Oak Harbor veterinarian Sarah Lord brought her work home last month — but not in the familiar pandemic model of home offices and pajamaed Zoom calls.

For Lord, bringing work home meant adopting the rescue cat whose life she had saved.

The cat arrived at Best Friends Veterinary Center on March 20 in ragged condition.

Two “good Samaritans” had rescued her from the remains of a burnt-down house and brought her to the veterinarian office, which took her on as a charity case.

The cat appeared to have suffered extensive damage in the fire. She had burns on her face and ears, and had lost many of her claws and most of her paw pads.

Lord and the other veterinarians got right to work on her treatment. Luckily, X-rays revealed the cat hadn’t suffered any internal damage from infection or smoke inhalation.

Lord treated the cat, affectionately dubbed Ember by the center employees on account of her fiery backstory, for weeks, keeping her almost constantly sedated as she underwent her “miraculous” recovery.

“Cats are amazing healers,” Lord said. “They surprise me each and every day.”

Ember accumulated more nicknames as her treatment continued, Lord said, including “Crispy Cat” and “Baked Beans.”

As Ember’s condition improved and her loving, attention-seeking personality began shining through, Lord said she realized the feline’s resilient and affectionate nature made her a “one-of-a-kind cat.”

When the time came to put Ember up for adoption, Lord knew she wouldn’t be able to let her go. The cat doctor and dog mom decided to adopt Ember herself.

“I literally could not imagine my life without her,” Lord said.

Now, Ember has been home with Lord for one month. Lord said she coexists comfortably with her two dogs, a German wire-haired pointer mix and a black Labrador retriever, and is just as cuddly as ever.

Ember the rescue cat continues recovery in her new home after being adopted by Sarah Lord. (Photo courtesy of Best Friends)