Dixie Dog and Her Seeing-eye Cat, Maya!

I just can’t believe my Maya is 12 years old. It’s hard to believe that 12 years ago we were bottle feeding him and his sister, Chevelle, after they had been abandoned by their feral mother at a dilapidated horse barn. He hasn’t always been the healthiest of kitties and I often wonder if it’s because he didn’t get his mother’s milk long enough? His weight has never been much over 10lbs and up until a few years ago, he had pretty bad asthma. Since Maya is getting older, his appetite isn’t what it used to be. Lately, he pretty much turns his nose up at dry kibble, so I’ve switched him to canned cat food. He seems to prefer this much better and it’s not as much of a challenge to get him to eat his meals.

One of Maya’s great attributes is his love of our Dixie Dog. Dixie is maybe 13 or 14 years old (rescued, so the age is unknown) and she has gone completely blind. Maya is almost always at her side when she walks around the living room. We joke that he’s her seeing-eye cat and he’s guiding her through the maze of furniture.

Maya also likes to stand behind Dixie and let her whap him with her tail. I never have understood why he does this, but he sure does seem to enjoy it. He also really enjoys nibbling on her ears and jowls. Dixie never seems to mind; in fact I know she loves the attention.