How I Met Max the Rescue Tuxedo Cat
A tuxedo cat who brightens lives through greeting cards...
October 13, 2018
Everyone that meets Max, a tuxedo rescue cat, agrees that there's something extra special about him. Aside from weighing in at 22 pounds with a personality sized to match, he has a way of controlling a room...much like a favorite actor has when on screen. Well, that might be a little dramatic but you get the picture.
Max came into my life with the loss of our beloved cat, Sambuca. Sambuca was a long haired, black beauty and he and our tabby boy Colby, although from separate litters, were the bestest of best buddies. I wanted to find Colby a new friend and give another kitty a "furever" home...
I searched petfinder.com and fell in love with Max's profile pic.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, his hind legs were hidden on purpose...
I discovered after meeting Max at Cameron Animal Hospital in NJ that a kind woman found his tiny body unconscious and he had two gaping holes on either side of his hind legs that were filled with maggots. The hospital thinks it could have been from a coyote but, I think it may have been a bird of prey trying to fly off with him...he was that small. Dr. Cameron himself stitched him back up with a couple of surgeries and told me that Max reminded him of a special cat that he had saved long ago and he wanted to give Max that same chance at life. I am forever grateful. We were instantly charmed by Max's friendliness and bold personality. He was certainly not shy and stood up on both of us to touch noses and then nestled in front of me while we spoke to the vet tech...we got his approval! We had to wait a month for the wounds to heal before bringing him home but, that first encounter with Max was all we needed to know he was meant to be our new boy...
Here is Max with stitches...healing and, discovering his new home in 2010:
He has since assisted handymen with fixing washing machines and refrigerators. I smiled when I heard chuckling and baby talk from the next room during one mechanical failure. I offered to put Max in another room and the response was "no, no, he's helping". More smiles. One technician even left a note saying that he and Max fixed our washer together and how Max "got right in there". He commands attention and gets it!
And now Max is inspiring greeting cards...
I'm always photographing Max and capturing poses with greeting cards in mind. Here are two Birthday cards that reflect every cat's dream...to spend the day napping - whether in a box or a special bed...
Do you have a rescue cat with a special story? We'd love to hear it!
You can follow Max on Instagram!