Any rescuer will tell you their work is one of the most rewarding callings there is. Betsy O’Neill, a dedicated school teacher in Connecticut, has also spent the last decade saving animals.
For ten years she has taken in strays, cared for them, and helped them find the lives they always deserved.
Over the years, she has carried out countless rescues, but one stood apart. It wasn’t just the animal she saved. It was the unexpected way that fate would bring them back together later, in a story that tested her family’s patience, love, and determination.
A Rescue That Sparked A Bond
One day O’Neill received a message about a mother cat and her kittens who needed help. Without hesitation, she headed out.
On arrival, she discovered an entire feline family waiting for her. At first, she thought it would be just another routine rescue, but then she noticed one small kitten who connected instantly with her son, Reilly.
“We had recently lost our cat, Leia, and Reilly fell in love with Padmé because he loved her [pastel] coloring. Of course, he talked us into getting two, so we chose the pastel beauty and her sister, [who] had a heart on her nose!” O’Neill told The Dodo.
After making sure they were safe, O’Neill brought the kittens to New Milford’s Animal Welfare Society, where staff monitored them closely until they were ready for adoption.
The very day the kittens were cleared, the O’Neill family rushed to the shelter and adopted both sisters, naming them Padmé and Aayla.
At first, the kittens were timid, trying to adjust to a new environment. With time, however, they grew into playful, affectionate companions. Padmé, in particular, stood out as the family’s energetic “wild child.”
“She’d get a running start, jump straight into the air, and velcro herself onto the cat tree. She’d jump over the dog, off the table onto the refrigerator, over the gate to the cat room and she’d run full force, sometimes sideways, down the hall to pounce on her sister,” O’Neill said.
Their dog, Maizie, was smitten with his new feline siblings. Even when Padmé’s energy overwhelmed him, he cherished the moments of calm when she curled up at his side.
A Walk That Went Wrong
Padmé was always kept indoors, but she loved to perch by the window and watch birds outside. Hoping to give her a safe taste of the outdoors, Reilly bought a harness and leash to take her on gentle walks.
The unthinkable had happened: Padmé was gone.
“Reilly wanted to walk her on the leash with a harness, however, as soon as he got into the yard, she freaked out, jumped out of his arms, flipped in the air, and slipped out of her harness. She ran around to the front of the house, and then he lost sight of her,” O’Neill said.
With years of rescue experience behind her, O’Neill sprang into action.
She placed cameras around her home, alerted neighbors, posted on social media, and put up flyers. She even built a feeding station near the house, hoping Padmé would come back for food.
For 26 long days, nothing worked. Then, one night, O’Neill spotted glowing eyes on a camera feed. Her heart leapt. Padmé was alive.
But the reunion was not yet to be. Padmé avoided the traps and slipped back into the woods. Eight days later she appeared again, and the day after that she was sighted less than a mile from the house.
Still, she remained just out of reach.
Finally, 40 days after her disappearance, a breakthrough came.
The O’Neills managed to trap a large male cat who they suspected had been scaring Padmé away. That evening, Betsy went to bed exhausted, but Reilly decided to keep watch.
That night, their patience was rewarded. Padmé stepped inside, and at last, the trap closed.
“He had seen Padmé on the garage camera and quietly ran out to the garage post. He was watching the trap and noticed Padmé moving VERY slowly toward it. She was following the trail of treats I had laid out, and she was taking her time eating each treat. Reilly said it felt like torture watching her slowly walk towards the trap,” O’Neill said.
Home Again
The reunion was filled with relief. At first, Padmé hissed and struggled inside the cage, but the moment she saw Maizie, her stress melted away. She immediately calmed down and began to play with him again.
The following morning, the family rushed her to the local veterinary clinic. After a thorough exam from head to tail, Padmé was declared healthy and allowed to go home.
Weeks later, she was slowly settling back into her old routines. Sudden noises still made her nervous, but she was once again leaping onto the cat tree, curling up in blankets, and sharing quiet moments with her boy.
“[Padmé] is back to velcroing herself to the cat tree, but she can typically be found curled up in a warm fleece blanket with her boy, Reilly,” O’Neill concluded.