'Miss Kitty? Are you there?'
Posted: Wednesday, September 7 at 06:59 pm CT by Mike Brunker
SLIDELL, La. –- With a mixture of anticipation and dread we set out from the animal rescue center heading for Bill Harris’ condominium, hoping against hope to find his missing cat, Miss Kitty, alive and as well as she could be after nearly a week on her own in a disaster area.
For those who haven’t been following our trip religiously, we met the 63-year-old Harris on Monday at a Red Cross shelter in Evans Creek, La., and heard him tell the most moving tale of surviving Hurricane Katrina that we’ve heard.
Video: Watch Donna Wackerbauer, a Noah’s Wish volunteer from Canada, and Horace Troullier, a Slidell animal control officer, enter Harris’ home in search for Bill Harris' cat, Miss Kitty.
You can read the full account here, but the condensed version is that he woke up to Miss Kitty’s yowling and found his condominium full of water, nearly drowned but saw the cat jump to a safe spot and managed to make his way there, were he found a chair that he stood on for three days, holding Miss Kitty to his chest. Sadly, the rescuers who pulled him into their boat wouldn’t take the cat and, when we talked to him, Bill was disconsolate, worrying about the fate of his 17-year-old brown-and-gray “miracle cat.”
After filing our piece on the animal rescue enter in Slidell in the early afternoon Wednesday, we join Horace Troullier, a Slidell animal control officer, and Donna Wackerbauer, a Noah’s Wish volunteer from Canada, to go to Harris’ home and search for the cat.
After a brief diversion, during which Troullier and Wackerbauer, pick up two kittens and a bedraggled Pekinese found wandering a hard-hit neighborhood by a search-and-rescue team from Alabama, we again set out for Harris’ place.
I feel my breath catch as we turn onto the street where Harris struggled for his life and see the extent of the destruction. Unlike many of the hardest hit areas we’ve visited, which have been scoured clean of detritus, this neighborhood in a division known as Eden Isles is filled with twisted wreckage, garbage and mud.
With no visible addresses, we inch up the street until we spot a fishing boat angled up onto a front doorway and realize we’ve found it.
Carrying a large net and a trap, Troullier and Wackerbauer walk slowly up to the house, gently calling “kitty, kitty,” as they approach. Then they climb in the side of the unit through a large gash in the wall and began poking through the rubble and looking behind and under toppled furniture.
“There are some footprints here, but they’re too big for a cat,” says Wackerbauer, who lives in Summerland, British Columbia, when she isn’t trying to save animals caught up in disasters. “Probably nutria (water-dwelling rodents).”
As Andrew and I follow them in, treading carefully to avoid exposed nails and other potential tetanus delivery systems, we suddenly stop in our tracks. Looking through the exposed framing into a second room, we see the big brass bed that Harris was sitting on as it floated toward a yawning bay window and the raging torrent outside.
Farther off in the corner we see his jumbled radio equipment and a toppled chair that is in the right spot to be the one that provided him with a precarious perch for those three terror-filled days.
But there is no sign of Miss Kitty.
Troullier moves carefully through each room, looking into walls that might provide a hiding place for a terrified cat and sniffing for an odor he hopes not to find – the stench of death. Still nothing.
After nearly half an hour of searching and calling, the rescuers set a trap, baited with a fresh can of Friskies cat food, and retreat from the house.
Even though there is no sign of the cat, that doesn’t mean hope is lost, Troullier and Wackerbauer say.
“Cats are naturally nocturnal animals anyway, so she might be sleeping,” Wackerbauer says. “And a lot of time we have to trap them because they’re so scared.”
We reluctantly follow them back to the shelter, disappointed that we won’t be able to give Harris some sorely needed good news. But Troullier and Wackerbauer promise to check the trap later in the evening and to call us in the event that Miss Kitty has saved one more miracle for her owner.
We’re waiting and hoping.
Catching some Z's -- the hard way
TRACKBACKS
If more people Refuse, Completely just refuse to abandon their animals(which is against the law anyways)The rescuers would have no choice but to take them too.Can't give people a option like that or be arrested...I'd rather be arrested than leave my dog with nothing or anyone to look after her,She wouldnt want to leave me either .They are family members as well as children to some, or just plain loving companions for life, you cant be expected to abandon that.Just like refusing to leave a orphaned baby just because its not yours,normal people just wouldnt do it!I pray for those that have lost due to those inhumane orders. There should be more facilities available close to where the victims are being sheltered!Just for sanitary reasons, I understand .Not having a place available to those w/ animals is just as damaging to the pet as well as the owner
Andrea, Boston,Massachesuets (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:01:00 PM)
I lost my dog "Rocky" 2 years ago and since adopted "Riley the Jack Russel". My daughter's 10th birthday gift. She asked me "if we had to evacuate would you leave Riley behind, I hestitated and responded, "I would make sure you were safe first." She informed me she would NEVER, EVER leave him no matter what. I guess my decision was made for me. Rocky was a bigger loss than I could have ever imagined. I cried every morning when I left for work because he wasn't there looking at me and again when I came back home ... for 2 weeks. Pets are family. They are just as important, for some - their only family or better than family.
Tracy Voorhies, Watkins Glen, New York (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:01:56 PM)
In Florida, there are now shelters that allow people to bring their pets. Many people would not leave their "family members" (which the majority of pets are considered by their owners)behind and therefore new laws are in consideration. Petitions must be signed in these areas to begin a strong movement to change the rules and regulations. What are the exact "laws" in Louisiana with regards to leaving behind your beloved pet ???? IT MUST BE CHANGED !!!
Laura M. Herrig (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:03:53 PM)
These people have nothing to left, many have lost family members, friends, homes, jobs and businesses, the least we can do is let them keep their pets.
Michael K Scherzer, Fairfax, VA (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:04:56 PM)
Most of us reading this segment cannot comprehend what it would be like to have to leave our furry/feathered family members behind. If you are looking for more information or ways to help, try this site:
http://www.petfinder.com/disaster/
It includes links to many of the reputable animal rescue organizations currently working in the area. Noah's Wish is doing an amazing job in the Slidell area. LSU and Best Friends are working hard in the New Orleans area.
Ann (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:08:01 PM)
thank god for people that love animals and go out of their way to help them in this time of so much death and distruction. GOD BLESS YOU. God bless the people that had to leave their beloved pet behind i love my dogs and i cant imagine having to do that.
debbie davis, Lake city Arkansas (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:09:26 PM)
I truly hope Mr. Harris' cat is found as it will give him so much hope to be able to go on. Given the age of the cat and the circumstances it seems an exception could have been made this time and the cat taken along as the cat did save his life. It had to be terribly devastating for him to have to leave her behind after what he went through. I can only imagine how awful it must have been for him and hope I am never put in a position to have to leave my animals behind. Given the way I feel about them I might have been like the people who refused to leave because of their animals. It almost seems like it is better to die with all the unconditional love around you then to remember the faces of love you left behind. I am over fifty years old and it seems once you pass fifty the unconditional love that your animals give you is what is most important in the possible face of death. By this time in your life the children are too busy and self involved to remember you much but your pets are always there for you. I don't think I could leave without my pets.
Phyllis Huerta, Sparta, Wisconsin (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:10:13 PM)
This is by far the most tragic and traumatic thing you can do to someone who has lost EVERYTHING. These animals are all they have left in the world, these animals are thier FAMILY! They are helping them by physically rescueing them, but they are permanently scarring them emotionally. HELLO, EVER HEAR OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER????
Brenda Sanchez, Wallis, Texas (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:11:08 PM)
I would NEVER EVER leave my pets behind! People seem to think aminals are disposable and that they don't feel pain or fear and that is simply not true. Leaving my pets behind would be like asking me leave my children behind and I know no one would do that.
Bonnie, Oceanside, CA (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:14:43 PM)
My sister refused to leave her three cats. So instead she and her sick husband rode out the storm, thus ensuring that if the cats were to drown, my sister and her husband would drown with them. I love my pets, too, but this stance makes no sense to me. When forced to choose, why choose staying with your cats over your spouse' life? Her cats no doubt would do everything they could to survive--indeed the cats are probably better at survival than my sister.
aimee jorgensen (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:18:44 PM)
I can't imagine the tears and dispair for all the lost and abandoned pets.
Bob , Oxnard, Calif (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:20:30 PM)
I think it's heartless and cruel to make people leave their pets behind. To some it's like leaving a child to fend for themselves. The sight of these pets waiting on roofs or wandering around looking for their family is heartbreaking. God bless the humane societies
Rosann Mavrianos (Sent Sep 7, 2005 8:23:49 PM)
My entire family on my mom and dad's sides are from the south, and I know they would never leave their pets behind. I know the south has a reputation for being gun happy, and it has made it self obvious as of late. I personally have two horses, three cats, two goats and two large dogs, and i would never think about leaving them for anything. If I was in New Orleans, and the rescuers were enforcing the mandatory evacuation i would not hesitate to shoot anyone trying to force me to leave. As far as I'm concerned it's the owner's job to ensure the safety and well being of the animal and they have to do whatever it takes to do that. If the rescue personel start getting shot, it will be their own fault. and as for me, I won't feel sorry for them one bit.
melody, La Center, Washington (Sent Sep 8, 2005 2:30:13 AM)
In an emergency situation the priority of the rescuers must be in rescuing human beings. If they take an hour trying to rescue someone with an unrestrained dog or nervous cat, they might be lose the last chance to rescue a human being.
The reason most disaster relief shelters do not allow pets is because many pet owners can not be trusted to be responsible for ensuring their pets have complete up-to-date vaccinations, de-worming, and other health care. A sick pet can and will have a negative impact on the health of the people in shelters. Some shelters allow pets to stay in a sheltered place outside (car, out-building, etc).
Our shelter allows pets in carriers on the outside covered walkways. This week we discovered a problem with parasites. Gee, thanks irresponsible pet owners. The animals had to be de-wormed. The pet owners are now being required to pick up their pet's poop and dispose of it.
I have nine pets. They are my babies. They all have up-to-date health care and carriers / cages. I have a copy of their medical records. I have a plan for evacuating with my babies if the need should arise.
Hurricane season comes every year. Everyone who lives in a hurricane area knows what to expect. They are told what to expect every year at the beginning of the season. I could most likely quote the preparation list from memory, including the part about making arrangements for pets. Sorry, people I have no sympathy for blithering idiots who do not take responsibility for themselves or for their pets.
Scota, Vicksburg, MS (Sent Sep 8, 2005 2:42:43 AM)
I too have great compassion for wild animals and pets, but I cringe to think of what the Convention Center or the Super Dome would have looked like if every one had brought their pets. How would they have fed and watered all those animals? How would the pets all have responded to being cooped up there? I think it was not heartless and cruel to leave the pets behind, but a sad necessity. The people rescuing victims of Katrina were responding to help humans, many who were sick or injured. Trying to airlift or remove a pet by boat would have taken more resources away from helping humans. Unfortunately disasters create situations that don't always have easy, perfect answers. Many express the desire to stay with their pet or die trying. Really?! That does a disservice to all those who had to leave their pets behind, you are saying that they all should have stayed there with their pets to die too.
Justine Wheeler (Sent Sep 8, 2005 2:45:34 AM)
They are allowing people to evacuate with their pets now. Most of the local animal shelters in Houston are boarding the pets for free until their owners can find permanent housing. I too would be devastated to leave my pets behind to fend for themselves. We have allowed for our cats and dog in our household emergency kit. My pets are not disposable, yet I would sacrafice them in an instant it it meant the safety and security of my child. I believe in the initial evacuation, they were trying to get as many people on the buses as possible and therefore, not allowing animals. Such terrible human suffering with children dying in their mothers arms. It is a decision no one wants to make, but we must save human life first.
Kelli, Houston, TX (Sent Sep 8, 2005 2:56:29 AM)
In the wake of this tragedy this is a disgusting show of human kind - how can someone call themself a rescuer without rescuing the whole family. How can they sleep at night knowing that they separated a family, would they tell a person that their baby can't get in the boat or air lift, I do not understand why a dog can't be lifted out just like a child. I would rather drown, starve, and die of the water sickness before I would even consider entering a air lift basket or boat without my beloved pets. My husband and I have no children and our dogs are our family, no one would ever separate me from them for any reason. This is apparently an old south mentality that an animal can survives on their own and that "it is just a dog" well I live down south (just out side of the affected areas) and I can tell you that these ideas of "it is just an animal" needs to change it is time that our pets get the credit that they deserve as a family member. If the waters are dangerous for humans then they are dangerous for pets as well, we are not talking about alley cats and pack dogs, we are talking about spoiled air conditioned human fed PETS! These animals have no clue how to hunt or survive in the wild. I would also like to say that those who are working to rescue these beloved pets are truly blessed and have large hearts of gold. In a tragedy family can pull you through the toughest of times even fur family and those reunions will be the sweetest of all. TO all ANIMAL RESCUERS you are the greatest of all and I wish all the good you do comes back to you 10 FOLD!
Cassandra, Thiboadux, La. (Sent Sep 8, 2005 3:18:05 AM)
I will never understand how anyone could leave any living animals out there to suffer a miserable death.
How can anyone just pass by in their empty boat and leave them there? At least broing them food and water. The kids will never forget having to leave their pets behind, having them pulled from their arms.
Corey (Sent Sep 8, 2005 3:19:22 AM)
this story strikes a chord in my heart. It saddens me to think that this man's cat, who might be his most beloved valuable and perhaps the only family he had/has is missing and may at worst be dead. It makes me even sadder to know that there might be millions of stories just like this one. my heart goes out to him and all the others like him. I wish there was something more productive I could do, but until there is I will just pray. please let him know I am praying and so many others are too.
blessings.
Christina Pemberton,Hudson,WI (Sent Sep 8, 2005 3:30:03 AM)
Again Katrina's aftermath contiues. Thankgoodness there are people who are saving these animals. I would rather stay with my dog than board a boat. Pets are living things too. Humans have the ability to call out if they need help or flag down a helicopter. Animals do not have that option. We need to get more people down there to save these precious lives.
Beth, Washington State (Sent Sep 8, 2005 4:03:00 AM)
Last year we were forced to leave our just purchased home in Sebastian Florida because of 2 hurricanes and stayed with friends who understood that a beloved pet is more like a family member than some family. She came with us to their home in her kitty carrier and we all got through the hurricanes in one piece and returned with minor damage. My heart goes out to anyone forced to leave behind a beloved pet that has been there with them for so long that they cant remember a time without them. I feel we need to start thinking about shelters that are also pet friendly in time of evacuation. God Bless the rescuers. God Bess the survivors.
Patricia Schneider, Sebastian, Florida (Sent Sep 8, 2005 4:05:17 AM)
It is so SAD that traumatized survivors are not able to have the only friend and comfort they know, their pet. I would like to thank everyone that is helping to rescue these pets and the reporters that cover these stories.
Lisa, Gardnerville, NV (Sent Sep 8, 2005 4:10:43 AM)
I live in Austalia and our hearts go out to you. I must admit though I had to stop watching the news due to what was happening with the pets. I am praying for the reuniting of pets to owners. I think Americans should be proud that the cry for thier pets is louder than that of the cry for the loss of thier material belongings - as horrid as that may be.
May God bless America and may he make you strong.
Christine Clarkson. Sydney Australia (Sent Sep 8, 2005 4:21:45 AM)
As an animal lover, I agree with many people that are listed above. I would never leave my cat, Amanda. No matter what. She is my family.
Jim Ebrey St. Louis, Mo (Sent Sep 8, 2005 4:21:45 AM)
By the time I read some of these comments, tears were running down my face in remembrance of having to leave my pets behind when I was forced to move across the country. Mine were put in a shelter in hopes for adoption, and not at a time when hundreds were needing homes and I only pray they were. The sadness I feel in my heart for these people who had to give up their pets is something that is very hard to describe. It is a awful pain that I feel for them. I pray the Lord above will bless them in their sorrow and show his wrath on those who separated them from the ones they loved and the ones who loved them.
Sondra Fowler, Wasilla, Alaska (Sent Sep 8, 2005 4:44:43 AM)
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