I’ve heard cats have nine lives. If that’s true, one cat in the Bronx has definitely used one of its lives up. But don’t worry, this story has a happy ending.

Raymond Deidesheimer and his wife were walking in New York City when they noticed something odd in an alleyway trash heap. It appeared to be a cat carrier. Deidesheimer had to wrestle a bag to the side for a closer look and to his shock, there was a cat trapped in the carrier.

I’m shocked that, in a city with dozens of shelters, someone would toss a live cat in the trash. And I’m not the only one. Deidesheimer pulled out his cellphone and began to record video of rescuing the cat, while commenting on the “F***ing pieces of sh**” who would treat a living being this way.

Here’s the kicker: it was trash collection day. The cat was minutes away from being collected with the trash.

But Deidesheimer saved the cat and told him just how beautiful is and promised to take him home and feed him. Deidesheimer said he would have kept it himself, but he already has cats at home.

Later, Deidesheimer’s wife contacted a Bronx-based cat rescue group: Little Wanderers NYC. The group named the cat “Raymond” in Deidesheimer’s honor and posted it to their socials. A woman in Brooklyn volunteered to foster him, and after meeting Raymond asked to adopt him permanently.

Lisa Scoggins is the founder of Little Wanderers. She admits, “This is the worst case of animal neglect I’ve ever seen.” She reports Raymond is very happy in his new home. “He’s a complete mush, follows [his new family] around, wants to sit on the couch with them.”