She came up onto our back porch and buzzed my husband's ankles. This little black and white kitty was a mess. She was very thin, had a broken tooth and had open cuts and scrapes down her entire side. She had frequent sneezing fits as her body tried to rid itself of an abundance of dark, nasty crud that hindered her breathing.

PHOTO: Lucinda Greene

My husband named her "Hope" because we weren't sure if this little girl was going to make it. I guessed that she was about 6 months old.

I wrapped her in a towel and spent the next 8 hours getting her calm enough to sleep under my chin and feeding her small meals every hour or so. We made her comfortable in the bathroom and made an appointment with the vet. He said that she was about 3 years old.

Then she tested positive for feline HIV. We were crushed. The vet asked us if we wanted to put her down. We said no. We wanted to give this sweet little girl a chance.

After some research, I learned that Hope could only pass on her HIV to other cats through deep bite wounds. I also learned that feline HIV wasn't the death sentence it had once been.

Her immune system needed some extra support and she could live a normal kitty life. But first we had to just get her back to normal. I started her on some nutrient rich food with supplements added to support her immune system. As soon as she she gained enough weight, we got her spayed.

>PHOTO: PIXABAY

After a year and a half of TLC, Miss Hope is a healthier and happy little girl. After her spay healed and we figured out that her respiratory issues weren't contagious (we guessed maybe heavy 2nd hand smoke from wherever she had been), she joined the rest of our herd who accepted her as just another play buddy.

She is a joy to watch when she plays. We've tried to find her a home but for now, she's our Hope!

Story submitted by Lucinda Greene of Harrison Valley, PA.

Hope's story was originally shared on theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com. Share your very own rescue story here!