|
09/23/09
 Across the pond in the UK, Andy Williams of Bracknell, Berks, is alive because of the quick-thinking heroism of neighbor cat Hugo, who roused him from sleep when his house caught fire.
Williams woke in the middle of the night to find two-year-old tabby Hugo clawing at his face, trying to awaken him. He quickly realized his home was on fire.
Williams said, “I was in a really deep sleep until I felt Hugo’s clawing. As soon as I was awake he flew out the door. I got up to follow him and saw thick black smoke in the hall.”
The blaze was caused by an electrical fault. Firefighters told Williams that he would have been dead within minutes without Hugo’s intervention.
Williams added: “It is hard to comprehend that I owe my life to my neighbor’s cat.”
Darren Hill, Hugo’s owner said, “I am so proud of him.”
Justifyably so. Good work, Hugo!
[LINK: thesun.co.uk]
See related Cat's Meow entries:
09/10/09
 It’s miraculous enough to find a cat buried but still alive beneath a huge pile of rubble from a building destroyed by fire, but even more miraculous when that cat is found a month after the fire.
Smoka the Cat was last seen on August 9th, the night that the Franklin, Ohio apartment building in which she and owner lived burned to the ground. There was no sign of Smoka in any of her regular haunts, and everyone assumed she had perished in the fire.
Sandy LaPierre, Smoka’s owner, said, “Whenever my neighbor kicked the door in to get me out, she hid under the bed and that was the last I’ve seen of her.”
This week, as Starks Wrecking Services was clearing away the remaining hull of the building, one of the workers spotted a furry head poking up from beneath a pile of rubble. “I imagine 20 to 30 tons of trash on top of it,” said Clarence Witte. It was Smoka, dehydrated and emaciated, but still alive.
“I was stunned, shocked,” LaPierre said. “She is a miracle after staying there almost a month in the rubble.”
A veterinarian examined the cat, who was relatively healthy, given her ordeal, and said she had probably survived by eating insects.
“It looked like (she) just got off a boat from Ethiopia, but (she) was unscathed,” said Dennie Fitzgerald, the building’s owner. “With those bulldozers, those big bulldozers rolling over the top of that thing day after day, it should not have made it.”
See related Cat's Meow entries:
05/16/09
This week, Karen Lee Stevens of WeHo/Santa Barbara wrote about the steps taken to house feline refugees from the Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara.
Wilted by the triple digit temperatures last Tuesday afternoon, I made a quick stop at Costco for an icy-cold chocolate vanilla swirl.
 Driving back home along Hollister Avenue, I noticed a small plume of smoke rise ominously in the mountains above Santa Barbara and thought, “Here we go again.”
On the other end of Goleta, tucked away in a grove of majestic trees on Overpass Road, it was just another day at the Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP).
Volunteers at the 20-year-old, non-profit cat shelter were busy cleaning cages, changing litter boxes, and making sure each of the 75 adoptable kitties felt safe and loved while they waited patiently for a new friend to come along and say, “I’d like to adopt this one!”
In just a few hours, everyone’s lives would be turned upside down.
Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the Jesusita Fire devoured everything in its path as it raced ever closer to hundreds of homes in the hills.
ASAP President, Angela Rockwell, was downtown when she, too, looked skyward and saw smoke. She immediately called Animal Services and asked if there was anything her organization could do to help. Their response: “How fast can you get here?”
Many of ASAP’s volunteers had been evacuated from their homes, but still they came in droves, ready and willing to help the cats in any way they could. They stayed into the wee hours of the morning, tidying up and making sure each kitty had a soft bed and a reassuring scratch under the chin.
During that first night, ASAP took in more than 60 cats; at one point the following day, they accepted about 50 cats in one hour.
“We were putting cats in carriers and dog crates—anything that was big enough to house a cat, a little box, and food and water bowls,” Angela said.
“We stacked carriers from the floor to the ceiling; we used every available inch of space. We did whatever we could to accommodate every cat who came through the door. We didn’t turn anyone away.”
All in all, ASAP provided a safe haven for approximately 220 cats, all the while caring for dozens of adoptable cats who were already being housed at the shelter.
In a telephone conversation on Monday, Angela told me she was “blown away by the efforts and the open hearts of people who came out and did what needed to be done.”
She marveled at ASAP’s volunteers—who didn’t have any kind of formal disaster training—as they took evacuees by the hand and walked them through the process of checking in their cats.
“Just seeing the relief on people’s faces, knowing that their cats had a safe place to go; it was…hard to describe,” Angela said, her voice filled with emotion.
“It just means so much to be able to help people and be a part of a community like ASAP.”
As I thanked Angela for all she’d accomplished on behalf of the fire’s most vulnerable victims, she was quick to point out that it wasn’t the effort of one, but the toil of many that made an enormous difference for the animals.
“Hundreds of people came together to make all this possible,” she said. “I get to brag about ASAP because we did it without the support of a national charity or a big budget. We did it from a true, community-based grassroots effort. I’m very proud of that fact.”
If you would like to contribute to ASAP’s ongoing financial needs, please send a donation to ASAP, PO Box 357, Goleta, CA 93116. Send your thoughts to Karen Stevens at karenleestevens@cox.net. For more columns, visit allforanimals.com/forpetssake.html.
 Do you have a disaster plan for your cats in case of an emergency? If you’re not home when disaster strikes, your pets could survive the disaster, but might not be reunited with you if they’re not chipped and tagged. A traditional tag with a phone number or address won’t help if your home is destroyed and your phone is out of service.
The Together Tag pet recovery service, developed by Catster in partnership with the American Red Cross, is an innovative pet ID and recovery service that functions as a stand-alone solution or as a complement to your pet’s existing microchip. You can provide out-of-area contact info, medical info, and more, ensuring that if your pet is found, you’ll be reunited as quickly as possible.
See related Cat's Meow entries:
05/13/09
Here’s a happy ending story for you: A man with a brain tumor arrives home to find his home in flames. His first thought is of his “therapeutic” cats, Boo Boo and Mew Mew:
 When Glen Schallman got off the bus after work on Thursday, he gasped at the sight of his Rolling Meadows apartment building on fire.
Schallman, who has survived with a brain tumor, watched as all his possessions went up in flames.
“I just yelled, ‘My cats! My cats!’ I went into a major panic,” said Schallman.
The sudden and extreme stress apparently triggered a seizure and paramedics brought Schallman to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village.
While in his hospital bed, Schallman was relieved to learn that Boo Boo Kitty, a domestic black cat, and Mew Mew, a tuxedo cat, were actually rescued unharmed. They were brought to an animal hospital in Schaumburg for observation and boarding.
“Boo Boo Kitty was found under the covers and Mew Mew was found under the bed,” said a tearful 50-year-old, who works at Build-A-Bear Workshop in Woodfield Shopping Center in Schaumburg. “It’s a miracle that they are still alive.”
Schallman was a resident of 12 Oaks, where a fire Thursday consumed most of the three-story building, west of Route 53 and south of Algonquin Road. The fire reportedly broke out around 3:30 p.m. and took roughly three hours to extinguish. Twenty-seven families were displaced. Many have been staying at area hotels or with friends or relatives.
Rolling Meadows police and fire officials said Saturday that the case remains under investigation.
Schallman has been a resident of 12 Oaks since last October, arriving here from Phoenix, Ariz., to seek more medical treatment for his seizures. He was diagnosed in 2002 with hypothalamic hamartoma, a rare benign brain tumor located near the hypothalamus.
After his diagnosis, the former travel agent went on disability. He also acquired Boo Boo Kitty and Mew Mew as kittens. As the cats grew up, he says, they instinctively laid across his chest or seemingly felt for a pulse when he was having health problems. “They are my therapeutic cats,” he said.
Schallman said he doesn’t know what he’ll do once he’s released from the hospital, possibly on Sunday. He’s arranging to stay with friends in Chicago until he can sort out what’s left, if anything, of his belongings. He then must find another place to live and start rebuilding his life.
One thing is certain. His beloved Boo Boo Kitty and Mew Mew are alive and he longs to be reunited with them, possibly as early as Monday.
“I’m really stressed out and very scared,” he said. “I’ve lost everything. But I just have to keep going. I love life and I’m not going to give up.”
Source: The Daily Herald
See related Cat's Meow entries:
03/18/09
Marlborough firefighter Tricia Richards, center, carries Catbert as an EMT, left, carries Picasso to a Marlborough Animal Control van after the cats were resuscitated following a house fire.
In Marlborough, Massachusetts this week, firefighters used oxygen to revive two cats–Picasso and Catbert–who were overcome by smoke in a fire that damaged a single-family home. The homeowners were not home at the time and no injuries were reported. A third cat was not injured, and a fourth, found hiding in the basement, could not be captured.
Picasso and Catbert were taken to Hudson Animal Hospital for treatment. Good luck on a speedy recovery, guys!
See related Cat's Meow entries:
02/10/09
With the Australian wildfires raging, we can’t help but think of the family pets killed or displaced when disaster strikes. Are you prepared? Cats have an uncanny ability to hole up in a snug safe spot and survive the initial catastrophic event, but would you be able to locate them afterward? In several recent stories on the Cat’s Meow, cats have gone missing after house fires.
 Last year in New Zealand, Catster Darwin (aka “Mr D” pictured at right) was lost for six months. He wasn’t initially lost in a fire or other disaster, but because his family became experts in lost-cat-tracking, I asked Mr D and his mom to share some tips on what you can do to bring your lost cat home safely. If you think the answer is telephone pole flyers and newspaper ads, you’ve got a lot to learn.
Mr D’s mom went so far as to rent a cat suit and stand by the side of the road with a ginormous flyer. Wacky, eh? Well, it worked. It’s a remarkable story, and you can read it in the Catnip Chronicles (highly recommended reading!)
So I think you’ll agree that Mr D knows what it takes to find a lost cat. Catster members gave his mom lots of suggestions along the way, and Mr D’s mom agreed to share what they learned:
The best way to get your message out there is to talk to as many people as you can. That means DOOR KNOCKING, going to the VETS in person ( I also took biscuits around each time I visited them and they in turn kept the flyer on the wall and also told me if anyone commented on the flyers. If they mentioned any location they may have seen him). You have to visit the SPCA in person as they don’t really describe the cats that well and they are very busy themselves.
Ideas that the group has mentioned:
- Use cat traps (especially helpful if your cat is an indoor scaredy cat).
- Making up a smoothie of smelly cat food and leave a trail leading back home.
- Use motion-activated cameras.
- Create food stations.
- Leave food and water outside, with smelly clothes ( with your smell on it).
- Look in unexpected areas, i.e. on the roof, in the ceiling or in drains. If you can’t see into these areas use a camera at arm’s length or on a stick with time delay so you can take a photo and view it on the computer.
- Post FLYERS everywhere.
- Cook smelly cat food on a BBQ ( the heat makes the food smell stronger).
- Walk the streets calling them — especially at dusk, dawn or 4 am in the morning when most cats are more active.
- If you see a cat food bowl outside, leave a flyer near it.
- Check vacant houses and garages (they could be locked in).
 - Any cat hoarders around? Check ‘em out.
- Check stray cat feeders and feral colonies. Talk to the people who maintain those colonies.
- Cats don’t normally travel more than one mile from your home, so get a map and draw a one-mile radius around your house. Concentrate on searching in that area.
- A large sign on your front fence, or even dress up in a cat suit or something else to attract attention and stand next to your sign or hold it during peak hour traffic. (This is what Mr D’s mom did.)
- Have any neighbours had removal trucks around or service people around? Your pet may have gone for a ride. Check areas (stop signs, stop lights) where your cat may have jumped out of the truck.
- If using cat traps, use a baby monitor to moniter the traps.
- You could also try using signage on your car, or a poster affixed to the back windows.
Here are some other places to post your lost cat:
Here are some sites to check for more info:
There are many more links for a few other countries in the Catster group Alfie and Mr D’s Purrs and Woofs for the missing. And we welcome any fur that would like to add to the list or be keen to join our group. We welcome all cats and dogs.
The MCA (missing cat assistance) group is a group for missing cats on Yahoo where there are a few people actively looking for their kitties. It’s a great place to bounce ideas off each other.
Thanks, Mr D!
We’d like to add some emergency preparedness tips:
- Even if your cats are indoor cats, tag and microchip them. This is not a belt-and-suspenders exercise. Sometimes well-meaning people will keep found cats in their homes, and will wait to see if a lost cat ad appears in the newspaper (which could take several days). They won’t think (or bother) to take your cat to a vet or shelter to be scanned. Tags ensure a quick reunion, and microchipping is a backup when the collar is lost. Indoor cats do escape, and if you’re not home when disaster strikes, the cat could survive the disaster but be lost to you afterward. Wouldn’t you like Fluffy returned to you as soon as possible?
- Take several GOOD well-lit photos of your cat at several angles. Upload high-res versions to an online photo-sharing site. If your home computer is destroyed (or you’re barred from returning to your home for several days), you’ll still have a backup photo to give to shelters and put on flyers.
- If your cat is on medication, scan the labels (black out personal info) and upload them to a photo sharing site. Keep a copy of the info in your wallet or at work. If your community experiences a disaster, your vet’s office may not be open (or records could be destroyed) and your home might not be accessible. This ensures you have ready access to prescription info for your pet.
- Put a decal on a front window alerting firefighters to the presence of animals in your home.
- Got a multiple cat household? Make sure you have one cat carrier for each of your cats. We keep extra fold-up cardboard carriers in case of emergency.
- Keep an emergency stash of food and meds (if feasible), and refresh as necessary. A minimum 3-day supply is recommended. And don’t forget water or purification drops. We live in earthquake country, so we keep kits in our cars with a stash of thyroid meds and canned cat food (which comes in handing when you encounter strays). Here are some emergency preparedness products for pets.
- Get a Pet First Aid Kit and a book on Pet First Aid and keep in an easily accessible place. And crack open the book before disaster strikes.
- Got an emergency plan? What would you do in case of fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, etc? For example, our home has two floors. If we were trapped by fire in our bedroom, we’ve talked through how to escape via the balcony, and how to get back into the rooms where the cats are likely to be (not recommended by firefighters, but who among us is likely to leave their cats in a burning home?)
See related Cat's Meow entries:
11/25/08
If you’re a cat owner, it’s not all that unusual to awaken in the wee hours to your cat clawing your face and meowing. But when Charley the cat woke up John Griffin from a sound sleep, he wasn’t looking for a midnight snack or playtime: Griffin’s house was ablaze, with flames leaping 50 feet into the air.
Griffin said, “The cat came in the room I was sleeping. He jumped on the pillow and proceeded to scream: meow, meow.”  Griffin explained that Charley often wakes up in the middle of the night asking for food or to be let out. But this time he was acting differently. And his dog Blondie joined in, nudging Griffin from one side while Charley pawed and meowed from the other side. “If it wasn’t for them, I probably would have slept through it.” Griffin got up, saw smoke, and the three of them evacuated the house. A half hour later, the home was destroyed.
Sadly, Charley has gone missing and has not been seen since the fire was extinguished. Put your paws together and think pawsative thoughts for Charley’s heroic return. For full video coverage by Fox13 in Tampa, click the thumbnail on the right.
[Photo Credit: TampaBay.com]
See related Cat's Meow entries:
|
|
|
