She walked right up to him
During a recent rainstorm in Northern California, a man driving through the winding Sierra Nevada mountains spotted something small and out of place along the roadside. Pulling over to take a closer look, Ross — who preferred not to share his last name — discovered a tiny, mud-caked cat sitting in the rain, staring right up at him.
Carefully, Ross stepped out of his truck and walked halfway toward the animal, worried that getting too close might scare her off. But to his surprise, the drenched cat immediately began walking toward him, as if she had been waiting for someone to come.
Ross scooped her up, wrapped her in a dry shirt, and brought her back to his truck. Though he doesn’t usually consider himself a “cat person,” his compassion outweighed everything else.
“I love animals, so he knew I’d be fine with it,” Ross’s wife, Heather, told The Dodo. “He said, ‘I couldn’t just leave her out there.’”
Once home, the couple settled the soaked feline by the fire to warm up. Heather gently bathed her, washing away layers of mud and fleas. The cat didn’t resist at all — she seemed utterly drained, content to let her rescuers help her.
Heather’s kids suggested naming her “Bootsie,” but Ross called her “Lucky” — and the name Lucky Boots stuck.
The following morning, Heather brought Lucky Boots to a nearby veterinarian to check for a microchip. The scan revealed that she’d been microchipped 15 years earlier through a Sacramento kitten rescue nearly 90 miles away. Unfortunately, the rescue no longer had any contact information for her original adopters.
No one knows how long the elderly cat had been fending for herself in the mountains, but she was given antibiotics, pain medication, and eye drops to help her recover. Soon, Lucky Boots was comfortably settled into her new routine — spending her days snuggled in blankets and basking in affection.
“She’s doing great,” Heather said. “She’s not into toys — she just loves to cuddle. One of my sons carries her around and tucks her in. She can’t jump on the couch anymore, so he lifts her up and sits with her.”
The family has posted on social media, hoping to track down her former owners, but so far, no leads have panned out.
Even so, Lucky Boots has found warmth, care, and safety once again — and Heather says she’s welcome to stay for as long as she wants.