DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Only a whimsy of fate could bring together a homeless man, a homeless kitten and a woman living in a Dumpster.

Their story began when the man, Ralph Caruso, found a gray and white tabby kitten in the bushes, just as the first winds of Hurricane Wilma were arriving in late October.

Not always able to keep a roof over his head, Caruso, an unemployed jeweler, took pity on the animal, whose future at that moment looked grim. He named the kitten Smoke and carried her from place to place in a small animal carrying case.

One night last week Caruso got into a fight while on his way to buy cigarettes. When it was over, he had a dislocated elbow and a compound fracture of his forearm. When an ambulance arrived to take him to Delray Medical Center, he refused to leave without his small companion, whom he described as loving and playful.

Caruso was so distraught that the paramedics decided to pack the kitten into their truck. While Caruso underwent surgery to repair his broken arm, Smoke sat in her cage outside the emergency room and hospital staff members kept an eye on her.

That's where the woman in the Dumpster comes in. Eve Van Engel, who runs Paws-2-Help, a nonprofit West Palm Beach animal shelter for abandoned animals, decided to move into a Dumpster on Dec. 3. Her goal was to live in the Dumpster for 26 days to draw attention to the euthanization of 26,000 abandoned pets each month in Palm Beach County. Van Engel's group offers low-cost spaying and neutering to the public.

Hospital employees called a number of veterinarians and shelters, but there was no room for Smoke. Finally, someone called Paws-2-Help. Van Engel was in the middle of her protest, so she sent a friend down to Delray Beach to pick up Smoke. The four-month-old cat is now living in a small adoption trailer next to Van Engel's Dumpster on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, with a few other stray cats for company.

Van Engel was touched by Caruso's devotion to Smoke.

''This really has given us great encouragement,'' she said. ''So many people dump their animals, and here's a man who wouldn't give up a kitten.''

Some might say that trying to keep a pet under difficult circumstances is more trouble than most people would take on. But Caruso disagrees vehemently.

''That cat's the one trouble I do need,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Van Engel's stay in the Dumpster continues until next Wednesday. She has a bed, a portable toilet, her cell phone, a tarp for a roof and a former Dumpster dog named Hunter for companionship. With permission from Gold's Gym owner James McHale, who admired her determination to save animals, she set up in the Gold's parking lot.

Aside from the reporters and cameras that surrounded her on Tuesday, interest has been surprisingly light. A few gym patrons have wandered by to see her makeshift digs.

''They're curious to see if I'm a crazy lady,'' she said, blue eyes twinkling.

For about two more months, while his arm heals, Caruso, 47, will not be able to do the day-labor jobs that have been supporting him and Smoke. Van Engel is hoping that her demonstration and his plight will cause people to buy pet-store gift certificates to feed Smoke. She, along with hospital staff members, are also trying to find temporary housing for Caruso until he can work again.

Van Engel has arranged to have a friend bring Smoke to Delray Beach today to pick up Caruso and reunite him with his kitten.

Caruso's arm is still swollen and achy from the bad break. But he's looking forward to getting out, so he can have a cigarette ... and Smoke.