Maggie

Maggie our 2 1/2 year-old precious and petite brown tabby girl. Maggie is a girl after my own heart. She can be moody and temperamental, but it’s only when she is not understood. I get her. Maggie has a loyal heart to those that accept her and give her unconditional love. We are Maggie’s people, and she is our Maggie!

Maggie started off as a foster kitty with me. She was pulled from a shelter where she had delivered 4 kittens shortly after arriving to the shelter. Sadly, someone neglected this precious girl, allowed her to get pregnant and just dropped her off at a kill shelter. Maggie lost 3 of her kittens at the shelter before being pulled by a rescue. She came to my home with her one surviving kitten. Unfortunately, her last kitten passed away within 48 hours of coming to my house. She lost all 4 of her kittens before their eyes had even opened. Through the heartache, Maggie ended up becoming a surrogate to 4 separate litters of kittens. She lost her own babies, but she loved and cared for every kitten that needed her just as if they were her own. This was a true testament to Maggie’s grace and courage that she carries today.

I am going to honest. There’s is no way to sugarcoat it. Soon after Maggie was done raising kittens and was spayed, Maggie was booted out of the rescue that originally pulled her from the shelter she was dumped at. She was too stressed at the adoption events, she did not get the miss congeniality award with the other rescue cats. She was even categorized as a potentially feral cat by the rescue. This is not the Maggie I knew when she was at my home, nor did she ever show aggression towards me. The rescue was going to send her back to the shelter, so I requested to take Maggie off their hands. I work at a family business and everyone agreed to welcome Maggie “home”. It was a little unconventional, but Maggie became our office kitty. She thrived being a solo cat, and she loved being with people. There was not a feral bone in her body. Maggie just needed the right environment, and the office was perfect place for her to thrive. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to work from home, Maggie came home with me. We had a spare room that we made Maggie-friendly since she did not care for the rest of the cats in the house. But, little by little, Maggie became curious about Ranger & Marmalade. Over the months, a friendship had blossomed! Maggie has become friends with Marmalade & Ranger. They get her and Maggie knows she can trust them! ?

It was evident from day one that Maggie had a rough start. Her whole body tenses up when she is picked up and even more so when she is placed back back down. Every muscle tenses up, and she spreads all 4 legs bracing for impact. This is a sign that she was dropped or probably thrown on a regular basis. Maggie’s left ear has a split at the top, her nose has a scar, and she had a chipped canine tooth. Once Maggie joined our office family, we had her chipped canine removed which gave her much deserved pain relief. However, the most challenging issue has been Maggie’s left eye. She has an active herpes virus, and it has created so much discomfort to her eye. An active herpes virus is not curable, but it is manageable. However, the herpes virus tends to attack one eye. She has had infections in the eye and obvious discomfort that we have been treating through her main veterinarian. We recently took a Maggie to an ophthalmologist. Maggie had an indolent ulcer which the ophthalmologist said was easy to remove. A round of eye drops were prescribed, and we have seen so much improvement to her eye. Maggie’s eye site is good, but you may notice she was a watery left eye from time to time. Her eye may never be perfect, but the pain she has endured is finally gone. Daily probiotics along with a clean and stress free environment is the best was to help prevent herpes flare ups. Her left eye continues to improve, but we are prepared to deal with flare ups from time to time.

I wish Maggie could tell us her backstory, but I probably would not have the dignity and grace that Maggie has if we knew the whole story. We know enough. Regardless, her life is filled with love and trust now. This former foster that was discarded and unwanted by others is now living her best and most beautiful life.