For seven long years, Carmen lived in the cold, dark backroom of a local deli, cut off from the warmth of sunlight. She survived on low quality food and deli meat scraps from the floor, with no bowl and no cozy bedding to comfort her. Her only purpose was to catch rodents, a job she fulfilled with quiet diligence. But now the deli is closing, and her ‘work’ is no longer needed. After years of unacknowledged service, her only reward was to be tossed aside. Thankfully, a compassionate neighbor and longtime donor alerted us to her plight. We rescued her just in time, before renovation construction could take away the last remnants of her fragile existence.