Beating the Odds, Baby Mack's Story

Meet Baby Mack, a fuzzy black haired little kitten with a lot of luck on his side!

Baby Mack has proven time and time again to be a survivor rising above all the challenges he's been faced with.

About 3 weeks ago he was spotted by a little neighbor girl as he lay all alone under a bush. Since his eyes were not even open yet, her mom thought he was a dead rat and called pest control. When they arrived they delivered the news that this was far from a rat but a little kitten that was still alive. That's when Safe Haven for Animals was called, a local rescue group. Hearing the story, they happily welcomed Baby Mack into their rescue facility and immediately started caring for him around the clock as his momma would have. Baby Mack started receiving bottle feedings every 2 to 3 hours, stimulated with a warm cloth to help him urinate and defecate, was kept warm at all times on a heating pad and given lots of love!

The next step would be a health check-up at the Scottsdale Cat Clinic where Dr. Karnia treats many of Safe Haven's kitties. Laura, his foster mom at Safe Haven, had noticed a small lesion on his hind quarters that didn't seem to be getting any better. The day of her vet appointment the lesion had gotten much worse and then split open. What we found next was startling. Maggots had found their way into Baby Mack's wound and were feeding on his tissues. Fortunately Baby Mack didn't seem to be too uncomfortable and the medical team went to work flushing out the wound and disposing of the invaders. Really all Baby Mack seemed to care about was when was he getting his next bottle! He wasn't out of the woods yet though. A few days later Laura noticed his bottom looking red and inflamed and he was struggling to defecate. Another trip back to the Scottsdale Cat Clinic where Dr. Karnia diagnosed a rectal prolapse. This can be commonly due to poor nutrition, worms or severe diarrhea forcing the animal to continually strain to defecate. The straining then forces the insides to come out of the anus. After putting things back in their proper place, Dr. Karnia placed a stitch to prevent it from happening again.

In a few days and after close watch by Laura around the clock and many re-checks at the vet things were starting to look good.


Today Baby Mack is a growing, purring, bouncing, curious healthy kitten! He also has shiny grayish hair growing in as an undercoat to his soft black fuzz. He looks absolutely adorable.

He continues to be doted on by Laura at Safe Haven and anyone else who comes in contact with him! Safe Haven for Animals is a no kill, non-profit animal shelter in the Phoenix area. They provide foster care and adoption services for any animal that needs them. Please visit their website or contact them at 602-926-8454 if you're interested in adopting a furry companion into your home or helping out in any other way.

Good luck to you Baby Mack! All of us here at the clinic enjoy receiving the pictures and updates from Baby Mack so much and we know he will lead a happy healthy life with his lucky new owner.