This is a story based upon the actual life of a cat found abandoned in a dumpster, left to die, with his leg caught in a trap. Born in a small town on the coast of Maine, an unpretentious cat named 'Patches' encounters life changing experiences during his first two years. His siblings are given away, his father abandons him and his mother without explanation, and he's discarded by an uncaring owner and left homeless without food or shelter. As he wanders the streets to piece his life back together, he discovers new friends like Chester, a relocated cat from New York City, who helps him to find food and shelter, and Buster, a neighborhood stray, who teaches him to fend for himself and that it's okay to always try to do the right thing. Patches learns to survive on scraps of food discarded in a garbage dumpster by Harvey Stunk, a short order cook who owns a diner and dislikes rats because they spoil his food supplies. Patches, nonetheless, forms an unlikely friendship with them, and together they consort to play pranks on Harvey as they find ways to tamper with the food served to customers. During a violent blizzard late one night, a series of events abruptly changes his life once again after he attempts to save Buster from a fire and then returns to the diner's garbage dumpster to seek shelter and food. As he jumps into the dumpster, his leg is ensnared by the steel jaws of a leg-trap and he feels the sharp, razor-like teeth cut into him. Patches laments his fear of dying and memories of his past and unanswered questions about his father's abandonment engulf his thoughts. He visualizes an overgrown forest trail and images of gnarled trees captured by time in a forgotten orchard, where he and his father once walked, and he reflects upon a cryptic conversation they had as they wandered among old weathered stone tablets. Will he discover what has become of his siblings, find a new home, and ever understand his father's message and why he abandoned him? Will he survive the cold darkness and discover once again a path that leads to memories and the understanding he seeks? This is a story about Patches’ journey from homelessness to finding a new life. It’s a story about losing his sisters and finding them once again and his experiences as he acquires friends, starting from the sad reality of his abandonment on a late September afternoon and continuing into the bleak months of fall and winter in New England. His journey defines who he becomes as he learns to survive. The realities of life he experiences translate into many lessons from which we all can learn. This is a story written for young adult to any age level to share – a novel that encourages hope and connects us with each other in order to help us see the complexities faced by others. It is a story of hope, a sense of helplessness and despair, the loss of innocence, and conviction – never giving up, no matter the circumstance. It imparts an insight to appreciate the meaning of friendship, to always move forward, and to evaluate situations before making a judgement. It’s a story that could happen to any one of us as we journey from childhood to adulthood–a journey that is relevant to all of us.