A Celebratory Final Farewell To Mad Money Cat

October 10, 2016

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of our beloved Mad Money Cat. I adopted him from a humane society 13 years ago; at the time, I was told he was 3 years old, but I’m guessing he was even a few years older than that, which means he was likely pushing 20 years old. We were all devastated and Mini asked to have a funeral. This was a wonderful idea and, surprisingly, helped us all to celebrate him and say a final farewell. Below is the eulogy I wrote for him. And just in case you were wondering, his real name was Bailey and he has adorned the bottom of most of our posts.

The Eulogy

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The Ceremony – Complete with Custom Portrait and Podium

Every person has a story. So does every cat. This is Bailey’s…

It was early December, 2003 (6 years before Mini was born). I lived over in a townhouse just across the street, never knowing I would eventually end up here…but that’s a story for another time. At the time, I was living with my boyfriend and our German Shepherd, Max.

One day we went to see the two kittens our neighbors had just adopted from the humane league. They encouraged us to go adopt an adult cat they almost adopted instead of the two kittens. His name was Topper. I was never really a “cat” person. I mean, we had outside cats growing up but we never really had a house cat as a pet. My boyfriend and I briefly discussed it and HE thought it would be a good idea. Not because he wanted a cat, mind you. He wanted a second animal in the house to keep his dog, Max, company during the day while we were away at work. He told me the cat could be my little buddy, because it would be all little and stuff. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, as I usually do, knowing his real reason was so the dog wouldn’t be alone all day.

It was a Sunday and, despite the reasons, we decided to pop in and check out this Topper cat our neighbors raved about. We found him in short order! He was a gray and white domestic short-hair. He was cute enough and I was okay with taking him home –  until my boyfriend said to me, “Hey, I like this one! What about this one?” I immediately turned around to see a wide-eyed, messy-haired, Maine Coon cat named Madjes reaching out of his cage to me. At the time I never even heard of a Maine Coon cat, but I knew I liked the look. At that moment, we locked eyes for the first time, and I knew he was a special cat. I knew instantly that he had a personality bigger than life and that we’d probably get along fabulously.

Unfortunately, we arrived at the humane league too late that first day to adopt him. They were closing and told us to come back the next day. So, I called the very next morning and hoped and hoped and hoped he would still be available when I got there after work that day. I even set up his first vet appointment before I officially adopted him! I drove there as fast as I could after work and low and behold, he was still available! And just like that, on Monday, December 8th, Madjes was a part of my life. As I drove home with him in his little cardboard box that was adorned with hearts and signatures by all the ladies who loved him at the humane league, I was excited. I also had no idea the big impact that little guy would have on me.

Although, I liked the name Madjes, I wanted to give him a name that evoked the season. It was almost Christmastime so I named him Bailey after George Bailey in “It’s A Wonderful Life” – my favorite Christmas movie.

For years, Bailey pounced and purred and played. We chased each other, he slept at the bottom of my bed, he would steal my chicken and French fries, and we even shared ice cream. I would take a lick, he would take a lick, and on and on it went. We played hide and seek; I would hide and he would seek. He always let out a little squeak when he found me. You know the sound I’m talking about. I taught him how to open a door, and he taught me that cats make awesome friends. He actually did become my “little buddy”, just as my boyfriend suggested he would years ago.

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His Theme Song

He was loved so much he had a custom portrait hanging in his home and even had his own theme song. He lived like a king and truly was a Modern Cat.

So when you think I’m acting crazy over losing “just a cat”, know that he was so much more than that to me. He was a true friend and companion that I will miss for the rest of my life. He made me laugh, more recently he made me cry, and most importantly he made my life better each day he was in it.

He had many “pet” names throughout his life. Let me remind you what they were!

Baby Bailey

My Handsome Man

Sweetheart

Handsome Puss Puss

And let’s not forget…The Great and Powerful Bailey Gato

Even though it was very hard to let him go, I’ll be forever grateful for finding him that fateful, chilly December day. He will live forever in our hearts and memories. He touched us all and made our lives a little bit more interesting. I’ll end with this…

Bailey, Enjoy your romp on the moon. And since you’re feeling better again, make sure you use the litter box. Love you, Baby Bailey!

A Frugal Farewell Event

It’s important to remember that the most important thing in our lives is love, and not the things money can buy. All of the time and memories made with our wonderful feline friend were free. Our final farewell was also free. Yes, there were adoption fees (13 years ago) and minimal maintenance and medical fees over the years, but these are to be expected with any living being. Overall, our time spent together was frugal time. Our final farewell event was a wonderful celebration of life and didn’t cost us a thing.

Please feel free to share your similar experiences. Community helps us all heal. And I’ve noticed that the financial community is one of the best! 

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Mad Money Cat – Signing Off

As always, Mad Money Cat encourages you to read Our Story and use the super convenient social media buttons to spread the LOVE!

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