A 'miracle,' but is it too late?
Posted: Thursday, September 8 at 04:47 pm CT by Mike Brunker
SLIDELL, La. –- It seems as if one more miracle might not be enough.
As regular Katrinablog readers know, on Thursday we accompanied a Slidell animal control officer and a volunteer from the Noah’s Wish animal rescue organization to the condominium of Bill Harris in search of his “miracle” cat, Miss Kitty. They found nothing at the scene, where Harris spent three days standing on a chair in his flooded unit clutching Miss Kitty to his chest and praying, but they set a trap in hopes that the cat was still in the area and hiding.
Video: Donna Wackerbauer and Horace Troullier arrive at the Noah's Wish animal shelter in Slidell, La. to visit the cat they found at Bill Harris' residence Thursday. The cat matches the description Harris provided, but until the two are reunited (at least with photographs) no one will know for sure whether the cat is actually Harris'. (Andrew Locke / MSNBC.com)
Our hopes of reuniting Bill with his cherished pet dented but not gone, we drove to Covington, La., for a poor night’s sleep and a visit to an impressive “special needs” shelter there.
We are just finishing our interview with shelter director John Tobin when Andrew’s phone rings. It’s Mike Stuckey, our editor in Redmond, Wash., telling us that Horace Troullier, the Slidell animal control officer, just called to say he thinks they caught Miss Kitty.
We can hardly believe our ears but are exchanging high-fives without knowing any facts, wanting very badly for the news to be true.
We try to call Troullier, but our cell phones aren’t working. Fortunately, Tobin has an unrivaled communications system in this neck of the woods and radios Covington animal control to get them to contact Troullier on our behalf. A few minutes pass before we hear the response blare out of the radio: “Horace has that cat, Miss Kitty.”
Stunned almost to speechlessness, we babble our goodbyes to Tobin and set off for the Red Cross shelter in Evans Creek, where we met Harris on Monday, which fortuitously was only about 20 miles from Covington.
We decide during our drive not to tell Bill about the discovery initially, not wanting to get his hopes up in case it turns out to be the wrong cat. Instead we’ll simply say that we’ve contacted some animal rescue experts and that they’re looking for the 17-year-old brown and gray cat. Then, we’ll drive to Slidell and figure out the best way to make a positive identification.
We walk in the shelter and tell one of the volunteers there that we’re looking for Harris and watch her face plunge. Slowly, she says that Bill, who has chronic kidney failure, has been taken away for medical treatment. She says she’d like to tell us more, but the Health Information Privacy Act bars the release of such medical information.
Moments later, we find another person at the shelter who tells us what happened: Just hours after Bill told us his heart-rending story and pleaded for help finding his cat, he collapsed and had what appeared to be a seizure. A doctor at the shelter declared that Bill was in need of immediate hospitalization and bundled him into his car and drove away.
The person providing the account didn’t know where the doctor took Bill, and the Red Cross personnel at the shelter said they couldn’t provide that information, again citing HIPA
Crushed at this sudden reversal, we get back into our minivan and drive to the animal rescue center in Slidell. There, we encounter a visibly excited Troullier and Donna Wackerbauer, the Noah’s Wish volunteer.
“I’m shaking I’m so excited. I’m about to throw up,” Wackerbauer says as we walk up.
Troullier says they found the cat in the trap they set at Harris’ condominium when they returned Thursday morning.
“She jumped out of the truck first, but I beat her to the scene,” said Troullier, declaring it the most exciting moment he’s had on the job.
We squat down to see into the cage they are hovering over and there, scrunched in the back, is a sleepy-looking long-haired cat with yellow-colored eyes looking calmly to the left. Its coloring is a mix of brown and gray, not in patches like a calico but intermixed over most of her body.
Troullier says the cat is an adult female though her age is hard ascertain.
Still, the cat fits Harris’ description to a T, and Troullier says he has no doubts.
“That’s Miss Kitty,” he says. “It’s just got to be.”
The cat rescued from Bill Harris' condo in Slidell, La. has yellow eyes and brown-grey, medium length fur. (Andrew Locke / MSNBC.com)
Andrew and I are reluctant to ruin the moment, but after allowing them a few more moments of excitement we tell them that Bill was taken to the hospital and his fate is unknown.
The cruel twist of fate sinks in quickly, and both are silent for several beats as they consider the possibilities.
“Our priority right now is to reunite this cat with this gentleman,” Troullier says. “Whatever it takes, it’s just got to happen.”
Wackerbauer has tears in her eyes and is fighting hard to retain her composure. “If we can, we’ve got to get a message to him,” she says. “It may help.”
As Andrew thanks the officer and the rescuer for their efforts and promises to let them know if we find anything, I squat down again and gently call out, “Miss Kitty?”
The cat meows softly before a volunteer lifts the cage and returns her to the cooler temperature in the shelter.
Because of the HIPA law, we have little chance of getting any information about Harris, even if we can figure out where he was taken. But we do have a few thin leads to pursue, and our readers’ resourcefulness gives us a fighting chance to figure out what happened:
If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Jane B. Harris, Bill’s mother, please send a comment to this blog posting with the note "RE: BILL HARRIS" at the beginning. Jane Harris is a patient at the Trinity Nursing Home in Slidell and was evacuated before the hurricane, but Bill told us he wasn’t sure where she had been taken. As his next of kin, she is entitled to information about his condition that we are not.
Can anyone identify the doctor who rushed Bill away from the Red Cross shelter on Monday?
Does anyone know the veterinarian that treated Miss Kitty in Slidell? That person could probably make a positive identification.
Again, if you can answer any of these questions, please comment to this posting with "RE: BILL HARRIS" at the very beginning of your reply.
And, finally, please join us in praying for Bill Harris and continue to hold out hope that he may yet be reunited with Miss Kitty.
Joy for one hurricane survivor
TRACKBACKS
I am so hoping that you can find Bill and he will be okay. Seeing Miss Kitty may be just what he needs. I'm in Seattle and my thoughts and hopes are with you. This is a very touching story. Thanks so much for bringing it to us.
Peg Ponack, Seattle, WA (Sent Sep 8, 2005 4:54:06 PM)
Oh dear, my prayers are for Bill Harris to be well and be reunited with his beloved Miss Kitty.
Melissa, Knoxville, TN (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:03:07 PM)
I wish you the best of luck in finding Mr. Harris and pray that he will be reuinted with Miss Kitty. Thank you for all you've done so far. Please keep looking. There just has to be a happy ending. Just one little happy ending in this sea of loss.
Monica, Spokane, WA (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:03:58 PM)
Mike, I appreciate your updates. Please continue to follow every lead until Miss Kitty and Bill Harris are reunited. To all of those following this story, please keep the word out and keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers. As heartbreaking as this ordeal has been to Bill and his family, it's one of many heartbreaking stories.
Chuck, Wildwood, NJ (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:06:13 PM)
I had posted on the blog about Miss Kitty if there was any news of finding her. I hadn't read this one yet. I hope you guys will be able to locate Mr. Harris and I'm praying Mr. Harris will recover and then be reunited with his beloved Miss Kitty. God Bless you guys for all your efforts. And thank you for keeping us informed.
Yvette Amaral, California (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:06:28 PM)
Oh my gosh! I'm here in redondo beach ca., have no relatives or friends in the devasted states but I have goose bumps and am crying for Bill Harris (ironically Harris is my maiden name)& Miss Kitty - I'm convinced he seizure was caused from heartbreak and worry - for both his mother and beloved Miss Kitty - God, please give this story and all the other heartbreaking stories about lost loved ones a happy ending - love & light, Thia
cynthia travaglio (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:06:36 PM)
I have a cat and will do what I can to help you find the owner.
Jeannie Andrews, New Jersey (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:10:50 PM)
Now that you have found Miss Kitty (and I believe you did), it is impairative to find her owner. The reunion might just be the thing he needs to help him get well. It is also what Miss Kitty needs.
sandra cate Humble, Tx (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:22:56 PM)
Could the Red Cross personnel at least contact the hospital themselves, if they know where he was taken, and ask someone to let Mr. Harris know that his cat has been found? I can't see where that would violate HIPA, since they apparently already know that information and I am sure there is someone at the hospital that would love to be the bearer of good news.
Lori (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:23:15 PM)
If you have his cat...this could save his life. Go back to the shelter and do not accept any answer except where Bill is located. Keep moving up the ladder until you get your answer. Lie if you have to. Tell them you are a family member. We are talking about life.... not a silly law.
Dr. Robert Chapman (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:28:24 PM)
Try this blog. It looks like Trinity didn't get evacuated and phones are up and running there.
http://slidell.weblogswork.com/?p=120
good luck!
T. Sperry (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:33:13 PM)
Good luck on getting Mr. Harris & Miss Kitty back together. I'm sure it would do him a world of good.
God Bless.....
Terrie West, Meridian, Ms (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:33:17 PM)
Thank you for putting a human face on this enormous tragedy by relating the story and the fate of "Miss Kitty." I thought my tears were over regarding New Orleans, but your poignant account of Mr. Harris and his wonderful bond with his pet have me tearing up again. My prayers are with Mr. Harris, so that he may reunite with his dear cat and his mother. An entire nation is praying for Mr. Harris because even though we are strangers, your words have made him a friend.
Deborah Trimmer, Cincinnati, OH (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:34:41 PM)
RE: BILL HARRIS
I work in health care. It is true that the volunteer at the shelter cannot give you more information about Mr. Harris's location. However, if phones are available and Mr. Harris is able to communicate, it is acceptable for the volunteer to call the medical center and obtain permission from Mr. Harris to share his location with you. I don't know whether or not you have working phones. Best of luck and thank you for helping the animals.
Sylvia Walker (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:35:18 PM)
For the first time since the hurricane, I'm weeping instead of ranting. This story brings the entire tragedy down into a microcosm of one man and one cat. Thank you so much for your efforts on behalf of this gentleman and this heroic, elegant lady. I hope you find him and he is reunited with this beautiful little girl. I am now going to go donate a ton of money to Noah's Wish to thank them for their efforts. This truly is a miracle.
Jill C. (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:35:28 PM)
RE: BILL HARRIS: Under HIPA they can't tell you anything... However, they should know where he was taken. Can they get a message to him about Miss Kitty on your behalf? That way he'd at least know the good news about his Angel Cat -- and he could give permission for them to tell you where he is! THANK YOU (and Noah's Wish!) for following up on this amazing story!!!
Wendy, Convent Station, NJ (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:44:06 PM)
What an amazing and touching story! Bill and Miss Kitty hopefully will be reunited! They so much need each other especially during this devastating time,maybe reuniting will help Bill recover from his medical crisis.
Anne Perry (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:48:07 PM)
RE: BILL HARRIS
In searching the msnbc safe list, I found a Bill Harris from Slidell listed as safe in Evans Creek, La. He may not be the one, but maybe it's a lead? I hope you find him soon! Here is a clip from the search list:
Harris, Bill Slidell, LA Safe at Evans Creek, La.
Jennier (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:49:37 PM)
Mr. Brunker and Mr. Locke -
Thank you so much for following Mr. Harris's story. My heart is just broken for Mr. Harris and I know that reuniting with Miss Kitty would be the best medicine in the world for him. Please pass on my thanks to Donna and Horace for braving the deplorable conditions to rescue Miss Kitty. Best of luck to you in locating Mr. Harris. Take care.
Gina Watson, Long Beach, CA (Sent Sep 8, 2005 5:52:27 PM)
My prayers go out to everyone suffering from this distaster and to all of the volunteers.I was wondering if there is a special site to donate to animal rescue also, if you could post were donations could be sent to for animal rescue that would be helpful, i think it is amazing that people care so much to reunite pets with their owners.
Brandy Wenatchee,Wa (Sent Sep 8, 2005 6:02:40 PM)
I keep seeing pictures on MSNBC of animals in houses looking out windows or on rooftops and others. Are those being followed up? I am so gald to see the rescue of animals as well. My sister works at a vet and they are raising funds for animal rescue from Katrina!
Jenni (Sent Sep 8, 2005 6:04:49 PM)
The trinity nursing home phones are up now could someone call there and speak to Bill's mother and ask her to contact the proper authorities. I know first hand how a broken heart can cause a person's health to cave. Please try your best to get this resolved before there is another victim.
N P (Sent Sep 8, 2005 6:10:05 PM)
I have my own little girl kitty "Miss Sissy" and know from the bottom of my heart the love we share. I am not complete without her, as she is not without me. We would be devastated without one another.
My prayers are with Mr. Harris and Miss Kitty that they will be reunited soon. They need each other now more than ever before to get through this horrible nightmare.
Theresa Beaudry, Beavercreek, Oregon (Sent Sep 8, 2005 6:15:47 PM)
I am praying for Bill and that this is indeed Miss Kitty and that they will be reunited. God bless you for doing this.
Lee W (Sent Sep 8, 2005 6:16:18 PM)
I knew she would make it, I just knew she would!! I hope you will find a way to reunite them, the power that a pet holds is so amazing. All my prayers are with you and everyone down there. There is no way you can go to all this work in finding the cat and then to have Bill not get to see his 'miracle' cat. Please find a way!! We will be watching for an update!
Gratz, Mankato, Minnesota (Sent Sep 8, 2005 6:26:18 PM)
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