Left in a soggy box during a thunderstorm—4-month-old Juniper just wants a home to call her own

She was found trembling in a soaking wet cardboard box behind PetSmart, just a few weeks old. The rain poured, thunder echoed, but her eyes—still bright—kept looking toward the door. As if hoping someone would finally notice her.

Juniper was just a tiny kitten when someone left her in a box near the dumpster. No food, no blanket, no mama—just a fragile little body crying for help. It was a miracle a store employee checked the loading area that morning during the storm.

She was rescued just in time. Frail, cold, and dehydrated, Juniper was taken in by a rescue partner. Despite everything, she never stopped purring. She reached out with her paws for comfort. She trusted.

And somehow, in her tiny heart, she knew better days would come.

Today, Juniper is healthy, playful, and 4 months young. She’s a firecracker of fun, always climbing, chasing, and gently tapping your hand to say, “play with me again.”

She lives at the PetSmart in Manassas, Virginia—Sudley Manor Drive location—where staff adore her. She has a special blanket she drags to the sunlight each day, and when she’s not chasing toys, she’s curled up waiting for a lap.

Juniper is part of the adoption program, ready for her forever family. But people come and go, smiling at her, then walking past. She watches them all—still hopeful.

All she wants is someone who looks beyond her size and age and sees the love in her gaze. Someone who whispers, “You’re safe now. You’re home.”

Juniper is waiting.

Maybe for you.