Support Petunia & Jackie After the Fire

Hi, I’m Jackie Gonzalez, a Pasadena Unified school teacher, Altadena resident and native, mother, and fur baby advocate.

On Jan. 8, 2025, my hometown of Altadena went up in flames with very little time to secure our families and pets. My father, who passed away late 2021, left his cat Petunia in the care of his wife, Norma, and sister, Serafina on Lincoln Ave, his home of over 50 years. The blaze tore through his home and flattened it to burnt rubble.

His cat, Petunia, was lost for 30 days. We feared she had perished in the flames. However, with her 13 years of experience in Altadena as an indoor-outdoor cat, she somehow managed to dodge coyotes, feral cats, 100+ mph winds, and a wildfire. She is a trooper and my little “She-Ra!”

Shortly after finding out my dad & stepmom’s cat went missing, I posted on FB asking the Altadena community for leads to help find her. Almost immediately, a generous woman by the name of Alejandra, and an organization called Tail Town Cats, headed by Jaime, reached out through my Facebook post and decided to scout, feed, and lure Petunia into a cat trap. They were successful on day 28 of the fire aftermath.

Petunia has been reunited with her family, and it took 2 weeks of diligence and perseverance! However, not without risk! It was an amazing feeling to have this miracle thanks to a few selfless women.

[While scouting for Petunia, these volunteers placed a camera recording her likely feeding location; placed a temporary kennel for her to sleep comfortably; and served food for the wildlife in this area. A million thanks to Tail Town Cats & their advocates/volunteers for this altruistic feat. They are my angels]

However…

My stepmom, Norma, is not able to care for Petunia. So, I have decided to take in my daddy’s fur baby, errrr fur-sister. I have 4 animals of my own, and now that I have also been displaced, it’s going to be a challenge and added expense to house Petunia as I will keep her as an indoor-only cat! Any little bit will help me get started with providing a new life for my fur-sister.

Altadena! I am forever grateful for your outpouring of support. I look forward to giving Petunia the life she deserves and I hope my 3 cats—Cleo, Kiwi, and Nugget—and doggo, Keiko, enjoy sharing a space with Petunia. My daddy is looking at me through Petunia’s eyes and affection.

I am ever so thankful!

ALTADENA STRONG