When a tattered stray cat pawed at a screen door in desperation one freezing winter’s day, it turned out to be the beginning of a brand-new life. It was Valentine’s Day when Jaelle, a foster volunteer with Un Chat à la Fois/One cat at a time kitten rescue in Quebec, Canada, heard meowing coming from her backyard. An orange tabby was standing ankle-deep in snow, with a paw stretched at her screen door as though begging to be let inside. Jaelle sent Un Chat à la Fois’s founder, Marie Simard, a photo of the cat, hoping for advice while knowing that Simard’s rescue specializes in orphaned kittens. “His face said everything that needed to be said,” Simard told The Dodo. The photo tugged at Simard’s heartstrings. “He stayed in front of her door for a while … he didn’t try to get away,” she recalled. “I told her to take him to our partner …