My ten-year-old nephew was visiting recently, and he watched me as I fed my pets dinner. As I called to each pet, my nephew asked, “Aunt Kim, why do you give each animal a nickname? You always call each one by more than one name. Why?” I looked at the beautiful yellow cat facing me, a Tabby’s Place alumnus named Fuzzy (also known as Fabulous Fuzzy, The Fuzzman, and Fuzzy-Wuzzy), and said “I really don’t know…”
Things that come from the mouths of babes get us thinking. During a recent visit to Tabby’s Place, my nephew’s comment came to mind when I caught myself calling Max “Maxie” and “Maximilian.” Maxie is a fun spin-off of his given name, but Maximilian denotes something more. It suggests leadership and nobility; famous emperors and even a saint bore the name. It honors Max’s strength and belief in himself as ruler of his suite.
Once seated on his perch, Max is visible to everyone who walks in our front door, and all passersby acknowledge him. Max knows and understands this, and waits for each visitor to greet him. Beautiful green eyes will meet those who look in his direction; the slight nod of Max’s head to a visitor is almost a blessing of its own.
Recently, I have noticed that Max seems to be resting in the cat tree a little more, relinquishing his perch to other cats. He is getting older (13 this year), and perhaps it is time to share the throne with others.
Max’s bond with Sammy is a pleasure to see. Sammy checks on Max a lot when he rests in the tree (as you can see below left), and though there are times she would like to siesta with him, the final decision is always Max’s.
Max remains blessed with good health and your love. Thank you for your gracious gifts each month; you’re helping to provide the care Max needs to rule his suite with noble style and grace. I know I speak for all of us when I hope and pray that Max (Maxie-Maximilian) is able to do this for many years to come.