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Two of my eventual pets were on the loose at roadside rest areas, needing help and tugging at my heart. 

I found Boots dog in Wyoming one summer and Deuteronomy cat about 200 miles from home the next spring. Boots was wandering and nobody claimed him, so I gave him water, invited him to jump into the car, and we headed for the nearest town to get him a leash and collar.

At the motel that night, he wanted out often, I guess looking for his former home, but the next day, he was more calm. When we got home to the California coast, I was sure he'd never seen the ocean before, judging from his body language after he tried to drink salt water. He loves to run in the woods, too.

Deuteronomy was under a picnic table, and we befriended each other.

After I fed him, he followed me to the motorhome and jumped in. He had quite a "whoa!" expression when he saw Boots, my mother, her dog, and my cat. I know he wanted to get out, but he was starving, so we kept him there with us overnight and brought him home.

I call Deuteronomy "The Flying Cat" because even though he became a normal weight, he still can leap so effortlessly.

The vet estimated their ages, Boots two and Deuteronomy six (he is slowing down due to age now). They are both wonderful; what unexpected treasures!