Delivery Driver Exits Vehicle For Five Minutes Before Returning To A Cat

One evening, Lauren Kasdan was delivering dinner in a quiet area and was anticipating a peaceful evening. She left her car at around 11 p.m., delivered the food to a client’s doorstep, texted the customer to let them know it had come, and then returned to her car, which was parked immediately next to it. She disappeared for about two or three minutes.

A cat was waiting for her in the passenger seat of her car when she returned.

“I thought I was hallucinating for a second,” Kasdan told The Dodo. “It was hard to process. There was just … a cat. In my car.”

Kasdan’s front windows had been partially down, so apparently, the cat had seen this as an invitation and hopped right in. When Kasdan got back to her car, the cat, later named Athena, wasn’t startled at all. In fact, it was as if she’d been waiting for her.

Kasdan observed that “she behaved like she belonged there.” “She was rummaging through my middle console and seat like she belonged there. Oh, hi! was all she said when I returned. Is that your vehicle? Warm and comfortable. She made no attempt to flee or scare. She really got up into my lap and began to make biscuits on my legs while purring.

Athena was incredibly thin, dirty and covered in fleas, so Kasdan assumed she’d been living on her own for a while. She had no idea where the sweet cat had come from, but she knew there was no way she could leave her on her own. Kasdan headed straight to Walgreens, picked up some cat food and litter, and headed to her mom’s house to get Athena all settled in.

Athena was the loveliest thing during the entire procedure. She was extremely appreciative to Kasdan and her mother for providing the assistance she needed and realized she needed. Athena was very cooperative, even when Kasdan had to give her a bath to get her clean. She had leapt into that automobile in search of assistance, and now that she had discovered it, nothing could pull her out.

Kasdan said, “I started the water, placed her in gently, and she relaxed nearly right away. She was first rather vocal, but when I began washing her with the flea and tick shampoo, she quieted down and began purring. She slept off in my arms after I covered her in a towel when I finally pulled her out.

Kasdan checked to see if Athena was microchipped, but didn’t find one. Based on her condition, it’s doubtful that she has a family, but Kasdan posted on multiple lost and found pet pages anyway, just in case. Kasdan and her family have always been dog people — but as soon as her mom met Athena and saw how sweet she was, she knew that if no one claimed her, she was keeping her.

Athena is adjusting to her new home so well, and all she needs is regular affection. She was only hoping for the best when she got into Kasdan’s car that night; she had no idea that her life was about to alter drastically.