An animal rescuer from California spotted a helpless cat in a huge pile of garbage by the side of the road. Luckily for this poor feline, she stopped to help and kicked off an amazing story.

The journey that brought cat lover Haley and the aptly-named Shambles together has Twitter captivated.

The young woman narrated the rescue in a thread, saying she'd spent 24 hours trying to catch the traumatized tabby.

"He caught my eye yesterday as I was driving past a huge pile of trash on the side of the road in a very bad part of town, he was weakly trying to eat garbage as cars rushed past him," Haley wrote.

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"He was so out of it and starving, he didn't even realize I was coming til I was RIGHT behind him."

Shambles was in shambolic shape when he was found – extremely thin and clearly sick.

"I don't know what his future holds or if I'll be able to save him but he deserves to be known, he deserves a chance," Haley said.

Over the next few days, Haley did everything she could to give Shambles a fighting chance. She took him to the vet and got him meds.

Her hard work paid off. The formerly feral, skittish cat has become a cuddle bug and started to heal.

Haley shared an update to Twitter that shows his reaction to his first toy, a fuzzy tennis ball.

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Shambles quickly "figured out he can also use [the ball] as a pillow for his bony head. kid's a natural," Haley tweeted enthusiastically, along with a pic of the cat laying his head on the ball.

Shambles still has a long way to go, but he seems to be grabbing his second chance with both paws!