When Gray noticed the tiny kitten curled beside the roadside, he almost kept walking.
He had never considered himself a cat person.
He had never owned a pet, never imagined bringing one home.
But the kitten looked so small, so still, and so alone that he could not ignore it.
Its eyes were sealed shut, its body barely moving, and crowds of people were passing without a second glance.
Gray waited, hoping someone else might stop. No one did.
Finally, a simple realization settled in. If he left the kitten there, it would not survive.
He picked it up carefully and carried it back to his hotel, unsure what to do but certain he could not abandon it.
When the kitten barely responded to water, fear crept in.
Gray quickly searched for nearby animal hospitals and rushed the fragile little life to a vet.
Tests revealed severe infections in both eyes and nose, and the prognosis was uncertain.
Still, the vet offered treatment and fed the kitten a small amount of food.
To everyone’s surprise, the kitten ate eagerly.
That small moment felt like hope.
Because Gray was traveling for business, he had no choice but to keep the kitten with him.
That night, the kitten began to mew softly and nibble at food again.
But by morning, Gray woke to find it completely unresponsive, breathing so faintly he could barely tell it was alive.
He rushed back to the clinic, where the vet discovered the kitten’s body temperature had dropped dangerously low.
They warned that survival was uncertain and treatment could be costly.
When asked whether he wanted to continue, Gray did not hesitate.
He had already chosen to help once. He was not about to stop now.
The kitten was placed on IV fluids and given medication.
Gray stayed close, watching carefully, afraid each quiet moment might be the last.
Then, by afternoon, the kitten lifted itself and began eating again.
It was a turning point.
Gray spent the night nearby, and by the following evening, the kitten could open its eyes slightly.
Though still congested and weak, it showed signs of life and curiosity.
Soon after, Gray brought the kitten home and gave her a name:
Jiu, meaning “nine,” a number he hoped would bring strength and luck.
At home, Jiu seemed to gain energy quickly.
She ate well, explored her cardboard box den, and responded to the eye drops, nose drops, and antibiotics Gray carefully administered each day.
Watching her improve brought him quiet joy.
But recovery did not move in a straight line.
Gray soon noticed one of Jiu’s hind legs seemed weak while the other appeared swollen.
A vet visit suggested a possible congenital issue that might improve with growth, though nothing was certain.
Gray accepted the uncertainty and resolved to care for her regardless.
Then came digestive troubles. Jiu lost her appetite and developed diarrhea, followed by vomiting.
Another visit to a 24-hour hospital ruled out major viruses, but the vet explained that she was simply very young and fragile.
During the exam, they discovered a deeper problem: a severe infected wound in her hind paw.
Cleaning it was painful, and watching her struggle broke Gray’s heart.
Still, he continued to bring her back whenever symptoms worsened, determined to give her every chance.
Soon after, a stool sample revealed intestinal parasites, confirming parasitic gastroenteritis.
Because Jiu weighed only 350 grams, most medications were too strong.
So the vet prescribed a gentler option and warned that she would need constant monitoring.
Gray barely slept. He fed her kitten formula, supplemented with goat milk and probiotics, and kept her close.
Gradually, the signs of recovery appeared.
Her paw began to heal, her appetite returned, and after she passed several parasites, the diarrhea finally stopped.
Two weeks after Gray first saw her by the roadside, Jiu had beaten the odds.
What began as a moment of hesitation had quietly turned into a life-changing bond.
Gray, once indifferent to cats, now found himself deeply attached to the small kitten who had fought so hard to survive.
Sometimes, the smallest encounters change everything.
For Gray, it started with a fragile kitten no one else noticed. For Jiu, it meant a second chance at life.
And for both of them, it became the beginning of something lasting.