Rescue Stories : Machiko

Machiko

I was driving the main road through town to meet a friend for dinner on a warm summer evening when I noticed what I thought was a large rock on the white line of the road in the opposite lane. I quickly realized that it was not a rock, but a kitten sitting right on the edge of the road. I looked at oncoming traffic and saw two tanker trucks coming in the opposite lane where the kitten was. My heart sank and I pulled over to at least take the little body off of the road and bury it. I carry gloves in my car just in case I may need them to help animals. The trucks sped by and to my amazement the kitten was still alive and had stepped back to the guardrails. I did a U turn and parked my car several yards away so as not to scare him/her away. As I approached, the kitten attempted to run into the brush so I took a dive over the guard rails and caught it! He was only about 6 - 8 weeks old and his little eyes were matted tightly shut. I put him in my car and proceeded to remove the matting from his eyes not knowing what I would find underneath. His eyes were bright and sparkly and he began to explore the car. I called my friend and said I would be late for dinner then took the kitten home and called my vet. He spent the night quarantined in a crate and after a good report form the vet, became a member of the family with three other cats and a dog. I returned the next day to search for siblings, but found none. His name is Machiko, Japanese for "fortunate one". I call him Mac and feel I am the fortunate one to be blessed with his love and presence in my life.

Frankie
Warren, PA