When residents of Irvington, New Jersey, recently noticed a strange, fluffy animal stumbling around town with her head stuck in a jar, the concerned neighbors weren’t sure what to do.

They quickly realized the distressed visitor was a cat — and it was clear that she needed help.

According to ABC 7 News, neighbors ran after the cat for days, trying to bring her to safety. Local rescuers Marcia Sandford Fishkind and Eileen DiNicola attempted to catch her to no avail. Meanwhile, the rescuers and other concerned animal lovers began tagging notorious local animal rescue expert John Debacker on Facebook, urging him to come help. Finally, on Christmas Day, Debacker abandoned his holiday plans and headed to the scene, eager to assist.

“I was in [New Jersey] for Christmas when I got the call that the cat was in sight,” Debacker told The Dodo.

With the cat in view, Debacker hopped a chain-link fence and carefully maneuvered toward her.

“John climbed over the fence and onto the junk so quietly and gingerly, as to not scare her away, and scruffed her quickly and got her right into the carrier,” DiNicola wrote in a Facebook post about the event.

Safely contained, the cat was soon free of the pesky jar.

“I slowly twisted it off her head while she was in the carrier [so] as to not injure her,” Debacker said. “She didn’t resist at all.”

Rescuers named the cat Merry and helped arrange transport to Brick City Kitties Rescue, Inc., where experienced carers made sure she got the medical attention she needed.

Merry was soon determined to be friendly and ready for adoption. Now, thanks to the help of so many animal lovers, sweet Merry’s future is finally looking bright.