Kaitlyn O’Hara, an anesthesiology nurse at Penn Vet’s Ryan Veterinary Hospital, died on February 3 while trying to rescue a stray cat from a busy highway in Cherry Hill, NJ. She was 27.

Ms. O’Hara joined Penn Vet’s staff in 2017 as a medical aide at the Ryan Veterinary Hospital. A year later, she became an anesthesia veterinary tech. “That’s not surprising that she’s on one of the busiest roads in New Jersey, trying to get a hurt animal off the road. That’s who she was,” said Giacomo Gianotti, the hospital’s head of anesthesia and an associate professor of clinical anesthesiology at Penn Vet. “And it wasn’t just animals—she was there for any soul. Everything she did was to help others.”

Ms. O’Hara was also an active volunteer at Randall’s Rescue of Mount Laurel, NJ. She devoted her life to helping abandoned and feral cats, and last month launched a fundraiser for the shelter. “She fostered countless cats, focusing on those most vulnerable: infant bottle baby kittens, semi-feral cats, and abandoned cats or strays,” said Ms. O’Hara’s family in a tribute. “She did this with a full house of her own cats and a dog, whom she loved with her whole heart. She was thought of as the ‘cat whisperer’ for her ability to get these vulnerable, terrified babies to open up and trust her.”

Ms. O’Hara is survived by her parents, Joseph and Melissa O’Hara; her fiancé, Edward Bonen; her siblings, Jessica, Kylie, and Ryan; and grandparents, godparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Ms. O’Hara’s family has arranged for donations in her memory to be made to Randall’s Rescue at www.randallsrescue.com/donate. So far, her family, friends, and community have raised more than $9,000.