Dog mom saves cat who was thrown out of parked car, scooping her up from her frightened flattened state on floor, but finds out cat can’t continue to live with them: ‘It breaks our hearts to ask for this, but I committed to doing the best I can for her’

Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor

Jun 25, 2026 5:30 PM EDT

It is not all too often that canine pawrents find themselves at the center of a cat rescue, but that is exactly what happened to this dog lover when coming back to her car after a walking in the park with her pup.

Reddit's r/cats subreddit is a place full of fun feline stories. However, the story of feline rescue we have for you today contains multitudes of emotions and gives a very realist view of what can happen when taking on the challenge of saving an abandoned cat. There are so many hurdles to overcome and just when you think that you have completed them all, a new one rears its head to keep you on your toes. And that is very much how this pawticular story unfolded. At first the cat was very sweet, allowing her rescuer and vets to handle her with ease and without aggression. This is already a giant pawsitive step towards success, especially considering how frightened this poor feline must have been.

But that is when things took a turn for the worse. For when this 10 year old cat was brought home, it immediately had to find its spot amongst the two cat siblings and one dog sibling present in her new furever home. A task which her rescuer understood would be tough, but held out hope for success nonetheless. But as fate would have it this is where things went pear shaped, and the cats simply could not get along. And instead of subjecting the rescued feline to a life of arguments and fights, her rescuer did the right thing by the cat and worked towards finding her the purrfect furever home. It just goes to show that you cannot always have it all in the feline rescue game. But as long as you do your utmost to help the cat in need, that is all that matters.

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Oh goodness, this is a good place to stop for a moment so that you can run and grab your box of tissues. Because if you are anything like us then you are going to need some support to get through this part of the story. How tragic it is to see a cat in such a state. Even in their most stressed you would be hard pressed to see a cat flattening themselves to the floor. Sure, they might hide in a corner, tuck their tail between their legs. But to go full flat mode, that is a full on panic attack. We are just delighted that this sweet cat child was able to ask for help and not run away in fear.
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Ok, well that is a whole lot to handle all at once. What a sad story this is, to have a fully healthy cat who is just dumped potentially because of their age is abhorrent. Especially when the cat is so sweet and loving. We could perhaps understand why it would be tough to live with a cat who is getting grumpier with age, but a sweet feline who just wants love and affection? That is pure insanity. Nonetheless, it seems as though this feline sweetheart is in a good place for the time being, even if it might not be her final furever home. It is certainly better than the parking lot she was left in.
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