Alex da Ponte had just pulled into the McDonald’s drive-thru with her son when she noticed a small orange cat trying to jump into other people’s cars. She saw that the cat was wearing a collar, so she looked around a bit to see if it belonged to someone in the neighborhood, but quickly realized that the cat was alone.
“I got out and parked in a parking space,” says Alex da Ponte. “From the parking space, I saw two other families trying to avoid the cat by returning to their cars… That’s when I decided to catch it. No one else was helping her, and she clearly needed help. She was desperate to get into a car.”
Da Ponte called the cat, which immediately came running without hesitation. She knew this was the family she was looking for.
“She couldn’t wait to get out of that parking lot,” Ms Da Ponte said.
Once they are all safe in the car, da Ponte’s son decides to call the cat Seats. The little cat wasn’t nervous at all and quickly made herself comfortable in the car, snuggling up to da Ponte’s son, looking out the window and exploring her new surroundings.
“She was totally comfortable in the car,” Mr da Ponte said.
She was so comfortable that she even stole a fries once the meal arrived. Within minutes, Alex da Ponte and his son fell in love with Seats, the McDonald’s cat.
Back home, Mrs. da Ponte set Seats up and worked to find her a foster family. Their neighbors offered to take her – and it didn’t take long for them to fall in love too.
“They failed in their search for a foster family and adopted her,” explains Alex da Ponte. “So Seats is now our neighbor!”
As soon as Ms da Ponte saw Seats, she knew she needed help and, looking back, she’s glad she pulled over to welcome her into her car.
