A few months ago, Arizona resident Caitlyn Clarke noticed a stray cat dart through her backyard and disappear. He vanished so quickly that she assumed it was a one-time sighting.
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
Soon after, Clarke and her mom began hearing faint meows coming from outside their house. When they followed the sound, they were stunned to find a pair of frightened eyes staring back at them from inside the storm drain at the edge of their street.
The cat wasn’t stuck — he was hiding.
Heartbroken by how scared he seemed, Clarke made it her mission to earn his trust. Night after night, she sat outside for hours, talking softly and waiting patiently.
“At night, I would sit out here in the middle of the cul-de-sac for like two hours,” Clarke told The Dodo.
As the days went by, Clarke noticed something else about the elusive cat — something she hadn’t seen at first.
He only had three legs.
“I didn’t even realize for a few days,” Clarke said. “He hadn’t walked past me — he was always in the drain. The first time he really came out, I was like, ‘Oh my God… he has three legs.’”
Then, during a powerful monsoon storm, everything changed.
Soaked and desperate, the cat finally appeared at Clarke’s front door. Her mom immediately brought him inside, wrapping him in warmth and setting him up with food, water and a soft place to rest.
Clarke had been posting about the cat on Facebook and Nextdoor, hoping to find his family. No one came forward — until a vet scan revealed something unexpected: the cat had a microchip linked to an active phone number.
When Clarke contacted the owner, she learned a story that left her stunned.
The cat’s name was Bambino — and he was 14 years old.
“We thought this cat was, like, 5,” Clarke said. “We had no idea he was 14.”
Bambino had been rescued as a kitten by a man named David, who had saved his life by amputating an infected leg — all the way back in 2010. David cared for Bambino for seven years before rehoming him with a neighbor. Somewhere along the way, Bambino was either lost or abandoned, eventually finding refuge in a storm drain.
David was relieved to know Bambino was safe and happily encouraged Clarke to adopt him. He even offered to help cover some of Bambino’s medical and food expenses.
For Clarke, there was no hesitation.
In his new home, Bambino has embraced a peaceful retirement — filled with naps, cozy beds and plenty of affection.
“In the evenings and early mornings, he’s on my bed asking for cuddles,” Clarke said. “He headbutts me, paws at me — all the classic cat stuff.”
Clarke never imagined that a scared three-legged senior cat hiding in a storm drain would become her companion. But now, she can’t imagine life without him.
“I’ve been saying for years that I wanted a cat,” Clarke said. “I’m glad I didn’t get time to overthink it. A random cat just showed up — and now I have a cat.”
If you’d like to help support Bambino’s dental care, you can make a donation here.
