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When Natalia first met Wilson, he was just six weeks old. Someone had found the tiny pup wandering the streets of South L.A., barely hanging on. He was brought into the shelter, and from the moment Natalia saw him, she knew he was special.
Wilson had a serious problem: he couldn’t breathe through his nose. At the time, no one really knew why. As he grew, he started using toys in an unusual way — not to play, but to prop his mouth open, just so he could keep air moving through his throat. That’s when Natalia realized something was really wrong.
Turns out, Wilson had an abscess from an old injury that had caused scar tissue to block his nasal passages completely. Breathing was a constant struggle, and no one local could figure out how to help him.
That didn’t stop his care team. His specialists reached out internationally, and a surgeon in New Zealand came up with a unique solution: they would place tubes inside his nose, anchored by buttons on the outside to hold them in place for ten weeks.
It was a long shot, but it worked.
When the tubes were finally removed, the scar tissue had reshaped itself around them, forming proper nasal airways. For the first time in his life, Wilson could breathe through his nose — and even smell the world around him. “We were so focused on helping him breathe,” Natalia said, “we didn’t even realize he hadn’t been able to smell anything either. It was amazing watching him sniff the air like it was all brand new.”
As Wilson healed, Natalia noticed something else: his heart was just as special as his recovery. Early on, he bonded with a foster cat, and that connection set the tone for the rest of his life. Natalia continued fostering kittens, with a gate separating them, but the kittens always wanted to be with Wilson. They’d climb on him, kiss his face, and curl up against his chest. And he welcomed it all.
There’s one blind cat in particular who stole his heart. She was adopted into the home and immediately attached herself to Wilson. Now that she’s two years old, she still sticks by his side wherever he goes. “She feels safe with him,” Natalia said. “She knows he’ll protect her.”
Veterinarians who have met Wilson often describe him as a unicorn. Despite all the pain and trauma he’s endured, he’s never once acted out or pulled away. “He’s just pure love,” Natalia said. “He has this gentle soul that kittens naturally trust.”
And it shows. Every kitten who’s spent time with Wilson left their foster home more confident, more social, and less afraid of the world. Adopters would often write to Natalia, amazed by how outgoing their kittens were. Natalia believes that’s all thanks to Wilson. “He teaches them that it’s okay to trust. He lets them come out of their shell on their own terms.”
Some days, Natalia jokes that Wilson must have lived a few lives before this one. “It’s like he already knows everything,” she laughed. “He’s just here to love and help the next little one who needs him.”
