Every Animal is my Miss October

Oct 02, 2008 by by Lucille Giffone

PART 1
of
An Interview with Mary Max

Mary Max is a full-time activist who has awakened many people to the realities of animal cruelty. Mary is a Board Member of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane USA-PAC and the New York Coalition For Healthy School Food. She is also on Farm Sanctuary’s Advisory Council and on the Advisory Board of the League of Humane Voters (LOHV).

Mary is married to the well-known artist Peter Max whose psychedelic style made him prominent in the art world in the l960’s. Since then, Peter Max’s career has included painting for Presidents Carter, Ford, Bush, Reagan and Clinton, the Grammy Awards and the World Cup Soccer Tournament. He personally helped bring about the restoration of the Statue of Liberty.

LG: Tell us a little about yourself, where you were born and raised.

MM: Buffalo. And I loved growing up in Buffalo. The weather in Buffalo is very similar to the weather in New York City, summer and winter. We had one bad blizzard in l977, and now all I hear is “Oh God, you live in Buffalo.” I’ve never gotten why Buffalo has this reputation for being so, so cold. It’s a beautiful place. At the turn of the century, there was a huge shipping industry there. Street after street there are these huge mansions. Of course, very few people can afford to keep them up these days, so lots of non-profits and businesses are housed in the mansions. There’s an artsy section, golf courses, and we even have a park called Delaware Park that was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the same man who designed Central Park in New York City. And Buffalo is meticulous about cleanliness. You know, my husband has traveled all over this country for his gallery shows, and when we were in Buffalo, he said it was one of the most beautiful cities he has seen.

LG: What did you do growing up in Buffalo?

MM: Ice skate. Competitive ice skating. It was the only thing I wanted to do. But when you’re doing a solo sport, you have to be number one. It’s not like football or basketball where there can be a lot of good players. Unless you’re number one, you either become an ice skating teacher or join the Ice Capades, and I didn’t want to do either.

LG: You gave it up?

MM: At l8. I started at three years old, stopped at l8.

LG: Did you always love animals, even as a child?

MM: Yes, but it was only my Aunt Jane’s dogs. And I would care for the strays in my neighborhood.

LG: As a child? How did you do that?

MM: I would save my money to buy cat food to feed the kittens. But then I lost that.

LG: You lost interest?

MM: Well, you see, I was very close to my mother’s siblings. I had a very cruel father. He was out-of-his-mind mean. He was systematically cruel.

LG: Do you think this made you more compassionate to animals, who suffer so much?

MM: No, because this was a point in my life where I completely shut down. My mother’s siblings were my refuge, but within a l3-month period, all of them died. In addition to sadness, I felt threatened. All I could think of was how am I going to survive. I couldn’t relate to animals. Helping strays was not on my mind at this time.

LG: What did you do?

MM: I took refuge in skating and school. Then it must have been fate
because I got an opportunity to move to New York City, and in a matter of three days I packed my bags and never looked back.
It was my fantasy as a child to live in New York. I loved Jackie Kennedy, you know, growing up Irish Catholic. I wanted to do some type of social justice work by day and have dinner with the likes of Walter Cronkite in the evening. I wanted furs and a crocodile bag. Jackie O. used to carry this bag. All I saw was glamour and elegance.

LG: You didn’t even have a desire to have a dog?

MM: Oh no. The person I was engaged to at this time asked me “Do you want animals?” I said, “no, no, no.” My childhood with strays was pushed aside. Cats were dirty to me, and if I saw a dog walking down the street I’d move over.

LG: How did all that change?

MM: Well, Peter hasn’t eaten or worn animals since the ‘60’s. He was involved with yoga and non-violence. When I met Peter – well, that’s another magical, unbelievable story, how we met on a street corner of all places. I didn’t believe in the paranormal then. I was a math/science major, very linear. But the events of the day for both of us leading up to our meeting on that street corner are amazing.

Well, I remember Peter asked me not to wear leather pants when we were going out. And I just didn’t get it. I thought maybe they’re too sexy for him. He never said don’t wear the skin of a cow.

LG: How did you go from not wearing leather pants to animal advocacy?

MM: By knowing Peter. But it really started when Peter was doing a show in New Orleans. He was donating to a shelter, and he called saying he was bringing a kitty home. I said “I’m not dealing with a litter box.” Of course, he brings the cat home. I held this little being in the palm of my hands. Her eyes were still closed, and her ears were flapped over. I just melted. Then, two days later, Peter had to go paint a plane.

LG: Did you say a plane?

MM: Yes, he was painting a 747 for Continental Airlines. I was alone for l0 days. So I spent time with this kitty. I thought, huh, two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth. I have those things. She’s hungry, she’s cranky. I’m kind of like that sometimes. She’s more like me than not like me.

I had to bottle feed her and rub her behind to make her go to the bathroom. She was peeing and pooping all over me. Because she didn’t have a cat mother, she thinks I’m her real mother. There’s a technical concept called imprinting, and she imprinted me as her mother. I just fell in love with this little girl.

LG: What’s her name, and how old is she?

MM: Miss October, and she’s nine years old. We took her in October. My birthday and Peter’s birthday are in October. And she’s from New Orleans, and you know how in the south it’s Miss this and Miss that. So she’s Miss October.

(to be continued)