Gelato weighed less than half a kilo when he arrived at Cincinnati Animal CARE shelter. He had been found running along a road with four other kittens, all following a plate of food. He had a spinal injury: he could feel his hind legs, but he couldn’t stand on them.
None of the shelter’s wheelchairs was small enough for him. Mallory Smith, his caregiver, didn’t wait for a custom one to arrive: she took cardboard, wooden rulers, duct tape, and Hot Wheels cars, and assembled an improvised wheelchair so Gelato could move around while he regained his strength.
Over time, a 3D-printed wheelchair arrived, adjustable as he grew. But what no one expected was what happened next: Gelato began standing on his own, without help, for a few seconds at a time. Smith believes that one day he might be able to give up the wheelchair completely.
