I don't know how to begin telling about my Max. He was such a loyal and loving companion to me for almost ten years.
I first saw him when I came home from a hard day at work. He was in the foyer of our apartment in a box. Soon as I opened the door he started to meow as only a baby kitten can meow. He was so small. I was kind of upset because my kids did not ask me if I wanted a pet. I called my oldest son and he came by and picked up the kitten and took it to his house. However, because his other cat did not like or appreciate another cat in the house my son brought the kitten back to my apartment and he and I soon became inseparable. I named him Maxwell Ivan Deel.
A little while after I had gotten Max, my wife and I divorced and Max and I moved into a small apartment. I call this my time in the wilderness. I honestly don't know what I would have done if I had not had Max. Every day when I would come home from work he would be waiting for me at the door. Sometimes when I would get depressed and start to cry he would jump up and lay in my lap as if to say "don't worry, you got me". When we slept, he would lay up against my shoulder with his head tucked under my neck.
Max and I in many ways shared the same personality. Max got used to being around just me and it was hard on Max when my youngest son would come and visit me and when my wife and I, by the grace of God, got back together. However, although he came to love and trust my wife, I remained the main human in his life.
Max was a very intelligent cat. He could open doors and cabinets if they were not completely shut. One of his greatest joys was to be able to pull the bathroom door open and unroll the toilet paper! I would pretend to get mad and holler out "Maxwell Ivan Deel!" and he would run out of the bathroom and hide under the bed. It was a game that the two of us played and I think that Max enjoyed it very much.
A couple of months before Max died he started to eat very little of his dry food but continued to eat his Fancy Feast which he loved. Although he lost some weight, he did not act like he felt bad and I did not think that he was sick. He did not begin to look like he was sick until Monday, September 3. On Tuesday, he really acted like he felt bad and he had difficulty moving around so I called my son to bring me his pet carrier so that we could take him to the vet the next morning. We took him to the vet on Wednesday morning, September 5. The vet told us that Max was diabetic and that his organs were shutting down and that it was too late to do anything to reverse the process. I made the decision to put Max down that afternoon because I did not want him to suffer. Max died in my arms at 4:00 p.m. September 5.
I had a very strange experience that occurred on the Monday before Max died. It was night and I was sitting in a chair in our bedroom watching television. From the chair I could see into our hallway outside of the bathroom door where I always fed Max his Fancy Feast. The oven light was on and I could see the light reflecting on the wall where I would feed him. I suddenly noticed that there was a shadow of a sitting cat that was reflected on the wall at the exact spot I would feed Max. I thought that Max, who I knew had been sleeping on the bed in our bedroom, had gotten up and went into the kitchen. Knowing that he did not feel well, I got up to see if he needed anything. I got half way to the door when I glanced at our bed and Max was still sleeping on it! I looked into the hallway and I could still clearly see the shadow of the sitting cat on the wall. I walked right up to it and it remained on the wall. I looked into the kitchen which is opposite to the wall to see if anything was on the oven or in the kitchen that could make the shadow and I could see nothing that would cause it. Being a retired police officer, my mind kept saying that there had to be a logical explanation for what I was seeing. I walked back into the bedroom and looked back and could still see the shadow on the wall and told my wife, who was laying on the bed with Max, what I was seeing. As I turned around to sit back in the chair I looked in the hallway and the shadow was gone. I told my wife that night that I believed that this cat shadow was a sign from God that Max was going to pass away and that He was preparing me for it so that I would not be in such a state of shock.
After Max died another strange but wonderful incident happened to my wife and me. It was Thursday night of the week that Max died. My wife was already asleep when I got into bed. A few moments after I had gotten in bed I felt Max jump onto the bed like he did every night when he was alive. Max would almost always wait to get in bed until I went to bed. He would let me get settled and then jump onto the bed. The next evening, my wife and I were sitting in our swing on our balcony and I mentioned what happened the night before. She told me that she also felt Max jump onto the bed! I know that some people will say that we just imagined that Max jumped on the bed. But I know what I experienced and combined with the sitting cat shadow earlier in the week, I know that Max jumped onto the bed. I believe that he was telling me that he was all right and that his spirit was living on.
I will never forget my Max. He will live on in my heart until I go and meet my Lord and Savior.
After Death by Edwin Arnold:
Farewell Master, yet not farewell,
Where I go, you, too, shall dwell.
I am gone before your face,
A moment's time, a little space.
When you come where I have stepped
You will wonder why you wept.
I first saw him when I came home from a hard day at work. He was in the foyer of our apartment in a box. Soon as I opened the door he started to meow as only a baby kitten can meow. He was so small. I was kind of upset because my kids did not ask me if I wanted a pet. I called my oldest son and he came by and picked up the kitten and took it to his house. However, because his other cat did not like or appreciate another cat in the house my son brought the kitten back to my apartment and he and I soon became inseparable. I named him Maxwell Ivan Deel.
A little while after I had gotten Max, my wife and I divorced and Max and I moved into a small apartment. I call this my time in the wilderness. I honestly don't know what I would have done if I had not had Max. Every day when I would come home from work he would be waiting for me at the door. Sometimes when I would get depressed and start to cry he would jump up and lay in my lap as if to say "don't worry, you got me". When we slept, he would lay up against my shoulder with his head tucked under my neck.
Max and I in many ways shared the same personality. Max got used to being around just me and it was hard on Max when my youngest son would come and visit me and when my wife and I, by the grace of God, got back together. However, although he came to love and trust my wife, I remained the main human in his life.
Max was a very intelligent cat. He could open doors and cabinets if they were not completely shut. One of his greatest joys was to be able to pull the bathroom door open and unroll the toilet paper! I would pretend to get mad and holler out "Maxwell Ivan Deel!" and he would run out of the bathroom and hide under the bed. It was a game that the two of us played and I think that Max enjoyed it very much.
A couple of months before Max died he started to eat very little of his dry food but continued to eat his Fancy Feast which he loved. Although he lost some weight, he did not act like he felt bad and I did not think that he was sick. He did not begin to look like he was sick until Monday, September 3. On Tuesday, he really acted like he felt bad and he had difficulty moving around so I called my son to bring me his pet carrier so that we could take him to the vet the next morning. We took him to the vet on Wednesday morning, September 5. The vet told us that Max was diabetic and that his organs were shutting down and that it was too late to do anything to reverse the process. I made the decision to put Max down that afternoon because I did not want him to suffer. Max died in my arms at 4:00 p.m. September 5.
I had a very strange experience that occurred on the Monday before Max died. It was night and I was sitting in a chair in our bedroom watching television. From the chair I could see into our hallway outside of the bathroom door where I always fed Max his Fancy Feast. The oven light was on and I could see the light reflecting on the wall where I would feed him. I suddenly noticed that there was a shadow of a sitting cat that was reflected on the wall at the exact spot I would feed Max. I thought that Max, who I knew had been sleeping on the bed in our bedroom, had gotten up and went into the kitchen. Knowing that he did not feel well, I got up to see if he needed anything. I got half way to the door when I glanced at our bed and Max was still sleeping on it! I looked into the hallway and I could still clearly see the shadow of the sitting cat on the wall. I walked right up to it and it remained on the wall. I looked into the kitchen which is opposite to the wall to see if anything was on the oven or in the kitchen that could make the shadow and I could see nothing that would cause it. Being a retired police officer, my mind kept saying that there had to be a logical explanation for what I was seeing. I walked back into the bedroom and looked back and could still see the shadow on the wall and told my wife, who was laying on the bed with Max, what I was seeing. As I turned around to sit back in the chair I looked in the hallway and the shadow was gone. I told my wife that night that I believed that this cat shadow was a sign from God that Max was going to pass away and that He was preparing me for it so that I would not be in such a state of shock.
After Max died another strange but wonderful incident happened to my wife and me. It was Thursday night of the week that Max died. My wife was already asleep when I got into bed. A few moments after I had gotten in bed I felt Max jump onto the bed like he did every night when he was alive. Max would almost always wait to get in bed until I went to bed. He would let me get settled and then jump onto the bed. The next evening, my wife and I were sitting in our swing on our balcony and I mentioned what happened the night before. She told me that she also felt Max jump onto the bed! I know that some people will say that we just imagined that Max jumped on the bed. But I know what I experienced and combined with the sitting cat shadow earlier in the week, I know that Max jumped onto the bed. I believe that he was telling me that he was all right and that his spirit was living on.
I will never forget my Max. He will live on in my heart until I go and meet my Lord and Savior.
After Death by Edwin Arnold:
Farewell Master, yet not farewell,
Where I go, you, too, shall dwell.
I am gone before your face,
A moment's time, a little space.
When you come where I have stepped
You will wonder why you wept.
I don't know how to begin telling about my Max. He was such a loyal and loving companion to me for almost ten years.
I first saw him when I came home from a hard day at work. He was in the foyer of our apartment in a box. Soon as I opened the door he started to meow as only a baby kitten can meow. He was so small. I was kind of upset because my kids did not ask me if I wanted a pet. I called my oldest son and he came by and picked up the kitten and took it to his house. However, because his other cat did not like or appreciate another cat in the house my son brought the kitten back to my apartment and he and I soon became inseparable. I named him Maxwell Ivan Deel.
A little while after I had gotten Max, my wife and I divorced and Max and I moved into a small apartment. I call this my time in the wilderness. I honestly don't know what I would have done if I had not had Max. Every day when I would come home from work he would be waiting for me at the door. Sometimes when I would get depressed and start to cry he would jump up and lay in my lap as if to say "don't worry, you got me". When we slept, he would lay up against my shoulder with his head tucked under my neck.
Max and I in many ways shared the same personality. Max got used to being around just me and it was hard on Max when my youngest son would come and visit me and when my wife and I, by the grace of God, got back together. However, although he came to love and trust my wife, I remained the main human in his life.
Max was a very intelligent cat. He could open doors and cabinets if they were not completely shut. One of his greatest joys was to be able to pull the bathroom door open and unroll the toilet paper! I would pretend to get mad and holler out "Maxwell Ivan Deel!" and he would run out of the bathroom and hide under the bed. It was a game that the two of us played and I think that Max enjoyed it very much.
A couple of months before Max died he started to eat very little of his dry food but continued to eat his Fancy Feast which he loved. Although he lost some weight, he did not act like he felt bad and I did not think that he was sick. He did not begin to look like he was sick until Monday, September 3. On Tuesday, he really acted like he felt bad and he had difficulty moving around so I called my son to bring me his pet carrier so that we could take him to the vet the next morning. We took him to the vet on Wednesday morning, September 5. The vet told us that Max was diabetic and that his organs were shutting down and that it was too late to do anything to reverse the process. I made the decision to put Max down that afternoon because I did not want him to suffer. Max died in my arms at 4:00 p.m. September 5.
I had a very strange experience that occurred on the Monday before Max died. It was night and I was sitting in a chair in our bedroom watching television. From the chair I could see into our hallway outside of the bathroom door where I always fed Max his Fancy Feast. The oven light was on and I could see the light reflecting on the wall where I would feed him. I suddenly noticed that there was a shadow of a sitting cat that was reflected on the wall at the exact spot I would feed Max. I thought that Max, who I knew had been sleeping on the bed in our bedroom, had gotten up and went into the kitchen. Knowing that he did not feel well, I got up to see if he needed anything. I got half way to the door when I glanced at our bed and Max was still sleeping on it! I looked into the hallway and I could still clearly see the shadow of the sitting cat on the wall. I walked right up to it and it remained on the wall. I looked into the kitchen which is opposite to the wall to see if anything was on the oven or in the kitchen that could make the shadow and I could see nothing that would cause it. Being a retired police officer, my mind kept saying that there had to be a logical explanation for what I was seeing. I walked back into the bedroom and looked back and could still see the shadow on the wall and told my wife, who was laying on the bed with Max, what I was seeing. As I turned around to sit back in the chair I looked in the hallway and the shadow was gone. I told my wife that night that I believed that this cat shadow was a sign from God that Max was going to pass away and that He was preparing me for it so that I would not be in such a state of shock.
After Max died another strange but wonderful incident happened to my wife and me. It was Thursday night of the week that Max died. My wife was already asleep when I got into bed. A few moments after I had gotten in bed I felt Max jump onto the bed like he did every night when he was alive. Max would almost always wait to get in bed until I went to bed. He would let me get settled and then jump onto the bed. The next evening, my wife and I were sitting in our swing on our balcony and I mentioned what happened the night before. She told me that she also felt Max jump onto the bed! I know that some people will say that we just imagined that Max jumped on the bed. But I know what I experienced and combined with the sitting cat shadow earlier in the week, I know that Max jumped onto the bed. I believe that he was telling me that he was all right and that his spirit was living on.
I will never forget my Max. He will live on in my heart until I go and meet my Lord and Savior.
After Death by Edwin Arnold:
Farewell Master, yet not farewell,
Where I go, you, too, shall dwell.
I am gone before your face,
A moment's time, a little space.
When you come where I have stepped
You will wonder why you wept.
I first saw him when I came home from a hard day at work. He was in the foyer of our apartment in a box. Soon as I opened the door he started to meow as only a baby kitten can meow. He was so small. I was kind of upset because my kids did not ask me if I wanted a pet. I called my oldest son and he came by and picked up the kitten and took it to his house. However, because his other cat did not like or appreciate another cat in the house my son brought the kitten back to my apartment and he and I soon became inseparable. I named him Maxwell Ivan Deel.
A little while after I had gotten Max, my wife and I divorced and Max and I moved into a small apartment. I call this my time in the wilderness. I honestly don't know what I would have done if I had not had Max. Every day when I would come home from work he would be waiting for me at the door. Sometimes when I would get depressed and start to cry he would jump up and lay in my lap as if to say "don't worry, you got me". When we slept, he would lay up against my shoulder with his head tucked under my neck.
Max and I in many ways shared the same personality. Max got used to being around just me and it was hard on Max when my youngest son would come and visit me and when my wife and I, by the grace of God, got back together. However, although he came to love and trust my wife, I remained the main human in his life.
Max was a very intelligent cat. He could open doors and cabinets if they were not completely shut. One of his greatest joys was to be able to pull the bathroom door open and unroll the toilet paper! I would pretend to get mad and holler out "Maxwell Ivan Deel!" and he would run out of the bathroom and hide under the bed. It was a game that the two of us played and I think that Max enjoyed it very much.
A couple of months before Max died he started to eat very little of his dry food but continued to eat his Fancy Feast which he loved. Although he lost some weight, he did not act like he felt bad and I did not think that he was sick. He did not begin to look like he was sick until Monday, September 3. On Tuesday, he really acted like he felt bad and he had difficulty moving around so I called my son to bring me his pet carrier so that we could take him to the vet the next morning. We took him to the vet on Wednesday morning, September 5. The vet told us that Max was diabetic and that his organs were shutting down and that it was too late to do anything to reverse the process. I made the decision to put Max down that afternoon because I did not want him to suffer. Max died in my arms at 4:00 p.m. September 5.
I had a very strange experience that occurred on the Monday before Max died. It was night and I was sitting in a chair in our bedroom watching television. From the chair I could see into our hallway outside of the bathroom door where I always fed Max his Fancy Feast. The oven light was on and I could see the light reflecting on the wall where I would feed him. I suddenly noticed that there was a shadow of a sitting cat that was reflected on the wall at the exact spot I would feed Max. I thought that Max, who I knew had been sleeping on the bed in our bedroom, had gotten up and went into the kitchen. Knowing that he did not feel well, I got up to see if he needed anything. I got half way to the door when I glanced at our bed and Max was still sleeping on it! I looked into the hallway and I could still clearly see the shadow of the sitting cat on the wall. I walked right up to it and it remained on the wall. I looked into the kitchen which is opposite to the wall to see if anything was on the oven or in the kitchen that could make the shadow and I could see nothing that would cause it. Being a retired police officer, my mind kept saying that there had to be a logical explanation for what I was seeing. I walked back into the bedroom and looked back and could still see the shadow on the wall and told my wife, who was laying on the bed with Max, what I was seeing. As I turned around to sit back in the chair I looked in the hallway and the shadow was gone. I told my wife that night that I believed that this cat shadow was a sign from God that Max was going to pass away and that He was preparing me for it so that I would not be in such a state of shock.
After Max died another strange but wonderful incident happened to my wife and me. It was Thursday night of the week that Max died. My wife was already asleep when I got into bed. A few moments after I had gotten in bed I felt Max jump onto the bed like he did every night when he was alive. Max would almost always wait to get in bed until I went to bed. He would let me get settled and then jump onto the bed. The next evening, my wife and I were sitting in our swing on our balcony and I mentioned what happened the night before. She told me that she also felt Max jump onto the bed! I know that some people will say that we just imagined that Max jumped on the bed. But I know what I experienced and combined with the sitting cat shadow earlier in the week, I know that Max jumped onto the bed. I believe that he was telling me that he was all right and that his spirit was living on.
I will never forget my Max. He will live on in my heart until I go and meet my Lord and Savior.
After Death by Edwin Arnold:
Farewell Master, yet not farewell,
Where I go, you, too, shall dwell.
I am gone before your face,
A moment's time, a little space.
When you come where I have stepped
You will wonder why you wept.
