Max's Amazing Rescue
HELLO my name is MAX and here I am with my best-bud Petie. We grew up together and used to live on the top floor of a high-rise in North Van. We did some risky tight-rope walking along balcony rails to visit our friendly neighbour Ralph, who would give us treats and cuddles. After some time, our guardians moved away and left us behind. Luckily for us, Ralph took us in and gave us a place to call home. Phew, what a relief!
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Like us, Ralph was lonely and didn't have many friends, so we became his best pals. We lived happily with Ralph for 10 years till Petie died. That's when things started to go wrong.
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I soon found out that Ralph was increasingly sick with heart and kidney disease, and didn't have the energy to take care of me properly. I started to lose weight and my fur became matted without brushing. However, Ralph thought of me as his only reason for living, and needed me too much to give me up.
Things got suddenly worse one day. Ralph fell down unconscious on the living-room floor. He stayed like that for 2 days till someone from where he worked reported him missing. Then an ambulance came and paramedics took him away. (That was the last time I saw my beloved Raph since he died in hospital a few days later.) I was so scared during all this that I hid under the couch. No one saw me. Another 3 days passed by and no one found me. I had no food or water so I became very skinny. With nothing to eat for so many days, I got so thin that all my bones stuck out. My weight dropped to about 3 lbs.
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Then miraculously someone did find me. It all happened so fast it made my head spin! I heard that Ralph's care-givers at St. Paul's hospital had contacted the caring people at Vancouver ecoVillage. They came to rescue me and took me to my wonderful new home which I now share with my foster dad, Blair, and his faithful old dog, Tipper.
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Over the next few weeks, I was bathed and groomed several times by an expert groomer named Carley from Meow Maids. I know I gave her a hard time because I don't like staying still. With a lot of difficulty, she carefully shaved my matted fur and gave me a lion-cut. Carley took some photos of me. (The photos that show the red/pink areas of my skin are because the mats pulled and irritated my skin and it was quite painful.) I felt quite naked with all my fur gone! Carley carefully checked my skin and ears and trimmed my nails. She said my teeth needed cleaning and extractions needed to be done. She told Blair to hand-feed me and to get a vet check-up and blood-test done if my appetite didn't return. I loved all the attention they gave me and I purred loudly!
Now, here is the really great news: my foster dad, Blair, and I have fallen in love with each other, and he has decided to adopt me. I now have my forever home and I couldn't be happier!
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Dad and I go into the garden together and I have even met the 2 cats next-door. But dad has my back when they start calling me names and bickering - he sprays them with water and they jump high in the air from surprise. (It makes me laugh.) The cat next-door now thinks of me as a spray-bottle on 4 legs, and I get a lot of respect.
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So I spend my days following dad around like a puppy and he thinks it's sweet. But I do it just to make sure I don't lose this dad too. I am incredibly grateful for all he is doing for me, like feeding me by hand. I'm gaining weight and my fur is growing back. I love dad, my new home and Tipper the dog is now my best-friend. Aren't I the luckiest cat you ever met?
We rely on your generosity and compassion to keep providing care for Max and others like him. Every gift, no matter the size, has a real impact on our ability to reconnect people and animals to each other, and give them real hope for the future.
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Your Gift Means the World to Them!