'She’s been our little princess': Cross-eyed kitten rescued from 5 degree blizzard warms pawrents' hearts after snuggling her way into their family

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Oct 2, 2026 3:00 PM EDT

They missed an opportunity to call her 'Elsa', but Deli seems purrfectly happy with her name and all the love she's getting since being adopted.

We have this imaginary idea in our heads that every stray cat yearns for a home, craves attention and love from hoomans, and wants to watch the world go by from inside the window instead of out of it. But, that's simply not true.

Many stray cats have lived their whole lives outdoors and have no idea how wonderful and relaxing the life of an indoor cat is. At first, they can feel claustrophobic by being surrounded by walls, a roof, and furniture everywhere. Every bump or clang from the radiator sends them running under the couch, a slammed door sends them scrambling through the house, and every sneeze causes them to jump 6 feet in the air. It's not like they immediately adjust, just like everything, it takes time. And sometimes, they don't even want to be caught in the first place.

However, just because they don't want to be caught and brought indoors, doesn't mean that we should leave them out there. Stray cats are responsible for a large reduction in wild bird and rodent populations, and the life of an outdoor cat is not one that is meant for longevity. 

That's where our story today starts: Deli was born with her brother under their neighbor's shed. They spent months trying to catch her and bring her inside. Even after daily feeding sessions, she still remained elusive. That was, until a blizzard hit their city and the temperatures dropped below freezing. Not just a little bit, but to around 5 degrees. They managed to scoop her up and bring her inside, and I think it's safe to say that she's fully adjusted to her purrfectly cozy indoor life now.

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    Since a lot of people are asking, here is Deli's story: She was born last summer under one of our neighbours' sheds. People had been trying to catch her but never could. She would wander around the neighbourhood and used to hang out in our old neighbour's yard.
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    Unfortunately, our area is kind of a dumping ground for cats, so there were always strays around. When we first started seeing Deli as a kitten, we would leave food outside our window for her. We lived in a basement apartment, so our window opened right at street level. She slowly started coming around more and more.
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  • Why would any cat actively run away from a hooman trying to help them? Fear of the unknown. Cats, like other wild animals, rely on that fear to keep them safe from potential threats. Unless they have had any interaction with hoomans before, hoomans are just another scary animal that might be dangerous to the feline species. Some cats are more trusting than others, but some take years to warm up to even the most docile hoomans. When you don't know that the grass is greener on the other side, it's hard to take the leap into trusting another person… even if they have good intentions.

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    One of the sweetest things she would do was curl up against the screen beside our cat Dumpling, who would be sitting on the other side of the window. She was already trying to snuggle up next to the cat who would eventually become her big brother.
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    Then winter came. During a -15°C blizzard, we spotted this tiny little girl outside. We asked a rescue for help, managed to catch her and brought her inside. And that was it. Deli's days of surviving outside were over. Since then, she's been our little princess. She is now warm, spoiled, safe and very, very loved.
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    She actually has a brother who is still out there running around the neighbourhood and successfully avoiding everyone's attempts to catch him. Apparently, being impossible to catch runs in the family.
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    Party Bicycle3778 She is a beautiful baby! HH
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    This little boy also had to survive Chicago winter in a tunnel underneath my old apartment til we caught him! Now he is a well fed, warm, hammock kitty
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    viddy_oh_guy Beautiful survivor! Looks just like our girl, Kompi
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    URAYummyPotato Such a cute baby, thank God she is alive, with all the flowers I thought it was another kitty has gone to heaven post. I didn't expected to keep being sad when following this sub and seeing cat posts.
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    Sleddogluvr
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    Domanite75 That's one of the prettiest cats I've ever seen!
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    Springrabbit144 Shes so pretty and dainty. I love how she folds her paws :)
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    briannaL26 Crossed eyed cats are forever my favourite
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    desisinglechokra She went from fighting to survive the cold to living a life full of warmth, love, and happiness. G What a little fighter! She truly deserves her best life.
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    crystal029393 Oh my goodness, she's positively gorgeous!
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    StormFast524 She deserves the best and pampering. I'm glad you gave her this life ♥♥
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    choyce1956 The eyes drew me in. Then I asked, it's me, falling! "What's that sound?" Oh,
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    Delicious-Basis7525 Despite the fact it makes me sad to think of what the little babies have to go through (including mine), it warms my heart to hear stories like this. She's really lovely. X
    via Delicious-Basis7525

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blizzard cat rescue family cute kittens
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