Hi, I'm Willow Belden and you're listening to Out There, the podcast that explores big questions through intimate stories in the outdoors.

Today's episode is about two individuals who are down on their luck.

One is a homeless man named Michael.

The other is a lost cat.

The two find each other one rainy night in Portland, Oregon.

Both are in miserable shape, but they end up adopting each other.

What follows is a story that can't help but melt your heart.

It's a story about two lost souls and about the surprising things that can happen when those who have nothing left to give decide to give anyway. Writer Britt Britt Collins wrote a book about

the whole thing, and she joins me today to talk about it.

I think Leonardo da Vinci said that nature's greatest masterpiece is a kitten.

And I have to agree, really.

Britt admits wholeheartedly that she is a crazy cat lady.

She's one of those people who adopts strays off the street, takes them to the vet, gives them a home,

even if she's already got loads of other cats at her house.

I think cats are the most marvelous thing since, well, forever really.

I like their wildness, their wilfulness, their mystery.

You could have a cat for 20 years and that always surprise you.

And I just think they're exquisite.

They're like little works of art.

In addition to being a cat lover, Britt is a journalist.

A few years ago, she happened to hear about a man who had traveled halfway across America to bring a cat back to its owner.

And instantly, she knew this was a story she wanted to pursue.

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