Rescuers approached a tiny, dirty birdcage and gasped at what they saw. She wasn’t a bird at all, and the animal within was also in pain.

A year-old cat was kept inside the cages.

Furry Nation Salvation, a rescue organization in Florida, had received word about a cat being kept in unimaginable conditions. Not only was the poor cat completely confined to a cage meant for a much smaller animal, she was also covered from head to tail in fleas. There wasn’t a single clean spot in the entire cage for her to rest.

“There was no way we were going to leave her there for another second,” Tonja Heer of Furry Nation Salvation told The Dodo. The cat was being kept in the backyard of a home, a tarp thrown over the cage to protect her from the rain, and had lived that way her entire life. Rescuers freed the sweet cat and whisked away to get the help she so badly needed.

The rescued cat, now known as Holly Peppermint, needed emergency treatment for her body-wide flea infestation. Additionally, she experienced bladder and skin infections. Heer stated, “Once we got her home, she got a flea wash and a dosage of flea preventive on.” She purred quite loudly, like a dove, while my 2-year-old held her as she dried.

Holly Peppermint had lived in that tiny cage her entire life, and was shocked by how much space she now had to move around. At first she barely walked or moved very far at all, because she was so used to not having any freedom.

Soon though, Holly realized that she was finally safe – and began to heal.