Months after her family believed she died in a fire, a three-legged cat named Lola has been seen strolling through the streets of Saint John, N.B.
Lola, a timid muted calico, is not a run-of-the-mill cat, but instead a survivor who has endured more than most.
“She’s out there, but it’s just sad after all she’s been through for her to be cold and alone and confused,” owner Krystal Jesso told Global News Friday.
Previously, Jesso lived with her son Jax in an apartment on Waterloo Street in Uptown Saint John. However, a devastating fire in December 2022 destroyed the complex, killing several pets inside.
Lola was thought to be among them — until she was spotted running out the back during demolition in January.
“We’ve all come together, seen tracks. I mean, she’s a three-legged cat, it kind of looks different than a four-legged cat,” Jesso said.
Lost posters offering a $100 reward now cover light poles near their former apartment. Recently, the Jessos have ventured through the streets shaking treats and calling for Lola.
“(Jax) loves going up and yelling for her and gets excited that we’re going to see her, and he, in his mind, knows she’s going to be trapped, too, because that’s the energy we put out,” Jesso said.
Dianne Fox, who runs the Facebook group RedHead Strays helping Stray Cats Strut, is among the team who is on the lookout for Lola.
From clothes scented like the Jessos to dog crates rigged to catch a cat, they plan to pull out all the tricks to bring Lola home.
“I would say she’s on her ninth life, she’s scared half to death, she’s always been afraid,” said Fox.
Lola previously lost her ears to frostbite, said Fox, adding that Lola was abandoned when they caught her in a trap. After finding Lola a foster home, Fox said the cat got stuck in a wall, where she broke her leg, which had to be amputated.
When her foster family moved to Ontario for work, Lola was adopted by Jesso, who gave the cat a home until the fire.
While they are hoping for information to find Lola, Fox doesn’t want anyone to scare the cat away.
“Don’t chase her, don’t try to catch her, leave her alone, get on Facebook, look up the RedHead Strays helping Stray Cats Strut message me,” Fox said.
“Tell us where you saw her at, so we can go there looking too.”
For the Jesso family, although the experience has been emotional, they are optimistic Lola will be home soon.
“She’s been through it all, and she’s still fighting to get food and survive and stay warm, so she’s definitely, if not on her eighth, maybe ninth life,” said Jesso.
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