Maya

I got Maya when she was 7 weeks old. A coworker’s cat had kittens and I had been thinking about getting another cat because my beloved kitten, Yggdrasil, was destroying my apartment while I was at work every day. I thought he needed a playmate. I met the litter and Maya was the littlest runt. She looked like a teeny baby bear.

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It was touch and go when I first brought her home. Yggdrasil was NOT happy. I had to keep them separated. I was really worried I would have to give Maya up. But then one day, after 2 weeks of drama and stress, I came home and found them curled up together grooming each other. They were forever bonded after that.

Maya was always a teeny kitty. Even when she got older. She never weighed more than 9 or 10 pounds. Very dainty. Her fur soft like a bunny. She was always a little timid, too. She liked to hide and come out for pets only on occasion. But the older she got, and when we moved into our new house in 2019, she decided to stay out more and more. Her favorite spot was on the cat tree right by the window, or the chair in the corner.

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When I got Stevie in 2018 they bonded immediately, too. Partly because of Stevie’s personality. He just loves everyone and makes everyone love him. 😉 It made me happy that they got along because I know Maya was pretty lonely without Yggdrasil.

The last few years Maya has really gotten more comfortable being out with us and she’s gotten super cuddly. When I watch TV on the couch she’d come sit on my lap and want pets.

Because 2020 is a garbage fire of a year (so many medical dramas with Stevie that summer), of course then it was Maya’s turn. 🙁

Maya has been getting skinnier the last two years. She’d also had some issues with vomiting. I worried it was diabetes. In November 2020 I took her to the vet for a check up and she was in kidney failure. I guess that is common for old cats. If they get very old, this is one of the ways they usually pass away. She was down to 6 pounds.

We got special diet food for her. She was throwing up blood for a little bit and I took her into the emergency vet immediately (the same one I spent so much time at with Stevie–I can do that drive in my sleep now). I decided to skip doing an ultrasound to check for a tumor–why bother right? Maya was 16 years old at that point. I wasn’t going to put her through chemo or a surgery if they found a tumor. But more follow-up appointments and tests revealed she had a thyroid issue so we started her on thyroid meds and that helped a lot!

I knew we were on borrowed time with her but the meds helped a lot and I got another year with her. 🙂

This last week she started acting a bit weird. She wasn’t interested in food, she wasn’t really eating. She was lethargic. She’d been having accidents–which she never did before. Sunday I took her into the vet and the vet agreed that she was nearing the end of her life.

My gut told me she was, but I was hurting and not sure how to make the decision. With Yggdrasil I waited too long and he was suffering at the end. I didn’t want to do that with Maya. So I said goodbye.

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The room was quiet and peaceful for her. I held her the entire time–which was another sign she was ready, I think, because she never liked being held.

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I held her for over an hour preparing and during the process and then they took her away. It was so hard. I am a wreck. Seeing her favorite spot empty makes me cry.

I had her in my life for 18 years. I know that’s a really long time, but I guess I just felt like she’d live forever. It’s so hard saying goodbye.