Written by Jenna Esra, Roné Gouws, Cheryl-Ann Buirski and Emily-Jayne Dwyer
Professional photography by Shutter Buggers
Nola the calico cat had been missing for nine long months when a chance encounter – and a powerful chain of kindness – brought her back to the arms of the people who loved her. From the first sighting to the moment Nola was safely trapped, cared for and finally reunited with her family, it took a remarkable team effort
Five of the people involved in that journey share how this much-loved little cat went from surviving on the streets of Sea Point, Cape Town, to finding her way home.
THE POWER OF COMMUNITY
Written by Jenna Esra, Nola’s finder and champion of her cause
It was early evening on Wednesday, the 19th of August 2026, when I went to visit a family member at their apartment on St Johns Road, Sea Point. As I arrived, I was stopped in my tracks by the sound of a cat calling. Something about it felt different – almost intentional. I looked into the bushes and saw a cat, and I knew this wasn’t just an ordinary situation.
I began asking neighbours if they knew who she belonged to, and posted on community groups to see if anyone was missing a cat. Thankfully, I was met with an incredible outpouring of care. Neighbours started putting out food and water and keeping track of the cat as she came and went.
Tracey Katz of the adoption initiative Cats Needing Homes in Cape Town quickly got in touch and connected me with cat foster carer Roné Gouws, who kindly offered to help trap the mystery cat. As the days went by, we began to uncover the calico cat’s story.
Nola’s story
Her name was Nola and she’d been missing for nine months. Just days before her family were due to move to KwaZulu-Natal from the apartment building where my family member now lives, she’d disappeared. For months the little cat had found refuge beneath a hidden deck and among the trees on High Level Road, where a kind-hearted woman named Lauren had been feeding her.
Tragically, on the 30th of July, a devastating fire at the Dorchester apartment building just 500 metres away destroyed Lauren’s home and claimed the life of her father. Lauren lost everything and was forced to move into temporary accommodation.
Rosie, as Lauren had affectionately named her, was meant to be cared for by a neighbour – but somehow, the brave cat found her way back to the building where she’d once lived. Then, everything aligned for me to find her.
A community that cared
Nola’s original owner saw my Facebook post and got in touch. After nine long months, they finally knew where she was.
Early on Sunday, the 23rd of August, Roné and another animal rescue angel, Cheryl-Ann Buirski of the Feral Cat Project Cape Town, arrived to help safely trap Nola. Without hesitation, Roné kindly offered to foster her until she could be reunited with her family.
Throughout it all, my husband, Blake, reassured me that I wasn’t crazy for pushing so hard to find Nola’s owners. We could both see how distressed she was, and I knew I had to trust my instinct that she was trying to find her way back home. And it truly took a village – from the neighbours who fed and watched over her, to everyone online who shared posts and spread the word.
There are so many people to thank. Diana, Jacqueline and Lauren. A huge shout out to Tracey, Roné and Cheryl for safety trapping Nola. To every person who played a part in bringing Nola one step closer to home. I’m so grateful to live within a community with so much love and care for animals.
Nine months lost, but finally found. Sometimes, it really does take a village – and this little cat was lucky enough to find one filled with love.
EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE
Written by Roné Gouws, cat foster carer and one of Nola’s rescuers
I was contacted for help by Tracey Katz of Cats Needing Homes in Cape Town on the evening of Thursday, the 20th of August. I’d fostered a cat for her before and she’s helped me find homes for some of my fosters. Of course, I immediately said yes – I was more than happy to help.
Tracey put me in touch with Jenna, the person who’d spotted Nola near the apartment building. The next day, I reached out to Cheryl-Ann Buirski. As a volunteer for Feral Cat Project Cape Town, Cheryl is an expert when it comes to trapping.
I knew I’d need her help. I also knew she’d taken a much-deserved holiday and wasn’t sure if she was back yet. I sent her a message to find out if she was back in Cape Town, or if there was someone else I could contact to borrow a trap.
Finding family
Honestly, everything just seemed to fall into place – my foster room became available the very next afternoon and Cheryl, happy to help, was just on her way back to Cape Town
I asked Jenna if they could please continue putting food and water out for Nola every morning and evening – we wanted her to come back regularly and get used to a routine. As Jenna doesn’t live in the building, she put me in contact with apartment resident Diana, who very kindly organised a routine feeding schedule.
Tracey and Jenna were tasked with posting Nola’s story on as many Facebook groups as possible in the hope that we might be able to find Nola’s owner.
I kept in touch with Jenna and Diana and was told that someone had tried to catch Nola on Friday. Unfortunately, she’d gotten spooked and run off, and the next day there were no sightings of her at the building at all.
On Saturday evening I started receiving messages from Jenna – screenshots from someone commenting that they used to feed Nola at the back of the Dorchester apartment block. When the residents were evacuated because of the fire, this person – whom we now know was Lauren – had asked someone in the building next door to continue putting food and water out for her. Instead, somehow Nola had found her way back to the place where she used to live.
That very same evening, Jenna received a message from Emily – Nola’s mom!
Then we discovered the rest of the story. There’s a construction site right next to Nola’s former home on St Johns Road. Spooked by the construction work, Nola had gone missing before her family moved from Sea Point to KwaZulu-Natal at the end of November 2025. Jenna even found an old post online where Nola’s family had been desperately looking for her.
We knew we had to get her back to her family! There was just one problem – there’d been no more sightings of her.
She remembered her name
On Sunday morning, I woke up to a message from Diana: Nola was at the building. I immediately contacted Cheryl: “She’s there. We’ve got to go get her!”
Diana had to go out but very kindly arranged for another lady in the building, Lorna, to open both garden areas for us. While Cheryl prepared the trap with all kinds of yummy food, I went looking for Nola. When I reached the area where Diana had sent me a video, I called Nola’s name – and heard a little meow in response. She recognised her name. She was clearly very scared and was hiding, but at the same time it felt like she was ready to be found. Both Cheryl and I had lumps in our throats. We knew we weren’t leaving that day without her, no matter how long it took.
And then… we got her. And it only took just over an hour. It was such an incredible moment.
Knowing that we’d found her family and could reunite them made it even more special. In all my years of fostering, I’ve never experienced such a wonderfully happy story.
Safe at last
Nola immediately settled in with me. I found that she was incredibly sweet and affectionate – and absolutely loves to cuddle. For the first few days, she ate a LOT – understandably, after everything she’d been through. Happily, she was soon eating normal portions of specialised veterinary food, with some chicken and wet food as treats. She even immediately started using the litter box, despite living outdoors for months.
And then there was “her” cupboard – Nola LOVED sleeping in the cupboard. In fact, she actually opened it herself to get inside! When I told her mom, Emily, about this, she said Nola had done exactly the same thing before she’d gone missing. That little detail just made my heart melt.
The whole experience was made even better after her vet check-up, where tests showed she hadn’t picked up any “nasties”.
I knew I’d miss her when it was time for her to go home, but I was just incredibly grateful that I could be a small part of her journey. After being lost for so long, being scared and alone, Nola could finally be where she belongs – with her family and her furry sister.
Sometimes, everything really does fall into place!
NOLA – FROM SURVIVAL TO SAFETY
Written by Cheryl-Ann Buirski, Feral Cat Project volunteer and one of Nola’s rescuers
The news everyone had been waiting for arrived early on Sunday, the 23rd of August: Nola was back!
After disappearing for a day, she’d found her way back to the front garden of her original home, where Jenna had initially spotted her. But being back didn’t mean she was safe. She was frightened, wary and deep in survival mode, hiding from the people who were desperately trying to help her.
Trapping Nola
Roné Gouws and I rushed over and set up the automatic step trap. We knew that hunger might eventually prove stronger than fear, and that if we could tempt Nola into the humane trap, we could finally get her to safety and begin the journey home. But Nola had other ideas.
As we slowly moved the trap closer to where we could hear her, she answered our voices with tiny, terrified meows. Each sound told us she was there. Each sound broke our hearts a little. We were so close, yet she was still beyond our reach.
Then, at the very last moment, Nola made a desperate leap over the small wall and disappeared into the back garden – directly in front of her old home.
We found her again, tucked away on a tiny ledge behind a banana tree, completely out of sight. She was still responding to our voices with those frightened little meows. But then something changed.
She heard a familiar voice.
Home, safety and love
Grant, a resident she knew and trusted, was there. Nola hadn’t seen him since she disappeared, but somehow his voice still meant something to her. She was skittish and afraid, but slowly, cautiously, she began to respond.
I reached a hand towards her. She came close enough to smell it and allowed me a fleeting tickle on her face. It was such a small moment, but it told us everything: beneath the fear, Nola was ready to be helped. So we waited.
Gently, patiently, with me on one side of the banana tree and Grant on the other, we coaxed her forward. Inch by inch, Nola moved towards the person she recognised. When she finally came within reach, Grant carefully scruffed her and placed her safely into the waiting trap.
And suddenly, it was over – the fear, the uncertainty and the exhausting struggle to survive. Finally, Nola was safe and her next chapter could begin.
When we arrived at Roné’s foster room, something extraordinary happened. The frightened, elusive little cat who’d fought so hard to survive seemed to know that she’d finally crossed an invisible line – from danger into safety. And she melted. Nola rewarded us with an almost unbridled outpouring of affection. Purrs, cuddles and love poured from this little soul who, only moments before, had been hiding in fear. It was as though she understood that she no longer had to run, hide or be afraid.
She was safe and loved. She mattered.
Nola reminded us that trust can survive even after fear has taken hold. And as I watched her settle into safety, overwhelmed by her affection, I felt incredibly privileged. It’s an honour to have played even the smallest part in her story. Nola had fought her way back. It was about home, safety and love.
THE CAT WE THOUGHT WE’D LOST FOREVER
Written by Emily-Jayne Dwyer, Nola’s Owner
When we moved to Cape Town, we didn’t really know anyone. It was just the two of us in a new city, and our apartment felt very quiet, so we decided to foster a cat.
That’s when we met Rebecca and Nola from Rescue is Life. Nola was incredibly shy when we first met her, but she warmed up to us surprisingly quickly. And, as tends to happen with fostering, we didn’t exactly stick to the plan. We adopted them.
Best-laid plans go awry
About a year later, I fell pregnant with our first child and eventually went back to Kwa Zulu-Natal to be closer to family while I started working again. My partner stayed in Cape Town, and during those months, the cats were his constant company.
Eventually, we decided it was time to make the move to KZN permanently. We gave notice on our apartment, booked the cats onto the flight and started packing up our lives.
Then, a few days before we were due to leave, Nola disappeared.
We searched everywhere. We asked neighbours, walked around the area, posted in local groups and kept looking for any sign of her. But she was nowhere. Eventually, we had no choice but to leave without her.
It was awful, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe that we’d never see her again. I kept telling myself that someone had found her and taken her in. I continued posting about her and checking for updates – I couldn’t quite let it go.
Nola was coming home
Nine months passed.
Then we got the message: Nola had been found. She’d apparently been living on the streets for nine months, and when we saw the photograph, we knew immediately that it was her. I don’t think I’ll ever forget seeing that photo.
She’d been rescued and was being fostered by some incredibly kind people who’d taken her in, got her vaccinated and looked after her while trying to find her family. And somehow, after nine months, she was coming home.
The whole thing still feels a little unbelievable. We had no idea where she was or whether she was even okay, and then suddenly there she was.
We’re incredibly grateful to the people who found her and looked after her. They didn’t know us. They didn’t know how long we’d been looking. They just saw a cat who needed help and did something about it.
After nine months on the streets, Nola is finally back where she belonged. And, thankfully, she seems to have forgiven us for the whole disappearing-for-nine-months situation.
We’re just very, very glad to have our girl back!
INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
Written by Stephne Jackson of Watershed Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Fund
We were overjoyed to be able to help after Happy Tails made us aware of this amazing tale!
We always try to help animals reach their Watershed moment with our BidAir Cargo PetLounge sponsored flights, so of course we jumped in to help dear Nola get her wings and fly home.
Following a holding period of 20 days after her rabies shot, Nola flew home on Saturday, the 19th of September. Thank you Happy Tails for alerting us so that we could be part of this incredible journey!
