New Tricks

I had mentioned to a few people that Ms. Maddie Cat would be turning 19 friggin' years old in May. So it was pretty cool when we received the homemade card pictured here (thanks Leona). It got me to wondering exactly when the old cat, who is still learning new tricks, arrived on the planet. We have a rough idea of when that occurred because it coincides with the approximate time that she and her three siblings were left on the doorstep of the Log Cabin Animal Hospital (in Battle Creek, Michigan) before their eyes were even open. My friend "Tina" had taken the beloved Murphy Cat, Higher Power rest his soul, to the Animal Hospital for a check up in June of 1988 and was tempted by the mewing kittens who were being loved on by the coffee-making hospital staffers (I mention that because for the first 10 years of Maddie's life, that kitty would come running to the kitchen every time she smelled java being brewed). Tina of course couldn't resist bringing little Madison home. Thank goodness Maddie ended up being a girl because if she were a boy, Tina wanted to name her Byron. Yuck (notice the use of the subjunctive, like as in "if I were a rich man").

When I received the above birthday card, I decided to look back through my vet records to determine when she was actually born. Turns out we took her to the Log Cabin Animal Hospital on 7/12/88 for her 8 week check up. So I think we can roughly estimate that Maddie turned 19 on 5/12/07.

"Mad Dog" has lived a lush nine lives. She's been on her death bed a time or two or three, or...but she's always come through purring. She relied on Murphy for the first 17 years of her life and now she's relying on me. I'm up for the task as long as she wants to hang out on this earth.