Ceren Kiran Tatli and her husband are passionate animal lovers who are often feeding and caring for stray cats in their Turkish neighborhood. They do everything they can to find new homes for as many cats as possible, and they’re always on the lookout for more animals in need. The pair was out wandering about their area in early 2015 when they came across a cat they’d never seen before — and immediately learned the unfortunate street cat was both deaf and blind.

“We saw him walking in the snow, looking for food and running away awkwardly from other cats and cars,” Tatli told. “We called out to him, [tried] to get near him but, as he is a super talented escape artist, we couldn’t.”

Tatli remained looking for the cat after that first encounter, trying to assist him. She tracked him down several times and even got near to him, but he always managed to flee, too terrified to see that she was attempting to assist him. He eventually ceased showing up, and Tatli was always curious as to what had happened to him. He resurfaced a few months later, but his condition had deteriorated significantly.

“We met him again in April 2015; this time his condition had deteriorated and [he] had a fractured leg and no longer had the energy to battle,” Tatli explained. “I’m still baffled as to how he managed to stay alive, get food and drink, and escape being hit by automobiles in that crowded area.”

Once they finally had him safely in their care, the couple gave the cat a nice meal and then rushed him to the vet. They decided to name him Yoda, and hoped with all their might that the vet would be able to help him.

Several vet visits later, after having one eye removed, Yoda was finally on the road to recovery physically — but emotionally, his journey took a little longer

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Despite the fact that Yoda had always trusted his new family, he was nonetheless anxious in his new home and explored his surroundings with considerable caution. It took him time to get used to the reality that no one would ever injure him in his new house after living on the streets and constantly needing to be on his alert.

“At first, he used to wander around the home very carefully, fearful of any other cats [who] may attack him out of nowhere,” Tatli added. “Our other cats were terrified of him as well; they couldn’t understand why he didn’t change direction when they came across him, for example.” They must have mistaken him for an extraterrestrial, not a cat.”