Tuesdays With Maggie

Tuesdays with Maggie hasn't been "a thing" in quite some time. It started as a minor project for a social media course. In fact, this entire blog is a result of that class. It's a minor miracle it still exists in some capacity. But alas it does.

And of course there's no decent way to transition into what I want to talk about on this edition of Tuesdays with Maggie. Maggie is dying. I've "known" in the back of my mind for about a week or so, but we didn't get the official pathology results until today: Maggie has oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Now, I won't go into the details because that's not the purpose of this post (hence the link). This is meant to honor and celebrate Maggie and reintroduce Tuesdays with Maggie. I'm currently working on a bucket list for Maggie. So far I only have a few items, but as I come up with more and help Maggie check them off, I hope to share some of those moments with you each Tuesday (and throughout the week via Instagram).

Now some of you might be thinking, "A bucket list for her cat? That's weird." Well, Maggie and I are both a bit weird, and despite being different species, we are best friends. We both love naps, eating (although we generally only agree when it comes to dessert and my mom's ham and gravy), and Jeff. She has been with me for nearly my entire "adult life." By the time Jeff and I were engaged, Maggie was already a huge part of our lives, and if it was even remotely possible to have had her at our beach wedding, we would have had her there! From the moment she entered our lives, she's been nothing but wonderful. I will forever be thankful Jeff let me-- his girlfriend of only a few months-- get a pet cat... that I found on Craigslist. 

 

This image has always been a favorite of mine because even upon first meeting each other, both were curious (Jeff never had a pet cat) and welcoming. There was no adjustment period. Maggie just sort of slipped into our lives as if she'd always been there. 

Maggie has grown and changed with us. She even learned to love Purrcy, our attempt to help ease her anxiety (and if Maggie could talk, I think she'd agree that any human would struggle to walk past Purrcy and not give him a home). She's been there for every milestone, if not literally than in spirit. I even took a photo of her to hang on the hospital wall when I had to have major surgery. I'm pretty sure the nurses heard about her multiple times during my morphine induced haze.

Maggie is more than I know how to describe-- part of that could be the massive amount of sadness weighing me down. But if you ask the people who know me or the people who are lucky enough to know Maggie, they will likely give you a similar yet vague and wonderful description of her. She's just one of those once in a lifetime pets who changes your life forever. 

Her bucket list isn't long yet, and I'm open to suggestions.

But first up is a trip to a park. Girlfriend deserves a wild adventure! There will also be plenty more naps, wet food, and treats. And if we are lucky, Taylor Swift and Cat Olivia Benson will send us a tweet. Maggie may not be a famous Internet cat (I wish she was simply because I think she is so amazing. I mean look at those posing skills!), but at least I know that Jeff and I have given her an amazing life and will continue to do so in the next few months. Here's to you, Maggie!