The Love Story That Started It All

I was nineteen and living in a small apartment near college when my mom, who worked at an elementary school, called about a kitten living under her classroom who needed help.

The school was going to call animal control, but, a kitten as small as this one would not have had a great chance at survival in the shelter due to the limited resources they typically have to care for orphaned kittens who need round the clock care and bottle feeding. I knew my apartment wouldn’t accept a cat, yet I decided to brave it and care for him temporarily, at least until a permanent home could be found.

Within a week, I fell in love with this kitty and knew I couldn’t part with him. I named him Max. I successfully hid him from property management for two years until I bought my own house where we could live happily ever after.

Max was the most amazing cat with a perfect personality and smart too. He would greet me at the door daily; cuddle with me every night in bed; and claimed his permanent spot on the couch. He always knew the exact thing to do to make me smile and loved giving kisses. His favorite thing to do was to play fetch with my hair ties. He took so much delight in hiding them all over the house.

Everybody who met Max commented on what a sweet, smart and special kitty he was and how they’d never seen a cat with such an outgoing and affectionate personality. You just couldn’t be sad when Max was around.

On June 10, 2017, when Max was only 6 years old, there was a tragic accident and Max left his body. That day, my heart broke into a million pieces and I knew my life would never be the same. It took almost a year before I could even look at another cat or feel comfortable living in my house because the memories were just too painful. The only thing that got me through the heartache was knowing, beyond a doubt, that Max was the most loved cat in the world and had a great and happy life, no matter how short.

While I will never fully recover from the loss of my first and best friend, my husband and I decided we would dedicate our lives to making a difference for other orphaned animals like Max. Our mission is to give animals in need a chance at feeling the true love of a family, just like Max did.

Thanks to our supporters, we have proudly created an organization dedicated to finding protective and loving homes for as many animals that we and our volunteers reasonably can. Our rescue is dedicated to helping animals of various species, regardless of age, behaviors or medical issues. We are dedicated to playing a part in assuring all animals have a chance at their best life.

One Love Animal Rescue and Sanctuary was born in Max’s memory. We promise that if you give animals a chance and show them the love they deserve, they will touch your life in an unimaginable way, just like Max did for us.