From the Archives: Mr. Max in May 2025

May 23, 2026 Bernadette

Mr. Max had finally started to join us downstairs in April with some distance and hissing, but by May he was like one of the family with Bella, Hamlet, Sienna and Mariposa, in the kitchen each day, and spending time in the office with all the others where I was working. He still spent most of the day and overnight with Morty in the studio so he had his schedule figured out.

At the same time May was a pivotal month when his bowel condition worsened, he lost his appetite, and needed some further veterinary care. When he’d been at my regular vet in October 2024 it seemed he’d lost two pounds from his estimated adult weight and I started him on a regimen of prednisolone and a probiotic. He remained the same over the months until May. May was really up and down, but ended on a happy note that he had found his place with everyone downstairs both physically and socially, but maintained his time with Morty. I decided that once Mr. Max was comfortable with being in both places I’d start inviting Morty out again and hope that Max’s presence with the others would help him integrate, finally.

This post has quite a few photos interspersed with my social media posts through May 2025 when my sites were still offline so I didn’t get to share them here.

MAY 14

I took Mr. Max to PetWellClinic today. He had always had some bowel issues AND he ate plastic, both maybe the result of his traumatic experience being left in the house with his feline family after his human died.

Mr. Max explores the sink at PetWellClinic

When it flared up last year he lost weight and although he got his appetite back and seemed well, he never regained that weight. I took him to my regular veterinarian in September so we could start trying to figure him out, but then Basil’s symptoms started so I didn’t have a chance to take him back.

But over the weekend he quit eating entirely and by Monday morning he was pretty dehydrated so I gave him the set of medications and treatments that help him feel better and he did and ate a bit, but Tuesday morning he just felt crappy again. I did get him to feel better and even eat a little later on, then this morning he looked even worse. Slight fever, 102.5, walking around trying to poop.

I was out of some of the materials and meds I needed to give him and this seemed to be progressing rapidly so I decided he needed to see a veterinarian. I had enough of a stool sample which came up negative for any pathogens. Dr. Sudberg didn’t feel any stool in his intestines so he wasn’t constipated, and the way it’s been acting it mostly seems like bowel disease, not a piece of plastic that got stuck in there.

So we came home with more needles and an appetite stimulant and a plan. I gave him a dose of each as soon as we got home, and a few other things to help him get back on his feet. If he doesn’t start to eat by tomorrow we’ll do blood tests. But right now blood tests would show a cat whose levels are off because he hasn’t been eating, hard to tell if the levels were off because there was a disease present.

May 16 he was still not eating much but was active, climbing the window screen like Basil used to.

MAY 17

This looks like just an everyday photo of Mr Max enjoying a dish of food, but it’s actually a thrilling accomplishment.

We came back from the veterinarian on Wednesday with a few goodies for him including an appetite stimulant, but on Thursday he still wasn’t eating, not to mention all this time he’s had nasty smelly thin poop that’s obviously painful, and likely some intestinal cramps going on through the day.

I’ve been giving him fluids and an acid reducer, antiemetic, pain relief, a small dose of steroid, and some Chinese herbs. When Dr Elgersma visited Thursday she suggested Fortiflora on his food and an increase in the steroid, and before long he was eating all the food he could find.

Friday morning he looked worse than he had in days, dehydrated again, lethargic, dull. I went down the list and gave him all the things I had on hand for him, but he sniffed his food and would not eat. So I started hand feeding him and I did so all through the day.

This morning, he was a totally different cat though it still took a lot of the same palliative measures to get him up to full speed, and now he’s eating little bits of lots of different sorts of food all through the day. I don’t care, he is eating.

I suspect he’s probably had IBD all his life based on some of the lesser flare-ups he’s had since he’s been here. He does eat plastic, but it’s easy to tell when he’s managed to find the last little scrap of plastic somewhere or it’s a flare up of this. Why this got so bad, I don’t know, but he ate very little for at least 3 days, and then practically nothing for 2 even with palliative measures so the hand feeding was really a last resort. Pretty scary.

Later he was curious about the basket of salad greens I brought in and had to sniff them.

Yes, it was pretty scary. I thought he might be exploring more and integrating because he felt better and that we’d find some source for his bowel issues. Most of all I thought we had time. But this told me we might actually not. My combined car/homeowner’s policy had jumped form $165 per month to $329 per month in December 2024, just after I lost Basil; that increase took away all the extra monthly income I had that usually covered veterinary expenses or I would have had him back to my veterinarian months before. All through the spring I was working toward extra income and couldn’t wait for vendor events to start. I wanted to be ready for any sudden veterinary needs for Mr. Max or any of the others.

Some days he still didn’t feel so well, but he still spent his morning and afternoon with us. This was May 19.

MAY 21

Mr. Max had a rough few days, especially yesterday, with what seemed to be intestinal cramping. Lots of meds and extras, fluids, and a smorgasbord of foods with toppers to make them enticing.

Today he’s feeling much better, most of the day eating really well and active and free of any cramping. Still nasty poop, though, that’s always been his thing. But I’ve got a lot of notes, and now we are ready for some testing.

Thanks to the amazing Dr. Elgersma for being available to suggest and tweak things for him!

It’s probably going to be a long process, so send some purrs for him!

May 23 he was feeling pretty good and back to being active and interactive. He loved to hop up on my shoulder and so he did as I was working on my desk.

Up on my shoulder, and then... — Up on my shoulder, and then…

I know his goal was my lap, but he stopped because it was occupied…

MAY 23

Current situation. Bella and Mr. Max are sharing my lap.

Bella loves to be on my lap when I’m at my computer, Mr Max also loves to be on my lap and wants to be on my lap because it helps him feel better. So they’ve been alternating, when one leaves to do something the other one is ready, and on my lap right away.

This time, Bella wasn’t budging, draped across my lap and arm. Mr Max got up on my shoulders and tried to settle down there but it wasn’t good enough. Eventually he sidled down my arm and chest and fit himself in between me and Bella, who did not object in any way.

Bella, top, Mr. Max, bottom, on my lap, from above.

Bella and Mr. Max leaning in on each other.

She’s actually been trying to make friends with him, walking up to him quietly, sniffing him, and trying to greet him, but he has hissed and moved away.

Eventually they were both sliding off my legs so Bella got up on my desk and Mr Max got my lap. But I see future episodes of this.

Sleepy faces.

Mr. Max left, Bella right.

MAY 28

Some high drama here, a newly fledged baby robin landed on the windowsill outside the window and flapped around considerably sending Mr Max off my lap and to the window followed by Mariposa.

In the background you can see the anxious parent, seeing two eager cats directly behind the baby, loudly trying to coax the little one in that direction.

Wow, time for baths and naps now. For da kitties, that is.

MAY 30

Hamlet is working so hard to be friends with Mr. Max. I think he’s excited to have a buddy. Mr. Max hisses or runs away sometimes, but Hamlet has started talking to him, in his awkward Hamlet way, even when he just walks near him, and it might be working.

And from the same date, Mr. Max on the windowsill. He knew how to strike a pose.

May was the turning point and it was an up and down struggle through the summer though Mr. Max continued his routine of studio time and downstairs time. Dr. Michelle and PetWellClinic and my regular vet all tried a number of medications and imaging but never came up with anything definitive, and through it all Mr. Max was sweet and affectionate, curious and active, happy to spend time with these four downstairs and still devoted to Morty in the studio. I’m so glad we had that time, I think he was too.

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