Kitty 'Christmas Miracle': Cat Saved After Roaming Essex County With Jar On Head For Days

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An animal rescue volunteer left his relatives' Christmas celebration in Central Jersey on Monday to perform an act of kindness to a cat who'd been wandering around North Jersey with a jar stuck on its head.

The gray cat, now named "Merry," was first spotted in Irvington, in Essex County. It was seen stumbling around for at least three days before volunteers called up John DeBacker, he said.

DeBacker is known for being involved in animal rescue on Long Island.

"I was messaged by actually many different people after her photo started circulating on social media," DeBacker said. "I started receiving many [hashtags] about the cat."

While the cat could still get around with the jar, it couldn't eat.

Two animal rescue volunteers, Eileen DiNicola a0nd Marcia Sandford, reached out to John and helped to find and trap the cat, he said.

"Despite neighbors and animal control trying to rescue the cat, she kept evading capture," he said. "On the third day which also happened to be Christmas Day, I was contacted and was able to sneak up on the cat and pull the jar off of her."

People began following the photos and videos on social media, some as far as California, they said.

Video shows DeBacker carefully sneaking close to a backyard fence, holding a blanket, and using it to pull the jar off of the animal.

Volunteer Marcia Sandford is currently taking care of the creature — now named "Merry" — and will bring her to be spayed today (Wednesday), DeBacker said.

"Thank God for all of you," posted a woman on Facebook, under a video of the rescue. "I have been following this from Ca. Christmas miracle! Thank you."

See the video of the rescue, and more photos, here.