Cat Runs Around NJ With Jar On Her Head For Days Before Rescue

IRVINGTON, NJ — A cat who spent her holiday weekend running around Irvington with a jar stuck to her head was rescued on Christmas Day.

Video shared by John DeBacker, the vice president of the animal rescue group Long Island Cat/Kitten Solution, Inc., shows DeBacker standing between the side of a home and a metal gate, taking a moment to get into position as the cat sits at his feet before grabbing her.

"I am happy to report that she has been safely captured and I was able to remove the jar," DeBacker wrote on Facebook alongside the video.

DeBacker, who is well known in the area as a digital creator whose mission is to 'help animals, one life at a time,' told Patch he was visiting family in Middlesex on Monday when he heard about the cat's predicament from his friends and animal rescue volunteers Marcia Sandford Fishkind and Eileen DiNicola.

Despite neighbors and animal control trying to rescue the cat, "she kept evading capture," DeBacker told Patch.

For now, the cat, now named "Merry," is staying at a volunteer's home. They plan to bring her to be spayed Wednesday, DeBacker said.

"She may be put up for adoption," he added. "She's calm."

Feral cats are at least one generation removed from a home environment and may live in a group or "colony," usually in an area where they find food and shelter, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

Meanwhile, free-roaming cats are not necessarily considered to be feral. They may come from a home and have one specific owner, or be fed or cared for by multiple households, health officials said.

The method of trapping an animal to be neutered then returned outdoors is the standard non-lethal population control technique in managed cat colonies, officials said.

"Kittens and cats that are tame enough to be adopted should be sterilized and placed into homes, according to officials. "Adult cats not suitable for adoption are returned to the colony where they live out their lives under the supervision of the colony caretakers and other community volunteers. Cats will need to be re-trapped periodically to update their vaccinations and receive medical care."