Person finds a fuzzy orange cat stranded on the freezing highway and brings him home; his tail, leg and ears are gone from frostbite, but a year later, he's living his best life with his mom and siblings: 'He purred once he was in the warm vehicle'

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Jul 16, 2026 2:15 PM EDT

Not every cat rescue story is neat and pretty, but even the most difficult rescues are ones worth fighting for.

We love reading simple stories about cats getting rescued. It's one of the best parts about our jobs as writers for ICHC - we get to read these stories all day long. These stories are simple, they are wholesome, they are filled with pure kindness from humans, and they simply help restore our faith in humanity at a time when it is so rattled. Good people are out there fighting for every cat in need of help. And it's nice when these stories are simple. It's nice to read about someone coming across a lone kitten who had lost its mom and siblings and taking that kitten home. But it's not always that simple. One thing that we know as writers for ICHC is that some cat rescue stories are more difficult to read about than others, but each and every one of these rescues is worth the effort.

Broccoli Cheddar's story on r/Straycats was one of the more difficult stories. The way that he behaves now, you would never know what he went through. But the marks of his adventure will always be visible on him. His start in life was a cold one. Literally. His now-owners found him completely frozen on the side of the highway, barely moving and in desperate need of help. He let them pick him up without argument, and the second that he was in the warm car, he started purring. The consequences of his adventure included his tail and one of his legs having to be removed, and his little ears shriveled up from the frostbite. You will always see these things on him, but he doesn't seem to notice them at all, living his best life with his new family in his warm home.

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"It has been 1 year since Broccoli Cheddar was found on the highway!"

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Maybe we should not say this considering how this ended up happening, but honestly, we think his little ears are so, so cute. He is unique and sweet and strong, and we wouldo do anything for him.
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As long as he is happy, the way that he looks doesn't matter at all. And we know that he's happy. We can see it all over him in these pictures. Thank you for saving him.
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Person finds a fuzzy orange cat stranded on the freezing highway and brings him home; his tail, leg and ears are gone from frostbite, but a year later, he's living his best life with his mom and siblings: 'He purred once he was in the warm vehicle'

Not every cat rescue story is neat and pretty, but even the most difficult rescues are ones worth fighting for.

"It has been 1 year since Broccoli Cheddar was found on the highway!"

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