A foster kitten named Gelato can walk for the first time, thanks to a homemade wheelchair built from cardboard, rulers, Hot Wheels toy cars, and tape by a Cincinnati Animal CARE staff member.

Mallory Smith, the shelter's veterinary assistant lead, constructed the device after Gelato arrived at the Hamilton County shelter unable to stand or move on his own. The kitten was too small to fit any of the standard wheelchairs the shelter had on hand.

So Smith improvised.

Cincinnati Animal CARE shared a photo of Gelato in his new rig on its Facebook page over the weekend of Sunday, July 19. "Nothing a few rulers, zip-ties, and Hot Wheels can't solve!" the shelter wrote. By Tuesday, July 21, the shelter posted a video with more of Gelato's story, and the post took off: as of Wednesday, July 22, the video had drawn roughly 67,000 views and 2,800 reactions on Facebook.

The shelter said the contraption is already helping. Gelato is getting stronger each day and has begun standing on his own for brief moments, according to Cincinnati Animal CARE's Tuesday Facebook post.

Smith is also fostering Gelato at her home as he continues to recover. No adoption timeline has been announced.

cincinnati animal care facebook post


The viral moment comes during a difficult stretch for the shelter. Cincinnati Animal CARE declared a "Code Red" in June as it neared 900 animals in its care during peak kitten season. The shelter's foster program is free and open to the public. Residents interested in fostering can visit the shelter at 3949 Colerain Ave. or 4210 Dane Ave. in Cincinnati, open daily from 1 to 6 p.m., or call 513-541-7387.

Coming up

  • Friday, October 2 — Cincinnati Animal CARE's annual fundraiser, "Unleashed: The Power of Love," at Rhinegeist Brewery. VIP hour at 6 p.m.; main event 7 to 10 p.m. Details at cincinnatianimalcare.org/unleashed.