This past weekend I was lucky enough to receive the most coveted of event invitations: a cat’s third birthday party. The amount of cat-related blogs are becoming comical at this point, but this is the lifestyle I’ve chosen.

The way this came about was that Erin, the former foster coordinator at the rescue I volunteer with, has a very special cat named Maxine. Maxine has a variety of disabilities but is living her best life and is extremely adorable. I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting Maxine in person a few times when picking up or dropping off foster supplies at Erin’s house, and it always felt like I was meeting a celebrity. Erin lives in my neighborhood, so when I saw her post on Instagram that she was throwing a birthday party for Maxine in a nearby park, I knew I had to stop by!

Maxine is a cat who is destined to be famous and beloved. Between her twisted back legs, one eye, calico attitude and small stature, she is an absolute icon. Erin often takes Maxine on walks around the neighborhood in a wagon and also brings her to the park so she can sit outside and smell the air (she can’t walk very well). She is a bit of a micro-celebrity among the Philly cat community, so of course her birthday party was the place to be on Memorial Day!

The birthday party had a turnout of about 30 people — the cat lovers of South Philly and beyond mobilized to sit on picnic blankets and celebrate Maxine. There were some pizzas provided, and people brought their own picnic blankets and sat around chatting and enjoying the day.

Brena and I came bearing gifts for the queen in the form of Churu, a lickable cat treat that most felines are obsessed with. Maxine was sitting on her picnic blanket ready to accept her gifts. She is so small in person, it’s insane how cute she is (photo below for scale). She let us pet her and marvel at her, which was very kind of her.

I was so impressed with the number of presents Maxine received (photo below from Erin’s Instagram of Maxine with all her gifts and balloons). If she has a fourth birthday party next year, I will definitely be there.

— Hannah Gruen, advertising & events coordinator