[Magdalen] Max -- RIP

[Jay Weigel]

A lovely, quiet passage for Max to Rainbow Bridge. I know you and the
others will miss him, but I am glad he went at home and that you have the
others for comfort.

On Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 11:36 AM, Susan Hagen <susanvhagen at gmail.com> wrote:

> Jim, I am so sorry for your loss.  I'm glad Max died peacefully at
> home and glad you have the others to comfort you.
> Susan
>
> On Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 3:05 AM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford
> <oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Some might remember some of my mentions of our companions. We got four
> cats
> > from the shelter six years ago: Malcolm, Max, Boris and Nancy.
> >
> > We were delighted that all of them got along surprisingly well.
> >
> > Malcolm, a 26-pound big guy, who wants to be a puma when he grows up, is
> > the gentle giant who is the head cat. He and Max lived in the same
> location
> > before being surrendered to the SPCA. Malcolm has seemed to respect his
> > older brother, and in all the years they have been with us, I have never
> > seen Malcolm treat Max with anything but gentleness. This was more so
> shown
> > recently as Max began to visibly slow down. Malcolm would come and gently
> > groom Max, who seemed to accept this.
> > Max was not eating much and seemed to be hiding from everyone, a really
> > strong sign that the end might be near. I left him in our bedroom with
> the
> > light out and a bowl of food which he ate a small amount of.
> > I came in to check on him from time to time, and at about eleven PM, I
> came
> > in and found Max in a small space by our bed, unresponsive.
> > I gently put him up on the bed and told Christine that he was gone. We
> came
> > and gently petted him for some time, and we allowed the other cats to see
> > him. I was especially concerned about Malcolm. They seemed to sense what
> > was going on, and that was that. I have read of similar reactions
> elsewhere.
> >
> > Max had been losing his hearing (a common event with bicolors, which I
> > understand are actually the result of a mutation -- they are actually
> > supposed to be all black), but he never seemed to have a problem with it.
> > We developed techniques of calling him for dinner involving flashing
> > lights, which he quickly figured out.
> >
> > Of all our companions, he was probably the quirkiest, but we loved him,
> and
> > he had a good life with us, I hope.
> >
> > I was so very glad that Max died in a short time from when he got really
> > ill. Just a few days ago, he got in my lap, I petted him and he purred
> with
> > obvious contentment.
> >
> > I am also extremely gad that he died when he did, at home. I could allow
> > the others to see him, and he went out without another trip to the vet,
> > which would not have helped him, but would have been upsetting for him.
> >
> > Death is a part of life, and in this case, it came quickly with a minimum
> > of trauma. I shall miss the big guy very much, but his death was about as
> > good as one could hope for. So I have not really wept for him. I sat down
> > about a day before these events and asked The Lord to please take him, if
> > it be His will, as gently as possible, and as quickly as possible, and I
> > feel He answered my prayer. Everyone else has been doing fine, seems to
> > have dealt with Max's death well.
> >
> > We shall no doubt be considering whether to get another cat at some
> point,
> > but at my age, I am now afraid if I were to get another cat, it might
> well
> > outlive me. Cats who have been in a home for years are traumatized to be
> in
> > a shelter again. We still have three who are a real joy. Nancy continues
> to
> > be like a kitten, hopping into my lap and purring and kissing me and
> > nesting on my right arm (always the elbow of the right arm). For now, we
> > are content with the three we have. What Christine wants will probably
> > determine where we go from here. She is the one who has always gotten a
> > visit from each cat after its passing to say goodbye. I envy her.
> >
> > Life goes on, and it truly is beautiful.
> >
> >
> >
> > James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> > *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
> > except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
>
>
>
> --
> The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among
> you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the
> land of Egypt.
> Leviticus 19:34
>