Every day I say, “Hi Ya Max” about a million times. Max is just a Hi Ya kind of cat. He’s spunky. Playful (too playful at 3:00 am when he pushes my alarm clock off the dresser). Mischievous. In other words, he is your typical feline.
I’m getting stronger every day, although I still miss Emeril like crazy. I no longer break down into tears every time I think about my special guy. Instead, I smile (sometimes tentatively) and focus on my many, many happy memories of Emeril.
Of course, Mighty Max helps a ton, and we’re creating some happy new memories together. I didn’t think he was quite as clever as Emeril when it came to manipulating me, but I was wrong. Emeril remains the master, but Max is catching on fast.
The other night I caught him trying to take a nibble from my pothos plant. After I shooed him away, I went online to see if the plant was dangerous to kitties. And sadly, it is. Shockingly, I didn’t immediately dash him to the vet, mostly because he didn’t seem ill, and I wasn’t sure he actually digested any of the plant.
Since nausea was a key symptom, I watched Max like a hawk. I fed Max. He gobbled it up. I fed him some more—just to be sure. He gobbled it up. Okay, so far so good since he’s still eating.
Lethargy could be another symptom. So I took out Max’s favorite toy—the da bird. He ran; he leapt; he did flips. Clearly, he wasn’t lethargic. But to be absolutely certain, I took out his laser mouse and decided to find out how high Max could climb the wall chasing after that little red light. Surprisingly, he could climb pretty far when properly motivated.
Now I was pretty sure he was okay. He ate a lot and played hard. Whew. Crisis adverted. But to be safe, I moved the too enticing plant to my patio. A few moments later I found Max napping on the bottom shelf of my bookcase where my plant used to be.
That little stinker! Who got fed extra? Max! Who got to play until he wore me out? Max! Who got a new napping spot? Max!!
Somewhere in heaven, Emeril is meowing his approval.
P.S. In case you’re wondering why I have books underneath my bookcase, it was to prevent Emeril from crawling underneath it. He could squeeze himself under there, and I couldn’t get him out.