@Tobermory needs good thoughts, vibes and prayers

Tobermory

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.”
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How thoughtful of you Mia6 Mia6 ! And thank you, all of my friends at TCS! I got teary reading through the good wishes. :redheartpump: :grouphug:

They have reduced my neighborhood evacuation order from Level 3 (get out now) to Level 2 (be ready to get out). I have webcams in the house and it’s untouched so far, but hundreds of homes are gone not five miles from us.

We’re still in the hotel 100 miles from home, the closest we could find that had rooms available. The cats are very stressed, particularly Iris who spent most of the night crying. I was afraid someone would report the noise, so I sat with her to try to keep her calm. They aren’t eating much either. I think I lugged about 30 cans of “good” cat food with us, but ran to a nearby grocery store to buy chicken pâté Fancy Feast when they wouldn’t eat the good stuff. :) Of course, the humans aren’t eating much either.

I went out to the car this morning and ash was falling from the sky like snow. The car was covered and the air was almost unbreathable. Air quality shows hazardous all up and down I-5 (interstate) in Oregon. There are fires everywhere. Masks help with COVID, but they don’t do anything for air like this. It would require N95 masks, and we all know those aren’t available.

We’re safe, though, and lucky we have a decent place to stay that’s not exorbitant. And we’re lucky that although we’re not young (late 60s), we’re healthy and fit. We’re just very tired. We’ll try to go home tomorrow if the interstate remains open and our area remains at Level 2. But we’ll have to be ready to “grab and go” at any time.

Fire burning Tuesday evening, five miles from our home
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Lily and Mocha keeping Mom safe in the hotel room.
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Smokey view from our hotel window.
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Hazardous air quality throughout Oregon
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Tobermory

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Mia6

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I hope it is better out there? Dear Iris, is she settling in? Mocha and Lily look so sweet
beside you. I can only imagine the stress you are under. I'm glad you all together.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.💖 :hugs:
 

neely

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Mocha and Lily look so sweet
beside you.
:yeah: I immediately thought the same thing. I'm so thankful the cats got out safely with you. Thank you for letting us know how you're holding up. Special prayers being sent out to you. 🙏
 

Tobermory

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We’re home, and home is still here. Others only five miles away are not so lucky. According to reports, more than 600 homes were lost and countless businesses. Large portions of the two small towns just to the south of us are razed to the ground—one short exit away on the interstate.

Iris continued to cry and pace for several hours after we got home, but she seems better now. Lily and Mocha are a bit unsettled, particularly Mocha who, as a former feral, did not do well being stuffed into a carrier. Their appetites still aren’t normal, but if things remain calm, they should be okay. At least litter box use is normal! :)

We’re still at Level 2 which means suitcases are by the door, ready to grab and go; cat carriers, cat food, and litter boxes are at the ready as well. Fingers crossed that we don’t have to bug out again. Our community needs to be able to focus on helping those who’ve lost everything.

A helicopter did a flyover of the area affected and posted a video: It’s devastating. Many of these folks lived there because the home costs were more affordable than in my town. It’s heartbreaking. I’ve already made a donation to a local disaster relief fund, and I’m sure I will again. It will be needed.

Air quality this morning: hazardous. jcat jcat if you want to check on the air your nephew is breathing, here’s the link: http://oregon.envi-das.com/home/map
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View of the valley from the hill above our home
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Here’s what it usually looks like.
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The sun is up there...somewhere.
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DreamerRose

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Many hugs to you, Tobermory Tobermory . So glad you're safe for the moment. My son and his wife are ready to evacuate also. They are in the Rockies, and the Glenwood Canyon fire is about 8 miles from their house. I hope their recent snow damped the fire.

Pray for rain. Love to you and your kitties.
 

Tobermory

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Many hugs to you, Tobermory Tobermory . So glad you're safe for the moment. My son and his wife are ready to evacuate also. They are in the Rockies, and the Glenwood Canyon fire is about 8 miles from their house. I hope their recent snow damped the fire.

Pray for rain. Love to you and your kitties.
What a gorgeous area! I lived in Colorado before moving to Oregon. I hope everything works out for them. We get little snow here, and it hasn’t rained for about three months.

The challenge they—and we—face with evacuation is that the interstate is the only option. Mountainous areas don’t lend themselves to side roads. I never thought about it until they closed the interstate going south this week (the fire was burning up both sides), and we had no choice but to head north on I-5. The traffic is scary, and you’re basically stuck with it.
 
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Mia6

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I'm so relieved your home is still there and you're all ok. So sorry about those who lost their homes.
My doc (vet) used to prescribe Valium for my Lena for car trips and stressful situations as she was
bashful and even small events frightened her. Patrick and I went to a hotel when our furnace broke.
We gave Lena 5mg. of Valium (she was 17 pounds at that point in time she lost 5 pounds under
doc's order). She was not stressed... even seemed to enjoy the novelty of the hotel for a day and a half.

I hope and pray you don't have to leave again but it sounds like you have it covered if you do.

Love to all of you,

Mia :hugs: :hearthrob::redheartpump:
 
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