Part Maine Coon–one person’s trash another person’s treasure

by Dorothy Stuart
(Green Bay, Wisconsin)

Max at 2 years old

Max at 2 years old

I have a 5, going on 6 year old part Maine Coon named Max. I don't know for sure how much Maine Coon he has in him because I don't have any papers for him.

Max could be considered a throw-away because that's what happened to him before I got him.

I was with my Mom at the cemetery where my father is buried. It was the beginning of May 2004 had been only 6 months since he passed away. I was feeling badly enough that I had lost my father and was at his grave. If that weren't bad enough I was unemployed, the COBRA coverage of my insurance had just expired, and no job was in sight.

While at my father's grave, I saw some people walking through the cemetery. I also saw something else--a creature that looked like a dog running back and forth through the graves along the path. As the people and the animal were at a distance a way, I could not make out what the animal was right away and that's why I assumed it was a dog because people were walking along as the animal ran around in the cemetery.

When the people and the animal got to where my mother and I were, imagine my surprise when the "dog" turned out to be Max, a small kitten. The people told me they had seen some people shove Max out of a car and then drive off. By then, I had called the kitten to me and then picked him up. I fell in love with him right away. My mother and I made the decision to bring him home. A vet check confirmed he was about 10 - 12 weeks old.

That kitten, thrown away for whatever reason is now Max the Cat. At nearly six years old, he's the darling of the house. I suspect he has quite a bit of Maine Coon in him because he grew to weigh close to 14 pounds. He's got a beautiful brown mackerel tabby coat with a patch on his chin as his only white spot. I showed pictures of him at a cat show to someone who raised Maine Coons and they said he had a classic Maine Coon head. He also has the thick coat, with longer hair on his belly, britches and chest/ruff. He also has a bushy, long tail and tufts of hair on the feet. And, he has the Maine Coon ability to chirp and trill as well as meow. He's extremely smart and has a personality as big as he is. He quickly learned how to shake hands. He is capable of playing games (soccer is his favorite when I roll a ball to him and he blocks it or swats it and sends it flyig back to me). And he is quite gentle and affectionate.

The picture I have here is a couple of years old, but it shows just what a handsome fellow Max is.

And, this is the story of my cat Max.

Dorothy

From Part Maine Coon--one person's trash another person's treasure to Maine Coon Cats

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Part Maine Coon--one person's trash another person's treasure

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Nov 23, 2011 Thanks
by: Anonymouss

Thank you for posting his story - Max sounds like a great cat in all ways.


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by: 1099 filing

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Jun 30, 2011 Nice
by: Anonymous

Anyway this cat is very beautiful


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Jun 24, 2011 This article gives the light
by: Anonymous

This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is very nice one and gives in depth information. thanks for this nice article.


Jun 24, 2011 Nice
by: Catherine

I just love cats mwah....Thanks for sharing such a good pic of cats


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I have came to reading this feature thats its really informative.In my point of view gender solicitation is good but we should not gender discriminate Thanks.


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Jun 08, 2011 Cute
by: Trisha Jason

I just love cats even i had a pet cat but some months before it passed away am really missing it,it was full of white color,.This post brought back my sweet memories of my cat...


Jun 07, 2011 Cool
by: Oviya

Wow its cute and good and looks like a cheetah,really a nice picture of it.Cats got a good eye power and smell power too..Thank You


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Nov 13, 2010 Update
by: Author of above article

Max is now 6 years old and will be seven in February. He finally quit growing at over 14 pounds, but it is all him and no fat. And he's the most spoiled rotten cat that could ever be. I trained him to shake hands for a treat. He now uses his skill to train me to give him a treat. He sits by me and hold up his paw, expecting the shake and treat to follow. But he is also a really sweet cat with the kind of personality that makes me wonder why the people dumped him. And he makes it obvious I'm his buddy. I found out how much so today. I live with my mom and today I had to go to work without letting him out (my mom's a little afraid of his running around too much because she's afraid he'll trip her--a valid fear considering she's 88) because it was so early and didn't want my mom to have to get out of bed so early to try and get him back in his room. He didn't see me when he came out, just her. He refused to go back into his room until he had seen me--and gotten a treat from me first. I wouldn't trade him for anything now.


Nov 09, 2009 cats ... what else to say
by: Nena

I am a big cat lover. I have a turkish angora 5 years old. She is the queen of my house : )


Oct 14, 2009 Maximum
by: Finn Frode, denmark

What a fine cat you got - and the story about how and where you found him adds an extra dimension. Thank you for posting his story - Max sounds like a great cat in all ways. The maximum. 🙂


Oct 13, 2009 lucky cat
by: kathy

Max was so lucky to find you. He truly is a beautiful cat. I hate the way people just trow out animals. I once found a puppy the same way. Someone had trown him out in a parking lot. My sons cat was found in a Wal mart parking lot.


Oct 13, 2009 Max
by: Ruth aka Kattaddorra

Max is so beautiful, definitely some Maine Coon in him ! Some stroke of fate must have made you go to your dad's grave that day at that time to rescue Max, thank goodness it did !


Oct 13, 2009 Lucky Max
by: Anonymous

What a great story with a happy ending. Max is beautiful.


Oct 13, 2009 Definitely some Maine Coon
by: Anonymous

Your story ticks the boxes! Love Max and his rescue and he definitely has that Maine Coon look, no doubt about it. He may be one removed from purebred but as we all know all cats are equal.

The sadness is in the throw away society that includes cat companions.


5 thoughts on “Part Maine Coon–one person’s trash another person’s treasure”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. Sadly, I know longer have Max. At age 13, I had to have this sweet kitty put down a few weeks ago. I noticed he only seemed to eat his canned food, and I thought it was something with his teeth. Then one day he seemed to be very uncomfortable and cried out when I petted him on his abdomen. A visit to an emergency vet brought a diagnosis of some kind of urinary tract inflammation. The next day he was still in pain so I took him to my vet where he was given pain medication. That helped, and he seemed to be getting better. But 2 days later he was in pain again. An x-ray and an ultrasound revealed a mass in his intestines and inflammation of some lymph nodes. Surgery might have helped, but he would have needed chemo on top of that, and there was no guarantee it would have helped. So, sadly I had him put down. His ashes are now buried near my parents’ grave sites, under a peony bush. He came from that cemetery and it was only fitting that I returned him there.

    RIP, little buddy. I miss you.

    Reply
  3. I rescued a Maine Coon that is identical to Max one month ago in our backyard. Poor guy was eating bird seed under the bird feeder out of the snow. My vet says he is approximately 1 to 1 1/2 years old and he weighs 13 pounds now. He is beautiful affectionate and smart, but looks absolutely like he could be the twin brother to Max 🙂

    Reply
      • He is what is really sad is he was limping when I found him, I coaxed him to me and he was so hungry he ate 3 cans of cat food (I own cats). The next day I took him to the vet they x-rayed his arm and discovered someone shot him with a 22! His arm healed over crooked. My vet said I can take him to Port Washington vet and they can re=break his leg and cast it. I am debating if that should be done.

        Reply

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