Desperate Cat With Jar Trapped on Her Head Leads Community in Tense, Days-Long Rescue Effort
In Irvington, New Jersey, residents recently spotted an odd, fluffy creature awkwardly navigating the streets, a jar obscuring her head. The concerned citizens were initially puzzled about what to do.
They quickly recognized the animal as a distressed cat, urgently needing assistance.
As reported by ABC 7 News, local inhabitants chased the cat for several days, striving to bring her to safety. Despite their efforts, local rescuers Marcia Sandford Fishkind and Eileen DiNicola couldn’t manage to catch her. Concurrently, sympathetic animal enthusiasts started alerting well-known animal rescue specialist John Debacker on Facebook, imploring him to intervene. On Christmas Day, Debacker put aside his holiday celebrations and rushed to help.
“I was in New Jersey for Christmas when I heard the cat had been located,” Debacker shared with The Dodo.
Spotting the cat, Debacker navigated a chain-link fence and cautiously approached her.
“John scaled the fence and tiptoed over debris silently, to avoid frightening her, then swiftly secured her and placed her into the carrier,” DiNicola recounted in a Facebook post detailing the incident.
Once in the carrier, the cat was finally relieved of the troublesome jar.
“I gently unscrewed it from her head while she was in the carrier to avoid hurting her,” Debacker explained. “She was surprisingly cooperative.”
The rescue team named the cat Merry and coordinated her transfer to Brick City Kitties Rescue, Inc., where skilled caregivers ensured she received necessary medical care.
Merry was quickly found to be sociable and available for adoption. Thanks to the collective effort of numerous animal lovers, Merry’s outlook is now filled with hope.”
