Have you ever seen something on the side of the road, zipped past it, then later thought about what it might have been? I know I have.
So did the countless drivers on this cold, snowy day in January. The only person to stop was a man named Slava. He spotted what looked like a frozen ball of fur on the side of the road.
"I thought it was an animal and it must be freezing in this weather," Slava said.
Frozen on the side of the road was a tiny cat.
The little animal was scared of Slava at first, trying to run to hide. But she was too cold to make it very far.
"It was very cold, so I wrapped her up in a towel and brought her back to my car. I turned up the heat to full capacity to help remove the frost on her coat," Slava said.
Slava named the cat Nika, and he brought her home to give her a warm bed and a radiator to warm her up.
And it didn't take long before Nika was comfortable in her new home.
Nika was so happy to be safe, she instantly started purring and showing affection.
"I think that the kitten got lost and ended up in a field with a few trees and she couldn't find the exit due to heavy snow and did not have the strength to move," Slava said.
Nika had to go visit the vet, obviously, but as long as she was wrapped in blankets she didn't care.
The vet determined little Nika was about 6 months old. She was so frost-bitten her tail had to be amputated, but overall she was totally fine.
"She knew that we were trying to help. She was patient, did not complain and was very sweet the whole time."
But now, two weeks later Nika bounced back strong and has started showing her personality a lot more.
"She is an active cat who likes to play and run," Slava said.