Annie Rahe was picking up groceries at her local Walmart last month when she went to look at the Christmas decorations. Her early Christmas shopping took an unexpected turn when she pulled her trolley onto the festive section.

Between the wooden pallets, a little black and white kitten slept, his owners nowhere to be seen.

Rahe found a sales associate and asked why the kitten was all alone.

“He informed me that [the kitten] had been dumреd in the Walmart parking lot and kept sneaking into the store and hiding under the pallets,” Rahe told The Dodo. “I don’t know exactly how long he was there, but the worker told me that others had tried to coerce him out.”

Rahe dropped her cart and went straight to the pet goods section to pick up a can of kitten food.

“He was so little and filthy – the notion of him being there alone himself broke my heart,” Rahe said. “I wasn’t going anywhere without him.”

The kitty ran over and began scarfing down the can of food as soon as she placed it on the floor. The meal drew the kitten’s attention long enough for Rahe to seize him. Rahe stated, “I was able to round up a box from a garbage.” “Until I could get back to the pet aisle and purchase a carrier to put Wally in, I used another piece of flimsy cardboard as the lid.”

“I spent about 45 to 50 minutes just trying to build his trust,” she explained, “because he crawled out of the box and onto my cart the first time, and I had to capture him again.” “It resulted in a tumultuous scene.”

Rahe had planned to leave the store with groceries, but she ended up with a cat and kitten necessities in her car instead.

Rahe gave the cat Wally a wash and extra dinner when he got home, and he went sleeping happy with a full belly.

While Wally is small and underweight for his age, he’s generally healthy and is clearly delighted with his new home and family.

“He is a happy little guy who purrs immediately when I enter the room,” Rahe said. “I have to walk carefully around him because he is always right under my feet. He is very playful with all of his new toys, and he is wonderful about using his box and scratching post!”

When Wally has had all of his vaccinations and treatments, he will be gradually introduced to his cat and dog siblings. Rahe is confident that, just as he did with her, the lively little kitty would wiggle his way into their hearts.

Rahe hadn’t planned on adơрting a kitten on her trip to Walmart, but the best presents are sometimes free.