“Over here!” the snowplow driver shouted as paramedics rushed toward the scene. One of them dropped to his knees beside the man. “No pulse wait,” he said quickly, pressing his gloved hand to the man’s neck. “He’s still alive. Barely.”

When the other medic reached to move the cat, it hissed, fur puffed out. “It’s protecting him,” the first medic said quietly. “Let it stay.” They wrapped Walter in blankets, connected oxygen, and lifted him onto the stretcher. Through it all, the cat refused to move. Even inside the ambulance, as the sirens wailed and snow flew past the windows, it stayed pressed against his chest. Hours later, at Cedar Falls Medical Center, Walter was placed under warm lights and IV fluids. The cat sat by the foot of his bed, unbothered by the chaos. The doctor shook his head. “This man should’ve frozen to death. His body temperature was dangerously low. The only explanation is that animal kept his core warm enough to survive.” Reporters would later call it a miracle. But for now, in that quiet hospital room, it was simply a life saved by something small and determined.

Continue reading on the next page to find out what happens when Walter wakes up!