DELTA TWP., Mich. — Normally, a 10-year-old can't drive a car, but when you're a 10-year-old Persian cat, the rules can be broken a bit.
“He’s special,” said Delta Retirement Center resident Joann Waterstradt.
“I found Max back at the Capital Area Humane Society back in 2017 by chance,” said Max's handler Deb Small.
Small spoils Max.
“Max eats 100 treats a day or 700 a week,” Small said.
But his life didn't start that way.
“After I learned how he’d been harmed and the severe abuse he’s encountered, I wanted to protect him from any harm in the future, so I decided to adopt him,” Small said.
Most of Max's early life is a mystery, but Small does know he was thrown against a wall at a young age causing him to go blind and lose his back leg.
“Because he was blinded as part of the abuse project, I had to take him and get the surgery done to have the eyes prepared and get his sight back," Small said.
But it wasn't just Deb who saved Max. Max also saved Deb.
“I had just become an adult orphan, I call myself without having relatives on this planet and not knowing for sure which way to go,” Small said. “Without him I’m not sure what I would’ve been doing."
She did what any normal cat owner thinks they can do and trained him more than what he already knew how to do.
“I’ve taken him, wanting to get him used to being around people again after the abuse," Small said.
When Max has his harness on, he knows to stay where Small puts him. But when he has the harness off, he's free to run around and go up to whoever he wants.
“He just knows," Small said. “He literally came this way I don’t know how.”
Now, he's known asMax the Therapy Cat.
“While we’ve had quite a few therapy dogs, we’ve never had a therapy cat,” said Delta Retirement Center Community Relations Director Nura Reed.
“We’ve spent almost 3,000 hours out at the facilities and community events,” Small said.
Max travels to retirement homes to hang out with the residents.
“We have residents that have really taken to him and will check and see when he’ll be here next and constantly ask about it, so I know he’s made a really big impact on them,” Reed said.
But it's seeing people reactions that mean so much.
“To see his reaction of people and then, as you say, to see their reaction, it is, it’s priceless,” Small said.
“It makes me happy," Waterstradt said. "I’m glad that he's here. I always look forward to brushing his hair and interacting with him.”
Even though Max might not have had the best start in life and is still the typical independent cat, he's had a recent change of course deciding that, maybe, people are okay.
“I think now he’s like I don’t need to judge people anymore that people are truly kind," Small said. “I could not be happier that he’s now entered a phase in his life that he truly likes people. I mean it’s just a miracle.”
Max travels to different events all over the state. You can find him in his Ferrari at the Eaton County Health and Rehabilitation Services car show on Aug. 6 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Last year, Max's Ferrari won best car.
