MaxFund’s Mission: Pet Care Over Profit
A cornerstone of the MaxFund mission is putting the care and love for animals above profit, regardless of the situation. We are so grateful for our amazing community of supporters that help us remain able to care for any animal that comes through our doors to the best of our ability. All that said, we do continue to find the need to rely on our community as some of our residents have more needs than others.
April’s Goal: Offset MaxFund’s Cost To Continue to Provide This Care
Meet Kelly & Guapo. This bonded, partially paralyzed pair of kitties has been with us for years, and we feel lucky to be able to care for them every day while they await their forever home. You can imagine it’s pretty difficult to adopt a cat with such specialized needs, much less two!
An Interview with Kelly & Guapo’s Support System: Katie Cook
In the meantime, however, one of our staff members has taken a significant liking to these two spry boys. Katie Cook, one of Meow Manor’s resident cat caretakers, has been caring for Kelly & Guapo for more than 3 years now. We sat down with her to learn more about this amazing duo, here’s what she had to say:
-
Tell me about your connection with these kitties! How long have you known them? What’s your favorite part about caring for them? What do you wish more people knew about them?
I’ve known Kelly and Guapo for as long as I’ve been here, which was four years in March of 2025. I’ve taken care of them for about three years of that, beginning at the shelter before Meow Manor was built. When I moved over to MM, I took them with me out of deep love and admiration of them.
My favorite part of caring for them is our cuddle time and our play time. Kelly has more feeling in his lower extremities and is my favorite (but don’t tell Guapo!). Once I lie down on the floor, he’ll slink up next to me and purr and purr and purr while I love all over him. Once I’m done with Kelly, I move over to Guapo who just wants his head petted and scratched. He rewards you with making biscuits on whatever he has available...I’ve seen him give the air above him biscuits. Guapo doesn’t feel as much in his lower extremities as Kelly, but I would argue that he feels a lot more than other “paralyzed” cats do! I’ve seen him get up on all four legs and take a couple steps towards running when he’s afraid; I’ve seen him lift his legs up to help me when I’m bathing him; and I’ve seen his legs twitch a little bit before he goes potty.
I wish other people saw Kelly and Guapo just like they see other cats. These boys are resilient and either have no idea that they are “different” from other cats or don’t care.
-
One of the cats was found stray while the other was relinquished. How did the two of them end up being connected and ultimately bonding?
Kelly arrived first with hip dysplasia and was incontinence. When Guapo arrived later, he was paralyzed and incontinence. It made sense to put the two of them together to see how they did. They hit it off immediately. In fact, Kelly took on more of a “big brother” role and always made sure Guapo was safe.
I think maybe they saw a part of themselves in each other and loved each other all the more because of it. Once they lived together, they did not like to be separated (even for a necessary doctor appointment!). They will cry to me as I approach the room, as if to say, “where’s my buddy? He should be here with me!”
Consider Donating to Our Cause Today
We hope this glimpse into Kelly and Guapo’s life, as well as this inside look with their care team has helped to illustrate exactly why we love caring for this bonded pair so much. To learn more about Kelly and Guapo’s story check out this video. To donate towards their daily care, donate to this month’s Fund-A-Need campaign here.