomas who live to be eighteen and a half!
Mum wondered if Max was a Maine Coon cat. We are glad you found something that keeps him happy. Cats can be funny with each other. Dylan used to have a cat brother, Linus, to 'keep him company' and they only ever tolerated each other.
Wags and kisses, Dinah Bridget and Elliot xx

My Mind's Eye said...

Twinkie thank you for telling us Max's story. Oh what a lucky kitty to have your Mom and Sis visit the pound on that particular day. I too beleive he must be a Maine Coon. Very handsome and it appears he has made himself at home. HA!!
Madi and Mom

Tucker said...

Max is very lucky and 8 isn't too old. My evil kitty brothers are 14 & 16. Of course no one would want to adopt them cause they're evil.

woof - Tucker

Remi said...

Sounds like mama's got da mojo back!

BRUTUS said...

Sounds like Max really got a second chance in life! Lucky your momma has such a big heart and lots of patience! Gotta give you props for living in a house with felines, especially since they are all bigger than you!!

Snorts-
Brutus the Frenchie

ocmist said...

Grammy thinks that Max is just gorgeous (though she can't be around cats as she is allergic) and is so glad that he is finally coming around and is settling into a home that is a really great one (from hearing all your stories). We just LOVE the way you tell a story, and enjoy visiting each time we come! I think my pups can learn from you, little one! Dott from Corgi Country

Taffy said...

Max is quite handsome! My mom said she had a cat many years ago that looked like Max named Zack and he was a rescue too! I am so glad he and your mom are getting along. I think he has always loved her but was just too shy to show it!
Snuggles,
Twix

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