Maggie Mae Merlin 

Seems like I  had always had cats…first, there was Fluffy, then Bootsy, then Tubby – who lived to be 19 years old!  The only time I was catless was right after Mike and I got married and we lived in rental houses.  He promised me that as soon as we bought our own house, I could get a cat!  

Well, he made a MAJOR mistake in not only telling me that but also telling our new neighbor right after we bought our house!  

The neighbor’s son lived out in the country and their cat had kittens.  She was going to go visit her son and wanted to know if I wanted her to bring me one.  I said, “SURE!”  

Unfortunately, when she got the kitten, it didn’t appear to be well.  She took the kitten to the vet and found out it was totally eaten up with worms and had other problems – the kitten did not survive.  

The neighbor felt terrible as she knew I was so excited about getting a cat.  As luck would have it (and I am a very strong believer in fate), the vet had a small black and white kitten, 6 months old, there at his office – the kitten needed a home.  Apparently, someone had taken the mother and her 4 kittens in for adoption.  The mother and three of the kittens were adopted.  Guess we should have known something was up since the Mother was adopted prior to this one finding a home <grin>….  

To say that Maggie is a bit “whacko” is not a stretch!  She immediately bonded with me but it took her 5 years to allow Mike to touch her and even then, his "touching zones" were limited to the back of the couch or in bed with us.  

When company came over or the doorbell would ring, we would see a black and white streak racing for the bathroom, then hear the sound of the cabinet door banging shut. 

When Bailey passed away, Maggie moved into the bathroom. She stayed under the sink behind the cabinets and only ventured out during the darkness of night for over 6 months!!  The first place she went when she decided to come back into our world was Bailey’s old bed!  The vet at first thought she had FIP and treated her as such but later, we all figured out that Maggie was mourning the loss of her Sis-Dog!  

Maggie is now 16 and lives very comfortably in the front room of the house.  She will bravely walk past the dogs to get good loving from me and tasty treats. Every now and then, she’ll even let Mike pet on her.  But, it’s clear to see that she is and always will be Momma’s Little Maggie Girl!

It is with heavy heart that Merlin Magic reports that dear, sweet Maggie crossed the rainbow bridge on June 15, 2007... I took her to the vet the day before and Maggie was diagnosed with a severe heart murmur.   After wishing Maggie a happy 17th birthday early Friday morning, she passed away in my arms - just where we would have both wanted her to be when the time came!   Rest in peace, Beautiful Maggie! June 15, 1990 - June 15, 2007