This story begins with Max.

Max’s owner, Lorena, describes him as a sweet tuxedo kitty beloved by her children. But one day his health took a sudden turn for the worse. Desperate, Lorena turned to us for help.

Max’s condition progressed faster than expected, and we had to deliver the devastating news that we needed to help him pass peacefully. Unable to be there, her kids wrote a letter saying goodbye to Max.

“Thank you, Maxy, for being a good friend when I needed you. I want to go with you, but I can’t because I still have to live 80 or 90 years or even more,” she wrote. “You were like a furry brother to me. I love you very much. I carry you in my heart forever.”

That could have been the end of the story: a compassionate service provided to a beloved pet. But Lorena and her family turned grief into motivation. They started helping care for community cats in their neighborhood. When one of those cats turned out to be a mom and kittens, they became our very first “finder to foster.”

Finder to Foster is our new program where eligible people who find healthy, stray kittens or nursing moms can become foster parents! We provide all the supplies, training and medical care at no cost to the foster. Once the kittens are old enough, they can come back to AHS to be adopted (or, spoiler alert: the finder can also adopt them, like Lorena’s family).

Lorena’s kids took to fostering like ducks to water, and are proud to help other animals in Max’s honor. And of course, they welcomed two of the kittens as permanent additions to their home.

The depth of love felt for one animal can spark compassion that saves the lives of many. We all have a “why”: the reason we are drawn to care for animals, even when it’s hard, even when it’s heartbreaking. 

Max’s legacy lives on with every animal his family has helped, and — because of our supporters — can continue to live on with every gift his story inspires.