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One clear summer night, I decided to sit outside on my front doorstep. This was unusual for me, as I am the sole caretaker of my grandmother, and she can't be left alone. However, she had fallen asleep early, so I went outside to enjoy some fresh air.

Photo: Tracy Sherrer

It wasn't long before I heard a loud "Meow!"

I looked to my right, toward where my car was parked. Sitting there was a very large, rather forlorn-looking black-and-grey cat. He meowed at me again, so I held out my hand and clicked my tongue.

He came right over and rubbed against my hand. A few seconds later, he plopped down at my feet and began rubbing his body against my feet and legs.

I decided to put out some food, which he ate very quickly. Suspecting that he had most likely been abandoned, I began leaving food and water outside every day. I didn't always see him, but the food was usually gone.

When winter arrived, the weather became very cold, and I started to worry about him. I began putting his food in the garage and eventually coaxed him inside. I laid down some blankets and, when the temperatures dropped even further, placed a portable heater near his bed!

It took a great deal of time and effort, but he eventually became a house cat. He even began getting along with my other kitty!

The more time I spent with him, the more his wonderful personality revealed itself. He was one of the sweetest, cleverest, funniest, and most loving cats I've ever known.

Unfortunately, I had to put my sweet baby to rest last month.

He had contracted a serious disease while living outdoors. I don't know whether he had ever been immunized or whether too much time had passed since his last vaccinations after being abandoned.

By the time I got him to the veterinarian, it was already too late. He became very ill, and rather than watch him suffer, I made the heartbreaking decision to let him go.

I don't know how he found me that summer night, but I'll be forever grateful that he did.

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Story submitted by Tracy Sherrer from Martinez, CA.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!