Abandoned in her carrier, a small animal waited anxiously for someone to find her. The sun had set, the temperature was dropping, and the falling snow was slowly collecting in a mound on top of her makeshift home.

When all hope seemed lost, a wet nose suddenly pushed through the snow. A dog walking by had clocked an unfamiliar scent and was intent on showing his mom what he’d found.

When the dog’s owner went to investigate, she was shocked. There, alone in the snow, was a wide-eyed cat.

The woman took the abandoned cat home and posted on Facebook, asking for help and advice. Soon, she connected with Home at Last Rescue.

“My heart sank when it dawned on me how cold and snowy it was outside,” Stephanie Niro-Pisani, executive director of Home at Last, told The Dodo. “I couldn’t fathom how anyone could do this to any animal, let alone their own cat … If not for this woman and her dog, she likely would not have survived the night.”

Home at Last arranged for the cat, later named Paisley, to visit Bayview Park Animal Hospital, where she was assessed for injuries and given necessary care.

Paisley is loving life in her foster home, where she enjoys playing with her catnip toys and loving on her foster mom.

In a few weeks, Paisley will be ready for adoption. Niro-Pisani is eager to give Paisley the life she deserves.

“Her future will no doubt be wonderful,” Niro-Pisani said. “After all she has been through, and how she was let down by her previous family, we will ensure her forever family is truly forever.”