Maya

Maya was a stray living in my complex. We called her The Pool Cat because that's where we met her at first. She was very friendly and I became worried that she would be friendly with the wrong person. So, we took her in on May 5 (Cinco de Mayo, hence her name Maya).

She is something else, my Maya girl! She's about 14 now. She is very spunky and loves to harangue me, especially in the morning when it's time for breakfast. And in the evening when it's time for dinner. And just generally!

When I first brought her in to live with me I had several other cats. She was appalled - who were all these other cats in HER house? Celine is the only one left of that group. There is no love lost between those two and Maya is anxiously awaiting the day until she becomes the one and only cat in the house. In the picture above, Celine has stolen Maya's spot on my bed and she's rather put out by it. Like I said, she's waiting for the day when it's just her!

Just like Celine, she's had her share of health issues. About 2 years ago she was diagnosed with early renal failure. We've been doing a pretty good job of keeping it in check. At first we tried a prescription renal diet but Maya was not interested in her very expensive special food. What made it worse was that Celine was eating "the good stuff" and that's what Maya really wanted. Separating them at meal times didn't work. She ended up losing a couple pounds and the vet decided that it would be better to let Maya have the same food Celine was getting because she wanted her to put those pounds back on and maintain her weight. Maya is very happy about the new food regimen. I do keep dry prescription renal diet kibble out for her and she does eat that a little bit. Even though she's back on the "forbidden food" her lab values are still holding about the same. If you ever find yourself with a kitty going through renal failure, I've found Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease to be an absolutely invaluable resource.