In a group home, Sonya, a beautiful dilute tortoiseshell cat with unique markings, lived a peaceful life with her owner.  She had a cozy bed by the window, a full bowl of food every day, and a warm lap to curl up in at night. Life was perfect until one fateful day when Sonya was torn away from the only home she knew and person who she loved dearly.

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An employee, who worked at the group home where she lived, scooped her up driving her 17 miles from home. Sonya found herself in an unfamiliar place, cold and frightened, on the side of a road in a very distant and rural area.  Alone and confused, Sonya wandered, dodging cars and searching for food. She relied on her instincts to survive.  Three and a half weeks later, by some miracle, she made it to another group home under the same ownership of the first one.  An employee recognized her, brought her in, and called Brenda Rupert, a local independent rescuer.  But before Brenda could get to her, the same person who stole her the first time showed up; stole her a second time; Sonya was left on the side of the road much further away and alone once again. After a brief conversation with the person guilty of this heinous act, Brenda knew of the general area but this area was vast, wooded, and what came to be her biggest rescue challenge to date.

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Sonya’s trust in humans wavered, but she was resilient. She scavenged for food, her once-glossy fur matted and thin. Brenda made her a promise that she would find her and that she would never need to worry about being abandoned again.  A plan was put into place.  A team of dedicated individuals devoted much time talking to neighbors, passing out flyers, political grade signs were posted in a 30 mile radius, post cards mailed to 250 local residents, traps set, cameras installed, and a $5,000 reward was set. 

 

Many people searched for her as she pulled on the heartstrings of thousands of people.  Every lead was followed up on but turned up unfounded.  Brenda spent all of her free time searching, every day and every night, from dusk to dawn for 4 1/2 long months.  There were quite a few cats that were captured, fixed and rehomed in the process.  Even a turtle stuck in a culvert was saved from sure death as workers ripped out a storm grate embedded  in the pavement, retrieved the turtle five feet down, and transported it to safety.  News media from the Mon Valley Independent were on site to write a nice story of the freed turtle and the ongoing search for Sonya.    Many lives were saved during that span of time.

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Four and a half long months of searching went by.  Brenda and her team never gave up hope.  It wasn’t until a nice lady spotted her running across her yard that her luck finally changed.  Jennifer Smiddle, a local school teacher, recognized her from the post card and flyers distributed far and wide. She was able to coax her from a shrub using some lunch meat, brought her in, and called Brenda who gathered her team and very excitedly made the trip to meet her and bring her home.  Although pictures were seen, this was the first time they were able to physically lay eyes on her.  So many people rejoiced in her finally being brought to safety. 

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Two employees of the group home involved in this terrible act of theft of property, abuse of an animal, and abandonment were terminated from their positions when the organization was called and an investigation launched.

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Unfortunately, Sonya was unable to return to her home that she once knew as a no-pet policy was established.  With time, Sonya’s fear faded (except for thunderstorms which she is terrified of), and was replaced by love and comfort. She was adopted into a new home and now spends her days basking in the sun by the window, her nights curled up beside Linda Fetcko, safe at last. Though she had been stolen and abandoned twice, fate had finally led her to where she truly belonged. 

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This is how Sonya’s Hope for Felines was born.  A non-profit organization was established in her honor.  Sonya’s Hope is that no cat will suffer the way she did and that someday every animal will be safe and animal abuse will no longer exist.