How To Help My Ferals During Hurricane Irma

[caro123]

Makes me feel a little better. Also the Gov of Fla deserves Kudos for requesting shelters and hotels etc. take in people that have pets with them.

 

[surya]

I thought I heard it on the news (that Barc in Houston had euthanized a bunch of animals to make room) and then I saw somebody post about it in this forum, but I can't remember which thread it was.

 

[Sarthur2]

The report I watched was actually a shelter worker reporting on what was happening at their shelter. It was grim.

 

[ginny]

Makes me feel a little better. Also the Gov of Fla deserves Kudos for requesting shelters and hotels etc. take in people that have pets with them.

Yes that is kind and thoughtful of him to do that. Makes me feel a bit better too! The lessons learned from Katrina. I can so understand why people stayed behind with their pets.

 

[surya]

I'm sending out a prayer and positive vibes for your kitties.

 

[caro123]

Yes that is kind and thoughtful of him to do that. Makes me feel a bit better too! The lessons learned from Katrina. I can so understand why people stayed behind with their pets.

I know. I would be totally torn if I had to leave my pets behind in a disaster situation.

 

[Norachan]

Best Friends are flying cats and dogs out of shelters in the areas that the hurricane is expected to hit.

Homepage Current

These animals are going to shelters all over the US. If you can foster a dog or cat from your local shelter it will mean one more space for a pet that has been evacuated.

lavishsqualor there is information on the Best Friends site about how to prepare for Hurricane Irma. Fingers crossed for you and your cats.

 

[lavishsqualor]

It was actually an employee of the Orange County shelter that told me about the euthanasia. She said that it was common practice among all kill shelters but never publicly acknowledged. She actually witnessed it with her own eyes and was crying hysterically as she told me. Hopefully some of the other reports out there have either been inflated or are false.

 

[stephanieLOL]

I saw a news story last week that animals from shelters in Houston were going to adoption shelters New Jersey and Washington DC so that they had room to take in lost animals from the hurricane zone.

 

[kittychick]

lavishsqualor (and others) ---I do hope I didn't offend you or mean to imply you were spreading anything untrue-- far from it! It just got me so upset that I just had to dig around on it. I'm sure your friend wasn't telling you anything untrue _I can't even imagine how distressing it would be to feel like you were working at a basically "no kill" shelter one day - only to come in & find healthy animals being euthanized for room-----SO sad and upsetting!

But it was at least encouraging to see that so many shelters/rescues/etc were going out of their way to get their animals out of harm's way by various methods after the horrors (including mass euthanasias, etc) of hurricanes like Harvey & Katrina. Here's a list i found of shelters that are open (I'm sure there are more - buy its a start:

Shelters that accept pets in Florida during Hurricane Irma | Metro News

I hope the links i posted earlier about prepping colonies from storms helped a bit My thoughts are with you ---let us know how the colony - and YOU!!! - do during and/or after Irma passes!!!!!!

 

[lavishsqualor]

Hi KittyChick! Of course you didn't offend me, and I can't imagine that you offended anyone on this thread. I'm glad you actually put some effort into researching the matter. I can't speak for other places but I do believe it's true here in Orange County. My friend who works at the shelter came by my house when they starting putting animals down and she was a complete mess. She was so upset her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

You're very kind to think about my ferals! I'm going to be making the rounds tomorrow and checking on my colonies. The latest forecast puts Orlando on the "dirty" side of the hurricane, as the weather folks call it, which will mean tons of rain, wind and possible tornadoes. I'm still at a loss as to how to help them. The vet who has desexed almost all of my ferals told me not to worry about them, that cats are incredibly resourceful in bad weather. Still, it's REALLY hard not to be concerned.

 

[Norachan]

lavishsqualor I understand exactly how you feel. If it makes you feel any better some of the feral cats that I care for survived a blizzard that dumped 2 meters of snow on the village I live in. The whole place shut down for 3 days while everyone dug themselves out and struggled back to work.

I had over 30 cats in the house, but I couldn't find some of the ferals before it started snowing. They all managed to find themselves a safe hiding place though. They all showed up again to be fed as soon as people started digging paths through the snow.

The fact that your cats are all fixed gives them an advantage. Adult cats stand a much better chance than females with litters do.

More vibes for you all.

 

[surya]

Best friends is a really good no kill organization in Houston and I would consider this reliable:

Blog:

Demand Houston SPCA Save Hurricane Harvey Animals

 

[daisyd]

This is so upsetting !just looking at my princess sleeping at my feet now and feel for this animals . I know it's a desparate situation , but please that's sick !

 

[maggie101]

If possible leave your garage open? I know, stupid idea but it's all I can think of. Any kind of coverage. They will find it

 

[lavishsqualor]

Well I'm beat. I've been out since about six this morning putting out wooden shelters for my ferals. I'm a regional manager for a large property management group and I've got a good many apartment complexes in my portfolio, many of which have established feral colonies on them.

I will never, not in a million years, be able to properly thank the members of my maintenance teams who, on their own time, worked long hours constructing wooden cat shelters than look similar to the below. I'm a complete moron for not taking a photo of the real deal but in all the commotion it just never dawned on me. Even so, the photo is the model we used to make the shelters so they all looked exactly like it. The only difference is that the tops were nailed on.

I placed a total of sixteen today on properties from Orlando to Kissimmee to Sanford to Daytona Beach. We tried to place them all in elevated areas in case of flooding. We also tied each one down with spikes and rope. It may not be much but at least it's something, and I'm really proud of the work we did to help these poor strays and ferals.

I hope that everyone in Irma's wake, humans and animals alike, will come through the storm unscathed. I'm not a religious person but I'm praying for all of us.

Sarthur2, I know you're on the west coast of Florida so please hunker down with your furkids and be safe.

 

[Norachan]

lavishsqualor I didn't realise you were responsible for so many apartment complexes. I think it's just wonderful that you are in a position to help so many feral cats. The world would be a much better place if all property managers were like you. I think you're my hero now.



Those shelters look great. I hope your cats are all smart enough to take cover in them. Thank you for everything you've done for them. I really don't have words to express how touched I am by your actions. You're the best.

 

[lavishsqualor]

Coming from you, Norachan, those words of praise mean a great deal to me. I don't think that I've ever been more impressed than with your enclosures and the wonderful care you take of Little Boy and all his cronies.

 

[Sarthur2]

Wow! You had a huge day! The shelters look awesome. Thank you so much!

 

[daisyd]

They look fantastic and you are a wonderful person ! I keep looking on the net for updates , hope everyone ok and safe. I know I keep saying that but that's all im thinking through this dreadful time