Springtides, Inc.Poncho
Poncho is an 8 year old cat who lives at the Springtides 
office. About 4 years ago he showed up at Dr. McGuire's doorstep as a scrawny, beaten up stray. Lucky for Poncho, Dr. McGuire is not only kind but also an animal lover. Dr. McGuire and her family fed Poncho and let him live outside their house for a little bit to let him get used to them. One day Dr. McGuire stuffed Poncho into a cat carrier and took him to a place not many animals like---the vet's office. There Poncho was give a thorough check up, all of his shots were updated, and he was given a bath (water+cat=not a good time). Because Dr. McGuire already had two cats at home she decided to take him to her office and use him as a therapy cat. Ponch was so happy to finally have a nice warm home with all the food he could eat.
When Dr. McGuire first took Poncho in he was only allowed to come home with Dr. McGuire on special occasions for play-dates with Dr. McGuire's house cats. But now Poncho comes home with Dr. McGuire every night and play with Dr. McGuire's other cats.
When Poncho first showed up he didn't know what playing was and looked at toys like they were just something in the way. With the help of Dr. McGuire's kids and all of her patients Poncho soon learned how to play. Poncho also likes to take walks outside and going for car rides. Poncho isn't allowed to take walks outside anymore however, because once he gets back inside he tries to escape through the doors when patients come in and out.
One summer Poncho tagged along on a road trip with Dr. 
McGuire and her son. Poncho rode along in the van all the way to Portland, Oregon and then back home again. The trip wasn't all fun for Poncho. When Poncho was a stray he had gotten into a fight that caused damage to his lower gum. This injury hadn't caused Poncho much trouble until the trip to Portland. Dr. McGuire noticed he wasn't eating much and didn't seem like his normal chipper self. Once they got to Portland, they asked the person at the hotel front desk what vet they reccommended. Dr. McGuire called up the vet and got Poncho an appointment. The vet said it was just an infection and gave Poncho a prescription for some antibiotics. Poncho seemed to be doing much better once the medicine kicked in. Unfortunately it was just a temporary fix. Once back home and all of his medicine taken, Poncho began to act sick again and didn't want to eat or play. Dr. McGuire took him to his usual vet and they noticed that the infection was coming from the gum around a tooth that had been damaged in a fight. They said the best way to get rid of the infection and make sure it wouldn't come back was to remove the tooth and put him on antibiotics again. Poncho's tooth was removed and he went back on antibiotics. Now the infection and the tooth are gone and he is feeling much much better.
While his gum was healing from having the tooth removed he was on a wet food diet. Now that is all he will eat. After the gum was healed Dr. McGuire tried to switch him back to dry food but Poncho was a stubborn cat and refused to eat anything but wet food. Cat treats are the exception to that rule. He will eat most any cat treat in front of him, soft or hard.
Poncho loves to be pet and can usually be found taking a nap on a chair in Dr. McGuire's office. When he can't find Dr. McGuire he calls out "mom" and waits for her to respond. If she doesn't come he goes up and down the halls at the office calling for her until he finds her. Kids and adults alike come to the office to see Poncho and love to have him sit on their laps and purr while they are in their appointments. Poncho has a knack for winning over the hearts and relaxing all kinds of people--even those who insist that they don't like cats.
Poncho's favorite books:
