PEABODY-Peabody resident Ted Neary was out and about last weekend, running errands as usual. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to come home and fall head over heels in love with his unexpected guest.?What greeted me on my doorstep was something that would pull at the heartstrings for the most hardened person,” he wrote in a letter to the Item.That something was a small, short-haired, solid gray cat, so emaciated Neary couldn?t tell whether it was male or female, cat or kitten. The family has since named him “Jesse.”?He just looked up at me and was all over me like paint, meowing,” said Neary, who knew at that point, there was no turning back. He and his family had to help out “the poor little creature.”With the assistance of his wife and two young daughters, Neary created quite the comfy home for Jesse inside of their garage. He took a large cardboard box, stuffed it with warm blankets and towels, and placed a small bowl of food and water inside.?He just went nuts over it,” said Neary. “He?s just absolutely adorable, even in the rough shape he?s in.”With two cats of their own, taking in Jesse was not something the Neary?s could do. So, the next day, he and his wife grabbed a phone book and started their search for a rescue center. They didn?t have much luck.?A woman at a Middleton rescue told me they?re so full of cats because people are just abandoning them left and right. She told me, ?if you want it to live, you?re the only one that can do it?,” Neary recalled. “Although angry with the brick walls I was running into, I had to admit that she was right.”Fearing the worst, Neary took Jesse to the Massachusetts Veterinary Hospital in Woburn for some blood tests.?I almost wanted to have the decision taken out of my hands to put the poor thing out his misery,” he admits. But, the doctor came back to them with great news: despite suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, and a slight upper respiratory infection, Jesse was in fair condition. And, much to Neary?s surprise, Jesse was no kitten. The vet couldn?t say definitively how old he was, but he estimated between 6 and 8 years old.Jesse?s now taking up residency in the Neary?s upstairs bathroom, at least until his infection clears up and they can find him a home.?My kids just love playing nursemaid,” he quipped. “We still have to give him medication for the infection and put goop in his eyes, so they get their little clothes on to hold him and feed him.”In addition to their search for a shelter, Neary has sent out letter and created a Facebook site featuring pictures of Jesse in hopes of finding his family.?If it were my cat that got out, I would hope that someone would help him or at least try to find the owner,” he said.Despite having spent much of his own money on a cat he has no intention of keeping, Neary said it was all worth it.?People may find it strange that we spent hundreds of dollars that we really don?t have on a cat we really don?t know and cannot keep, but the lessons my kids have learned far surpass any out of pocket expense,” he said. “Give help when you have the chance, and life truly is a precious thing, although it can be somewhat random at times.”If you live in the South Peabody area and are missing a cat like Jesse, feel free to contact Ted Neary via email at [email protected].