To put it plainly, Sydney and Max have never really become buddy-buddy.  They occasionally meet up and exchange unpleasantries, but play?  Love on each other?  Well…no.  Yet, they have found acceptable boundaries that seem agreeable to both parties.  Syd gets all Queen size beds, while Max gets the run of the girls’ room.  Max gets the top of the new cat tower while Syd retains all nighttime couch cuddling rights.  Completely OK by Max as long as he is allowed to cuddle on our feet.  We definitely have a peaceful home, even if we’ll never find them spooning, as did Syd and Jack (may he RIP) on so many lounge-about days.

Sunday afternoon Max was mugged somewhere near our house.  We’re not sure by whom, but a domestic animal is our Vet’s best guess.  She also surmised he was trying to get away and the other animal definitely wanted him D.E.A.D.  But Max is an adopted stray, and doesn’t go down easily.  He got away, and Greg discovered his tail and lower back had deep puncture wounds upon his return to the back porch.  Tough as he is, Max never let on that any of the injuries bothered him.  Our Vet said she’s never seen a cat with wounds so deep maintain the use of his tail, but apparently, Max is no ordinary cat.  After a day of patching and shaving and fixing, he’s home and surprisingly content.  Had this happened to Jack or Syd, they would have required months of therapy and Xanax.

I had to take this rare picture of our cats lounging together.  Sydney has kissed and licked poor Max more than once in the past few days.  There seems to be a gracious kindness emanating from both of them.  Max will heal and his heavy fur will grow back, but I hope these two remember that once, for a short while, they were good to each other during a time of tragedy.