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Maggy Mae was born in Wyoming, around about 2003. The story is that she was in Rawlins, and because the shelter was too full and couldn't take her, she was slated for "destruction." Well, a shelter in Fort Collins, CO couldn't let this happen and someone drove all the way (about 3 hours each way) to come and get her so that they could preserve her life. I'm so very glad they did. As it happens, we were in Ft. Collins buying some cat furniture -- you know, one of those three-story cat condos? Well, the Flat Faced Friends Shelter was adopting out cats that day, and I walked around and looked at them, and saw this cat, (clearly "hiding"), sitting in one of the cages. She was a torty, no doubt -- black with caramel splatters.
She didn't want to be there, and adopted a "Japanese cat" pose, her eyes closed to the world, wanting to be back somewhere safe. I could see that she wasn't an exotic, and perhaps that is what struck me about her -- she was alone in a sea of Persians and other short-nosed cats. I knew that I needed to adopt her. I didn't even see the color of her eyes or hold her before I signed the papers. Her torty-ness and her calm peacefulness was enough to convince me.
In honor of her "Southern" roots... (well, "Southern Wyoming" at least!)... we decided to name her Magnolia Mae, though we call her Maggy Mae for short. I must say that we were hesitant to adopt an adult cat -- we always thought you should get a cat from the kitten stage of life. Well, this little 3 year-old turned out to be the most loving creature I have ever met! She loves warmth, and persistently sits on my lap, or even sits by my hand as I'm piloting the mouse for the computer. She purrs almost constantly, and loves to rub against my face and hands. Our Maggy Mae is so very special and wonderful, I couldn't imagine life without her! Honestly, I don't think I will ever adopt a kitten again -- it's too much fun to discover the personality of a "grown-up" cat!
The basement is Magnolia's territory; she fills the atmosphere with sunshine! Her nickname stems from her particular proclivity to tear up cardboard boxes... not with her claws as you might expect, but with her teeth! Yes, she grabs hold of the edge, and pulls the paper bit up from the corrugated part, creating long strips which she then deposits on the floor, making a quite a lot of noise in the process! Of course, this doesn't hold with just cardboard... I have a plant with long slender leaves, which happens to look like a head of funky "hair." Of course, this particular little bonzai-ed shrub also tends to have a very "green" smell about it when you break the leaves... (You probably see where this paragraph is going...) Maggy loves to bite off the leaves and eat them, often giving my poor plant a "hair cut!"
Maggy is torty number three in our little "collection." The most talkative of our girls, she sometimes "silently meows" when she gets excited! Maggy is our "compact model" cat, (she's the littlest and most energetic of the girls), and has "shag velvet" fur, which is incredibly soft and pleasant to pat. Our "zen cat," Maggy Mae can sit for hours on end without moving or saying a word. Sometimes I wonder if she travels in her mind, perhaps out to space somewhere, or a green grassy grove. She's a great mouser, and takes care of important things like warming laps... even if they're not necessarily cold!
We haven't yet discovered where Maggy's interests lie in the snack kingdom. She seems perfectly content to eat dry cat food, and doesn't even attempt to eat the human foods that are presented to the other cats.
Magnolia is VERY serious about sitting, in fact, she goes to a great deal of trouble to get comfortable. Once seated, she tends to look very "fierce", but don't let that expression fool you -- she's sweet as honey! Maggy takes a particular interest in my woodworking, and often helps me de-bark the wood I process, scratching it fiercely with her claws. She doesn't know what she'll be when she grows up, (she's only 6 -- still a little girl!), but I hope she will take after me and make a career in woodworking. (She's got the aptitude and interest for paper and wood crafts, after all! :-)
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"Maggy the Great Destroyer and Haircutterist"
Snacks