I first noticed him outside the 24-hour laundromat, asleep on a torn camping mat with a tiny orange cat curled across his chest. I started bringing leftovers from my night shift—muffins, soup, a grilled cheese—and he always fed the cat first. Her name was Hazel, he said. Shelters wouldn’t take her, so he chose the street over warmth.

Then they vanished. Days later, Hazel appeared at a bus stop, thin but calm, and walked straight to me. I took her home, called every shelter and hospital I could think of, and finally learned his name—Martin—from a outreach regular. A tip led me to County General: severe pneumonia, no ID, in a coma.

I sat by his bed and told him Hazel was safe. When he woke, the nurse bent the rules and I brought Hazel in; she leapt onto his blanket like she’d never left. With help from a charity, Martin moved into a tiny pet-friendly studio. Hazel trotted in like she owned it.

Word got around. His niece found him; they made amends. The shelter that once turned him away changed its pet policy. I still drop off muffins, and Hazel still claims my lap. Sometimes a leftover sandwich is the first domino—one cat choosing one man, and that man choosing her back.