She was limp and had given up
By Sarah Ashley
Published on April 23, 2026 at 2:41 PM
On a brisk November morning last fall, Eva Eftekhar grabbed two bags full of trash and headed out to the dumpster. Usually, she just tossed bags over the side without looking, but because these were particularly heavy, Eftekhar glanced inside the bin to see how far they might fall.
Peering over the edge, she saw what she later described as a fluffy white “teddy bear” sitting on the garbage, its head inside a can. Then, it started breathing.
Eftekhar called to her daughter, Yasmin Eftekhar, to take a look.
“We both thought it might be a ferret,” Yasmin told The Dodo, “because of how thin and long she was.”
Thinking quickly, Eva and Yasmin grabbed a ladder from their garden. Eva climbed up, then down into the deep dumpster.
“My mom was very cautious about how she lifted her out because we didn’t know what injuries she might have had,” Yasmin said. “So my mom lifted her … Then I took over and wrapped her in a towel against my chest.”
Right away, both women realized the weak animal was a cat, barely clinging to life.
“She was very sluggish, calm and still,” Yasmin said. “Like she had given up fighting to survive. There was a gap between the can and her neck, so she could breathe.”
They rushed the cat, with the can still on her head to avoid causing her any further injury, to a vet.
“She was very filthy, stinky and quite thin,” Yasmin said. “But somehow, she had no major injuries. She had a few scars on her body that were healed, a few wounds on her face that were minor, but no hypothermia or broken bones.”
Though the cat had a microchip, it wasn’t registered to any owner. The Eftekhars already had a cat, but they brought the kitten home for a bath while they waited to see if anyone would claim her.
Two days later, the white kitten became an official member of the Eftekhar family. They named her Angel.
In her first few days in her new home, Angel inhaled any food Yasmin gave her, as though it might be her last meal. She followed Yasmin everywhere but did not enjoy being pet.
“She would scratch anyone who tried to touch her in any way that wasn’t initiated by her,” Yasmin said.
Angel seemed confused by the toys Yasmin dangled in front of her, and it took two full days before the cat meowed for the first time.
Then one day, as Yasmin tried to give Angel a medication prescribed by her vet, the pair reached a turning point.
“When she jumped on my desk and sat on her pillow, I didn’t touch her or try giving her the tablet,” Yasmin said. “I left her alone. I think it was in that moment she realized that she had safe spaces and didn’t need to be in constant fear.”
For weeks, Yasmin continued letting Angel set the tone and pace of their interactions.
“Nowadays, I can pet her neck, back, pick her up without fear of being scratched or bitten, and she feels comfortable putting her belly on my hand,” she said. Angel also sleeps in Yasmin’s bed.
Angel is now on good terms with the family’s other cat, whom she observes closely and has learned how to play with gently.
“She is a very sweet little lady,” Yasmin said. “She loves pets and kisses, always going to find me or my mom for affection. But Angel is also spicy — she likes to have things her way and can be a little bossy.”
Since her traumatic adventure in the dumpster, Angel has gained weight, a family and a better understanding of what it means to love — and be loved.