Annie Rahe went to look at the Christmas decorations last month as she was picking up some groceries at her neighborhood Walmart. Her early Christmas shopping took an unexpected turn as she pushed her trolley onto the holiday section.

Between the wooden pallets sat a small black and white kitten napping; his owners were nowhere to be found.

Rahe found a sales associate and asked why the kitten was all alone.

“He informed me that [the kitten] had been dumped in the Walmart parking lot and kept sneaking into the store and hiding under the pallets,” Rahe told The Dodo. “I don’t know exactly how long he was there, but the worker told me that others had tried to coerce him out.”

Rahe immediately abandoned her cart and headed to the pet supplies aisle to buy a can of kitten food.

“He was so tiny and dirty — the thought of him being there alone destroyed my heart,” Rahe said. “I wasn’t leaving without him.”

As soon as she set the can of food down on the floor, the kitten ran over and started scarfing it down. The food distracted the kitten long enough for Rahe to grab ahold of him. “I was able to round up a box from a dumpster,” Rahe said. “I also used another piece of flimsy cardboard as the lid until I could get back to the pet aisle to pick up a carrier to secure Wally in.”

“I spent about 45 to 50 minutes just trying to gain his trust because initially, he climbed out of the box and my cart, and I had to catch him a second time,” she added. “It made for a chaotic situation.”

Rahe had planned to leave the store with groceries, but she wound up stuffing a cat and kitten necessities into her car instead. Once at home, Rahe gave the kitten a bath, another dinner, and the name Wally. He then went to sleep contentedly with a full stomach.

Wally is young and underweight for his age but otherwise healthy and appears to be enjoying his new home and family.

“He is a happy little guy who purrs immediately when I enter the room,” Rahe said. “I have to walk carefully around him because he is always right under my feet. He is very playful with all of his new toys, and he is wonderful about using his box and scratching post!”

Wally will be gradually introduced to his cat and dog siblings once he has had all of his vaccinations and treatments. Rahe is certain that the affectionate kitten will win their hearts the same way he did with her.

On her trip to Walmart, Rahe had no intention of adopting a kitten, but sometimes the finest gifts are free.