This past spring, frequent cat foster mama Sara Bonner was getting ready to welcome a kitty named Sera into her home when something unimaginable happened. While Sera was riding in a transfer van, the vehicle crashed, and she and four other cats escaped.
When Bonner learned about the crash, she was heartbroken. No one had any idea where Sera was, and as each day passed with the kitten still missing, Bonner began to lose hope that she would ever get to foster her.
“Sera was supposed to be my 25th foster cat, but she was missing for four weeks,” Bonner said in a video for The Dodo.
Then, a miracle happened. A woman named Valerie spotted a cat in her backyard and thought she looked a bit like the kitten she’d been seeing on news stories about the crash. When she took the cat to the vet and got her microchip scanned, it was confirmed — she’d found Sera.
“When I heard that she had been spotted on a camera, it was really a miracle,” Bonner said.
Shortly after she was found, Sera finally got to settle in with Bonner. After everything Sera had been through, Bonner wanted to make sure the 6-month-old kitten felt comfortable and at home.
“I put her in my bathroom, and I just let her know that, ‘You are finally safe,’” Bonner said.
At first, Sera spent most of her time hiding under Bonner’s sink. But Bonner had a trick up her sleeve that she thought might help. Bonner’s permanent cat, Dunder, has a special knack for helping foster cats come out of their shells.
“He was literally waiting outside her door for days,” Bonner said.
Sure enough, between Bonner’s affection and Dunder’s playfulness, Sera finally started to get more comfortable. Bonner was amazed by how affectionate Sera was once she felt safe.
“[R]eally, before I knew it, she just was in my lap,” Bonner said. “She was in my arms. She’s snuggling with me. She’s purring. It just was mind blowing to me.”
Once Sera was fully recovered from her ordeal, Bonner knew it was time to find her a forever family. Luckily, it took no time at all for a couple to fall in love with her and adopt her. After a little adjustment period, she is now thriving in her new home.
“Sera is such a sweet soul,” Bonner said. “I felt really special to be a part of her story.”
