Poncho
Don’t Give Up
In October 2009, Emily Guirola of Brooklyn, NY, discovered a tiny, disabled kitten on the doorstep of an animal hospital in Bay Ridge, where she served as a volunteer. She immediately adopted the ailing feline and named him Poncho. After receiving discouraging diagnoses from several veterinarians, she visited the ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital. Here is her story.
I went to many vets and they all said the same thing: he isn't going to live, his back legs don't work, and he is going to be a vegetable for the rest of his life. Everyone told me to put him to sleep. I couldn't. I went to the ASPCA's animal hospital in New York City and found doctors who would treat him.
At first, Poncho couldn't even crawl or move his legs. Little by little, I taught him how to walk. Now he walks, eats on his own and can do his business alone. He functions with other cats and is doing better. It took me a whole year to teach him, but I am so glad I did!
I taught him how to move his legs by taking a cat toy attached to a string and shaking it in front of him. I noticed his eyes following it, and finally, one day, he caught it with his paws! That's when I knew miracles do happen.
Check out our Happy Tails Archive for more heartwarming stories of furry fate.