Maude

Maude —  I’m an all gray kitty cat named for Maude in the classic film, Harold and Maude.  In 2006, hu-mom’s friend, Jennifer, came to dinner.  At the time, hu-mom had two dogs and a cat.  She asked, “Do you want another cat?”

Hu-mom said, “No.”

The next day, hu-mom drove to Jennifer’s house in Salt Lake City.  I’d blown into the neighborhood about a month earlier.  Jennifer’s neighbors said they’d take care of me.  They left their garage door open so I had a dry “safe” place.  Hu-mom and Jennifer came over to meet me.  Hu-mom picked me up and saw a giant gash that was infected on my right thigh.  She sized up the situation, looked at the woman and asked, “What did the vet say?”  When she heard I hadn’t visited the vet, she said, “I’ll take her.” 

We never looked back.

I stayed in hu-mom’s arms during dinner.  Then, I sat in her lap the whole way up the canyon to our home in Park City. 

Most cats don’t like water.  But, when hu-mom took me into the bathtub, I relaxed in her arms.  Imagine, a four-month old kitten willingly climbing into a tub full of water!  I knew she’d clean up my wound. 

Ever since 2006, I’ve been a part of this pack.  For a long time, I hid under the dresser in master bedroom when people came to visit.  Now, I make my presence known.

Right now, I have a mass growing near my heart.  But, the bigger concern, for the radiologist, is that my throat gets tight.  Every couple of months, I take a shot of steroids. 

Like my namesake, I believe, “A lot of people enjoy being dead.  But, they are not dead, really.  They’re just backing away from life.  REACH out.  Take a CHANCE.  Get HURT even.  But, PLAY as well as you can.  Go team, GO!  Give me an L.  Give me an I.  Give me a V.  Give me an E.  L-I-V-E.  LIVE!  Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room.”

When I’m not sleeping, I like to sharpen my claws on the sofa, snuggle in the blankets with hu-mom, and play hide-and-seek with Booker.