My neighbor Andrea isn't a fan of cats, so when she asked about Max the other day, I thought she was going to scold me for letting him run out in the hallway. But instead, she said he's just beautiful. Max was offended when I told him how surprised I was. How can anyone not love his pink paws and fuzzy belly?
I've been checking on Washington Humane Society's website everyday to see if Russell's found a home. When I hung out with him last Thursday, it felt like he's grown a whole lot in the two or three weeks he's been at the shelter.
Russell's 4 months old, the same age the Spots were when I caught them on 13th Street. They tripled in size in the blink of an eye. I wanted Russell's new person to come along before the end of his tiny kittenhood, and it looks like he or she has. Yay!
When Spot and I first met, he had ridiculously enormous ears (like so)! He's probably 7 or 8 months old in this photo. His face was starting to look like a grown-up cat's, but his ears were still huge.
Almost five years later, he's become a big, brawny fellow with perfect proportions. I think he's just the handsomest cat ever!
Max's eyes light up whenever he sees me put on shoes. He follows me to the door and gets ready to race me down the hallway. Sometimes I manage to leave while keeping him in the apartment. Of course, it's when I'm running late that he seems most determine to lead me on a wild cat chase. Bad Max. Nooooo!
After the cat Olympics (he always wins) comes nap time, when he looks sooo very sweet that you can hardly believe he'd ever make any trouble at all!
Most of the photos I've taken of the Max Monster have been in his natural habitat, the kitchen. Sometimes I wake up in the morning or come home at night and find him lounging by the sink.
And as soon as I open the refrigerator or dishwasher, he's got to get in on the action.
Here's a rare photo of him outside his usual domain. Some friends and I went on an Asian grocery hunting expedition out in Wheaton. I was especially intrigued by these tiny pastry things from a Thai store. Max was curious too, but after taking a couple of bites, he decided I could have the rest.
During my shelter volunteer shift last night, a woman brought her husband to see Jasmine, a pretty kitty I didn't take any pictures of because she spent the whole time snuggled up in my arms. The potential adopter had fallen in love during a previous visit, but her crush ended just like that when Jasmine play-bit her husband's finger. Not hard, and not with any intent to hurt him. He started it, besides, by poking and prodding her even after she started swishing her tail.
While shelters are all about second chances, Jasmine didn't get one from this couple. They put in an application to adopt another cat, who had the good sense to purr non-stop on their laps.
Jasmine's missed opportunity made me sad because the same thing probably happened to Max, too. When I signed up to foster him, it broke my heart to see that a caretaker had noted on his shelter intake form that he was "hissy and difficult to handle". It seems he didn't put on a very good show for any visitor who might have taken him home either.
Of course, that's the only reason why I now get to have him on my lap. I hope Jasmine won't have to wait too much longer before finding someone who thinks she's wonderful, too.
Max is ALWAYS clamoring to be fed. But after almost 8 months of raiding the Spots' food bowls and tearing into bags of bread (which he'll take bites out of, even if he really prefers it with a thick layer of cream cheese on top), I can't believe how little weight he's gained.
Yesterday I weighed all three cats. Max is 8.2 pounds, up from just over 7 when we first met. Each of the Spots is more than twice his size; 17+!
It's Super Cat, who made a cape out of a Filene's Basement bag!
And when he finished wreaking havoc on the world, he converted a rug into a nest.
Who needs opposable thumbs? Not Max!
Sometimes, in the middle of sunning himself, or pouncing on a toy, or wresting with Spot, Max will see me across the room and come running over for a hug. Then off he goes again. Makes me feel sooo lucky to be his person!
Ingredients: 3 eggs, 1 tomato, 1 red pepper, 2 tbsp grated cheese, 1 tbsp butter, 1 curious kitty.
Directions: Dice tomato and red pepper. Beat eggs in glass bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Remove butter from fridge. Turn around and notice cat's rapid descent onto kitchen counter. Watch cat's paw land on edge of glass bowl. Hear loud crash as both cat and bowl end up on floor.
Preparation time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 0 minutes. Yields 0 servings.
Maurice Sendak: Where the Wild Things Are
Max was named after the Wildest Thing of All. Like Maurice Sendak's Max, Stick Figure Cat likes having dinner waiting after a wild rumpus.
Margery Williams: The Velveteen Rabbit
While filling out Max's adoption paperwork, I thought of the Velveteen Rabbit. Just as he went from unwanted to adorable, every abandoned animal has the potential to "become real".
Hayde Ardalan: Milton
Max looks a tiny bit like Milton, "an exceptional cat with a curious nose" :)
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Book
Remember how Mowgli's wolf parents introduced their new boy to the pack? Max's first meeting with the Spots reminded me of that.
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