The cat stopped a few feet away, its green eyes reflecting the faint glow of a buried streetlight. It sniffed the air, meowed softly, then stepped closer. The man didn’t move. The snow had already begun to cover his legs.

The cat circled him once, twice, then climbed onto his chest. It curled itself into a tight ball, pressing close to his coat. The storm howled around them, but the small creature didn’t leave. Each breath from the cat sent faint warmth into the frozen layers of fabric. Beneath it, the man’s heartbeat slowed but didn’t stop. Hours passed. The cat stayed. By dawn, the blizzard had quieted. A lone snowplow rumbled down the road, its driver bleary-eyed from a long night. Something caught his attention a strange shape in the ditch. He slowed, squinted, and blinked in disbelief. There, half-buried in snow, lay an old man. On his chest, a small orange cat stared back at him, unflinching.

Continue reading on the next page to see what rescuers discovered!