The following story was submitted in the Pawsitively Picture Perfect photo contest. The top three finishers received $500 in cash, as well as $2,000 in cash and supplies for their favorite shelter. To read more stories, click here!

Everyone, this is Maui! His nickname is Maui Miyagi or Old Blind Brown Cat. My grandson and I rescued him after someone posted his picture on Craigslist, looking for the owner. I always browse the lost and found pets on there, and when I saw his picture, my heart sank that he was lost.

PHOTO: DEE DODGE

I also noticed that he looked like he needed medical attention. I’ve always rescued/adopted kitties from Haven Humane but never off Craigslist. I emailed the person and asked if they found the owner.

They said no. I told her that it looked like he needed medical attention. She asked, "Do you want him?" She said that someone drove by and threw him out of their moving vehicle. He almost got hit three times! I said I'd take him! We drove 30 minutes to get him and took him straight to the vet.

PHOTO: DEE DODGE

He had worms and was completely blind and missing most of his teeth! They said he was approximately 16-years-old. We got him the necessary medical attention and took him home. I called every vet within 60 miles to see if he was a patient there but nobody claimed him. I noticed that his fur was a yellowish-orange color as if he had laid in bleach or antifreeze. That eventually went away with baths and brushing.

We already had a Siamese and Maui tried to interact with him, but sometimes it didn’t go well. Both would fight over who got to sleep on my lap, lol! We loved on him and gave him the BEST care and love for six months, but then his health declined. He was bleeding and then started to have seizures. We took him to the vet and found out he had a cancerous lump in his chest.

PHOTO: DEE DODGE

They said he was too old to be able to get through the surgery and chemo. Broke my heart. He was one of the best kitties we have ever had! I feel that he had the BEST six months of his life when we rescued him. One of the pictures was just before he passed away. R.I.P. Mr. Maui Miyagi. You are loved more than you know.

This story was submitted by Dee Dodge in support of Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc. To read other stories from the Pawsitively Picture Perfect photo contest, click here!