UPDATE: 4-week-old tortoise cat found trapped in snow and covered in ice, gentle family takes her in gives her a warm furrever home

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Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Feb 7, 2026 5:00 PM EST

These asymmetrical markings on tortoise cats never looked cuter, despite being snow-covered. 

Finding a cat buried in snow and covered in ice is horrifying. No one wants to stumble upon a trapped cat, meowing and desperate for release. In the story here, a family found this little 4-week-old tortoise cat trapped with her fur stuck to a hun of metal. She was freezing and cold and meowing for a savior. They took her in and immediately gave her a warm home. They took her to the vet and she's actually quite healthy; she slept with their daughter under the covers to stay warm. The story is an update about the cat being stuck, and one that's heart wrenching. 

A tortoise cat, similar to calico, are almost always female. Their markings are asymmetrical, and usually consist of particolored coats with patches of shades, such as orange, red, grey, black, and white. The size varies based on their genetics. Usually they mix two different colors, and resemble a tortoise-like pattern on their fur. Tortoiseshell and calico coats result from an interaction between genetic and developmental factors. They're so interesting and beautiful to look at. Besides their beautiful phenotypic pattern on their fur, they also have unique personalities. Personally known as "tortitude," often denoted as sassy, independent, spirited, and sometimes feisty. They're known to be vocal and intense as well. If you're looking to get a cat, then a tortoise cat should be up your alley. They're also considered lucky charms in many cultures. 

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    Sunday, during the storm, my family rescued this sweet little tortie kitten that was trapped out in the cold by itself. She was
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    almost entirely covered in ice, and her fur was stuck to the hunk of metal she was hiding under for shelter. I posted a picture on
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    r/cats and it blew up. A lot of people told me that y'all would appreciate some pics of her, so here I am! Her name is Elsa, of course :)
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  • She really has the most adorable face! I can't imagine if I found her covered in snow. It's almost like when I found my cat. He isn't a tortoise cat, and I didn't find him in snow, but I like to think I saved him from the dangers of the outside. I was walking around and there was a cardboard box next to a big trash can. I heard distant kitten meowing, and I know I had to check. Sure enough, there he was just desperately looking up at me inside of that box. I immediately took him out, and the rest is history. 

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    For those of you who already saw her in my post on r/cats the other day. Here are some updates since then:
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    1. She was so hungry. We tried feeding her some chicken broth, and also some of the juice from a can of wet food,
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    but she wasn't really interested. Then we found out she needs kitten formula, but all of the stores
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    around us were closed due to the storm. I posted my dilemma in some of my church GroupMe groups,
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    and a nice couple from our Sunday School class donated a bunch of kitten formula and kitten wet food
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    to us! I had to drive in the storm to get it, but I was extremely careful. She's been loving it :)
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    2. She slept with our daughter all night (both nights), right up against her, but under the covers (daughter doesn't
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    move around in her sleep). We figured Elsa wanted to be EXTRA warm
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    3. We've returned to the area where we found her multiple times and looked around thoroughly, but didn't see any other cats.
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    4. Our vet was closed yesterday, but we were able to get her in today! She is very healthy, just needed some antibiotics, plus Revolution just in case.
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    5. Our vet confirmed she is right around 4 weeks old, just like we thought :)
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    6. We started trying to wean. her onto more solid food this morning, but she wasn't really interested, so we're
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    4
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    sticking with the kitten formula just a bit longer and will try again soon. 7. Now that we know she's
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    healthy, we're slowly working on introducing her to our other cats. Stay tuned for some pics of them snuggling together!
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wholesome adoption kitten tortoise cute cats Cats rescue
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