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Christmas Kitten Needs Help From Guardian Angels By Enza Interligi Home Reporter December 24, 2004  After
21 years as an animal rescue volunteer, Denise Tao had never seen such a
grim sight as in the case of two month old Macy.
The tiny black kitten was found curled under a
car, clinging to a life she could no longer see because of a severe
infection that had destroyed her eyes and was just days from claiming her
life.
But during this holiday season, Macy has been
given a second chance, at least one of her nine lives, though she'll need a
few more guardian angels to ensure a long, healthy one.
THE PAST FEW WEEKS have been
tumultuous for Tao, as she has taken responsibility for nursing little Macy
back to health.
"When I got her, her eyes were
hemorrhaging so bad they were practically falling out," recalls Tao.
Macy was also malnourished and flea-ridden, she said.
Doing all she could to save her, Tao bathed
Macy's eyes with chamomile tea solution throughout that first night, trying
to soothe the kitten. "She's
a trooper, she never complained once," says Tao.
Knowing
that each passing hour was an hour closer to Macy's death, Tao got her first
Christmas miracle three o'clock that afternoon.
A
friend had managed to find a veterinary hospital in New York City that was
willing to operate on Macy without receiving full payment on arrival.
"She called at 3:30 and said I had a 4 o'clock appointment. When I walked in, one eye was starting to come out," says Tao.
If Macy had not received the operation to
remove her eyes, doctors predicted the eye infection would have spread to
her brain, causing an incredibly painful death.
"Any doctor would have wanted the money
up front, but St. Mark's was wonderful," says Tao.
Once all was said and done, the veterinary
bill came to a whopping $2000, not including upcoming treatments Macy is
likely to need in order to properly heal.
TAO IS A VOLUNTEER
for the non-profit organization Muffin's Pet Connection.
Volunteers rescue and find homes for abandoned
animals, working mostly out of pocket and are continuously in need of
monetary support from the community.
"I'll
never be rich doing this," jokes Tao, who along with seeing to Macy's
full recovery, is in the midst of trying to find a loving home for the
kitten.
But Macy, who doesn't seem to stop
purring, is dealing with two strikes against her, beginning with the
handicap of blindness and secondly her coat of black.
"It's
silly, but a lot of people are superstitious about owning a black cat,"
says Tao, referring to the classic superstition of black cats crossing your
path leading to a stroke of bad luck.
But
while Tao is desperate to find Macy the perfect family to adopt her, she
admits parting with the kitten she helped nurse back to health will be very
difficult, even though it comes with the job description.
"You
always lose a little chunk of your heart when you say good-bye," says
Tao.
Or call (718) 833-7988. Or you can
send donations directly to:
Donations
are 501C tax deductible.
Macy's Fund  Click here to browse our catalog We accept 
Thank you and God Bless!
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