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You are truly an angel for all that you do for animals. Be careful, save as many as possible, and thank you so much for doing this. Let us know how it goes.....will be saying a prayer for you. Safe travels.
So it's been killing me sitting here from Richmond seeing all the devastation up north post-Sandy knowing we have plenty of space for cats displaced by Sandy. The shelter in NY has put a moratorium on killing for now that their computers have been down but some insiders are saying they are killing anyway, even though some of the animals there are simply lost because of the storm.
I'm heading up to NYC tomorrow to pull at least 2 cats, more if the shelter tries to push them on me.
NJ gas rationing is still in place so I'm going to fill up in DC and again in Delaware if I can, and might be able to find an NJ station or two along the way to fill up at. I get 450 or so to the tank in my car and will fill a few gas cans before I go up just in case.
Please keep your paws crossed for me and I'll update when I get home with pics of whichever wonderful, needy cats I manage to rescue from Brooklyn tomorrow!
Thank you so much for what you're doing. Please keep us posted and let us know if we can do something to help. I hope that people have been getting microchips for their cats but I'm sure that most haven't.
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
585 posts, read 2,014,607 times
Reputation: 794
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30to66at55
As someone in the stricken area, please keep in mind many people (including children) are homeless, cold and hungry. The news media has focused on Manhattan and has ignored places like the south shore of long island, which is desperate.
You should include in your good efforts things to help these people who are in dire need. Fema is not helping them.
Cats that are in shelters are not a priority now. People who are homeless and cold are....and another storm is coming.
I would like to point out that I HAVE also done what I can for the humans affected by this terrible situation but this is the CAT forum and therefore I am sharing what I am doing for the CATS - who ARE, contrary to your opinion, just as important if not moreso because FEMA/Red Cross et al are not going to rescue THEM, it's up to people like me and rescues in NY like the one who pulled 30+ cats the other day to get them out of the shelter before they die. There are shelters for humans and warming centers and resources being distributed to the humans in need, what about the animals? I might argue they need the help from people like me and other rescue organizations now more than ever and I will not feel guilty about the decision I made, it was the right thing to do. When some of those rescued animals are reunited with their owners - who may have already lost everything in the hurricane and think their pets are lost too - it is clear why it is important work. Some of those animals may have died at the shelter without rescue, meaning their owners not only lost every possession they had but their beloved pets as well.
But while we're on the subject, one of our animal rescue friends not far from Breezy Point where the big fires were lost EVERYTHING - not only her home and cars but many of the feral cats she so selflessly cared for died as well - we (meaning the cat rescue people) worked hard to raise several thousand dollars to help her rebuild and are sending supplies too and will continue to raise what we can for her and support her as best we can using a strong network of cat lovers all over the world. Unfortunately, I don't have millions of dollars and a Red Cross truck full of supplies to give to everyone so I can only do what I can. Trust me, if I could help everyone - human and animal alike - I would and I think anyone else here on this CAT forum would say exactly the same thing. I have another friend up there who still has no gas and I offered to drop her off a few cans as well as whatever else she may have needed on my way. So please don't assume I am choosing cats over humans, one can do both and that's exactly what I am doing. You are correct though, I did not see any sign of FEMA whatsoever. I did see lots of Marines and it did not look as bad as I expected but as I got deeper into NY and the sun went down, it was clear how bad the situation is still is a week later. The gas lines were unlike anything I've ever seen in my life but the NYPD is doing an amazing job keeping order. It is truly apocalyptic up there, I felt so helpless. But I couldn't use up all MY gas and limited cash/resources running around helping every person in town, then I would have gotten stranded too and needed rescue myself. FEMA may not be any help (shock) but from what I hear there are resources and the first responders, Red Cross and others have been doing everything they can. That is their job, it is best left to them. I am helping who I can as best I can - human and animal alike - and let's leave it at that.
Anyway, to everyone else here: I just got home after a 15 hour drive there and back and somehow made it from NJ, up to NY, back through NJ, through Maryland/DC and halfway home across the Virginia state line on one tank of gas yay! I took two cats from the shelter, one of whom came in three days after the storm hit and clearly belongs to someone. There are a few resources for Hurricane Sandy lost and found pets, I am hoping somewhere his family in New York is first and foremost safe and somehow I can find them and get him back home with them where he belongs. He is a stunning, young Bombay mix with copper eyes and a big fluffy tail. He is OBVIOUSLY someone's pet and not a stray. He was found either in the street or in a building, that's all we know. He is a very distinct little guy in both appearance and temperament (he goes up on his tippy toes for butt rubs and has a bear face with incredible eyes) so I am hoping to get photos of him up on the lost and found pages ASAP. If/when I do find his owners, they are getting lectured first for A) not neutering him (which I will do) and B) not microchipping him so he could be returned to them in situations just like this one. He comes from Brooklyn which was not an evacuation area so I will not fault someone for leaving him behind, although I may judge that a little in my own head only because I could never imagine doing such a thing myself. For now, I'm renaming him Storm. It fits him perfectly. He is desperate for love and affection, very curious, purrs up a storm (ahem). So if I cannot find his owners, he will have no problem getting adopted out either back in New York or down here in Richmond, he is a great great little guy and no URI or anything, he's in wonderful shape and is a fantastic cat.
The second cat I grabbed - a really beautiful mostly white calico with the craziest, longest, prettiest tail I think I've ever seen on a cat - is apparently pregnant. But the last cat I grabbed from the same shelter a few weeks back was also supposed to be pregnant and ended up losing her two kittens in utero and needing an emergency spay so we will see what our vet says. Like Storm, she is very affectionate and purrs if you just look at her. She came in to the shelter just before Sandy (someone found her in the street) but taking her means room for one cat displaced by Sandy that may not get euthanized because they have one less other cat. She does have a mild URI so they did not spay abort but the shelter also gives modified live FVRCP vaccinations at intake so she may miscarry if she is or was pregnant. We will see what our vet says and go from there. The URI is not bad at all, she's not even sniffling or sneezing or congested or anything, I'm pretty amazed. Both of them ate as soon as we got home - with my other rescue cats from the same shelter, it took days before their noses were even clear enough to be able to smell food so that is a great sign. She still needs a non-shelter name as yet.
I would have grabbed a third were she not suspected pregnant but only have two bathrooms to quarantine in so two is good and I do not want to overburden myself in case she does have kittens. My bathroom upstairs has a separate door for the potty/shower from the double sink so I could have stuck a third cat in there but it's a small space, this way both of them have plenty of room to themselves as both bathrooms are pretty large.
I have to say I am incredibly impressed by how the NY shelter has handled the Sandy aftermath. They are doing limited intakes but by all accounts they are working their butts off to keep the shelter clean and take care of the animals. There were volunteers and staff running around everywhere and it is cleaner than ever. It is normal for this shelter on a regular day to kill upwards of 30 cats for space or even more (they blame URI, fleas, treatable stuff like that so it looks like they aren't killing for space but those of us who work with them all know that's what they do) but they have not killed ANY since Sandy except in cases of extreme illness. There is a 3 day stray hold and many of us worried cats lost in the hurricane were doomed but that is NOT the case. There are even aggressive cats that would be considered unadoptable that are still alive there - had the hurricane not devastated the area, those cats would be gone already. I also have to say that both of these cats I picked up are in excellent shape; my other two from the same shelter (one adopted, one foster) were in horrible shape when I got them, snot dripping out of their noses and foggy weepy eyes and hacking coughs and all that. I think I heard a single sneeze on the drive home tonight and both of them are bright-eyed and alert. I am very impressed knowing what a horrible place this shelter can be, the staff and volunteers deserve a lot of credit for their work right now, it is wonderful to see. It is a beautiful thing and I hope the shelter realizes if they can do it for a week in an emergency, they can do it forever and this a sign of change to come! That place is - generally speaking - a cesspool of germs, disease and death but they are really working hard after the hurricane and I am so happy to see that.
I will update with pics soon, I'm wiped out after the drive and need to get these two tucked in. Thanks everyone for your support, it is greatly appreciated. It was a crazy thing I did, I was really worried about what I was driving into but so glad it worked out and at least these two precious little things were spared from the absolute destruction up there. It really is sad and as I said before, I really wish I could do more for everyone impacted by this terrible storm, furry or not. It was a real wake-up call driving through that and I wasn't even in the worst of it. To see it firsthand was chilling to say the least. The news reports many of you have probably seen do not even begin to capture it. But I have faith in the strength of the people of New York and New Jersey and everyone else to pull through, help each other and come out of all of this better than they were when they went in.
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I will update with pics soon, I'm wiped out after the drive and need to get these two tucked in. Thanks everyone for your support, it is greatly appreciated. It was a crazy thing I did, I was really worried about what I was driving into but so glad it worked out and at least these two precious little things were spared from the absolute destruction up there. It really is sad and as I said before, I really wish I could do more for everyone impacted by this terrible storm, furry or not. It was a real wake-up call driving through that and I wasn't even in the worst of it. To see it firsthand was chilling to say the least. The news reports many of you have probably seen do not even begin to capture it. But I have faith in the strength of the people of New York and New Jersey and everyone else to pull through, help each other and come out of all of this better than they were when they went in.
You've done what you can... now rest and take care of yourself today. I think it's a wonderful thing you did and I hope more people are doing it.
One of my NY friends said the Red Cross was out on the south shore (forgot which towns) handing out food. That's all she knew so I think the people are getting some relief out there. FEMA must be stretched to the limit and simply can't cover all areas as this hurricane was so large.
God Bless You!!! Thank you for your hard work and all your efforts. I'm sure Storm and Surge(?) appreciate you and all you are doing for them. Get some rest.
I just saw this post today, so I'm too late to wish you good luck on your journey, but I think that it is simply WONDERFUL that you went to help these poor cats.
It's amazing to think that it took such a massive storm for the NYC ACC to halt the killing, even temporarily.
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
585 posts, read 2,014,607 times
Reputation: 794
Quote:
Originally Posted by hodgemo2
I just saw this post today, so I'm too late to wish you good luck on your journey, but I think that it is simply WONDERFUL that you went to help these poor cats.
It's amazing to think that it took such a massive storm for the NYC ACC to halt the killing, even temporarily.
Thank you
And ACC just announced no kill list for tonight because of the upcoming snowstorm headed that way!! This is absolutely amazing! It's going on a week now without a single kill list and they are working overtime to get who they have out of there.
If they can do it for a week, they can do it forever. I hope hope hope this a sign of better things to come over there.
So it's been killing me sitting here from Richmond seeing all the devastation up north post-Sandy knowing we have plenty of space for cats displaced by Sandy. The shelter in NY has put a moratorium on killing for now that their computers have been down but some insiders are saying they are killing anyway, even though some of the animals there are simply lost because of the storm.
I'm heading up to NYC tomorrow to pull at least 2 cats, more if the shelter tries to push them on me.
NJ gas rationing is still in place so I'm going to fill up in DC and again in Delaware if I can, and might be able to find an NJ station or two along the way to fill up at. I get 450 or so to the tank in my car and will fill a few gas cans before I go up just in case.
Please keep your paws crossed for me and I'll update when I get home with pics of whichever wonderful, needy cats I manage to rescue from Brooklyn tomorrow!
I live in NYC and am a TNR rescuer of a colony here in Queens. Please be aware that we ALWAYS need shelters anywhere to please take in the sweet, tame abandoned - by the thousands, mind you - cats in colonies like mine, cats who will suffer and die slowly or fast even if there is not a Sandy to make life hard.
Last week, we took in a kitten whose paw was fractured right after the storm. She has a splint on her now. But 2 days ago I took in to my home, from this colony, 2 throwaway cats who probably have been outside for a long time. One was in my arms purring right away, the other is more scared but I am able to pet him a little. Both have viruses and the older one was very debilitated. He is tame, tame tame and no one wants him. I'd love for you or some shelter who is kind to get him a home. He's on Clavamox right now for his URI and he has bad teeth and a tumor on his gum that will be removed, but he is a 6 or 7 year old cat who ran right up to me for his food and is no feral. Yes, the storm has been tough on NYC and Long Island (my veterinarian has no heat, no electricity for one week now), but we always have tame cats who are living and suffering in our colonies and no one wants them.
I live in NYC and am a TNR rescuer of a colony here in Queens. .....
but we always have tame cats who are living and suffering in our colonies and no one wants them.
My heart just aches when I read things like this. No-Kill Nation claims there are homes for all these cats but WHERE?
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FEMA must be stretched to the limit and simply can't cover all areas as this hurricane was so large. 
No-Kill Nation claims there are homes for all these cats but WHERE?
