Last week, Donald Czyzyk was on his way to work at Happy Tails Humane Society in Illinois when he noticed something unusual.
A plastic pet carrier was half-buried in the snow near the driveway’s entrance. It appeared to be fully covered in ice, most likely due to snow being thrown upon it by a passing plow.
But when Czyzyk came closer, he noticed an ear. Inside, there was an animal nearly entirely buried in the snow.
Czyzyk, who works as a veterinary assistant for the rescue, ran over and began pulling the carrier out, fearful that whomever was inside had been frozen or smothered by the heavy snow.
He dashed inside after freeing the carrier and began hurriedly scooping up more snow. Finally, he spotted her: a little grey cat emerged from the carrier, soaked with snow and ice pieces.
She had come back to life.
“She has no injuries,” Czyzyk said to us. “However, she was drenched and freezing.”
It’s unclear how long the cat had been out there, but she was extremely fortunate that the carrier was still visible from the road when Czyzyk passed by.
The rescue crew chose to call the cat Winter after her amazing survival.
Her beautiful personality began to peek through as she warmed up. Winter is lively, witty, and full of personality, according to Czyzyk. “She enjoys roaming about her room and rubbing her head on objects.”
Winter was able to find a home with a local family immediately away because she is around a year old and in good condition. This weekend, she’ll return home.
For the time being, Winter is warm, well-fed, and content — and she’ll never have to wonder if she’s loved again.
