Barnwater Cats Rescue Organization

Rescue Efforts

Hurricane Katrina Ground Zero: Waveland, Mississippi

We are sure you have all heard plenty about the effects of Hurricane Katrina and how Louisiana was hit, but we at Barnwater Cats Rescue Organization were recently made aware of the town of Waveland, Mississippi. We received an email detailing a first hand account of the region.

"First of all, I would like to thank you and your organization from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the Waveland, MS animal shelter for your offer of assistance to the shelter's animals, and for all the assistance you have already given to Katrina animals.

In case you're wondering who I am, I am actually a resident of Covington, LA, on the northshore of New Orleans, having survived Katrina myself. I work in New Orleans and was relocated to Houston for four months. Now that I'm back, I have been volunteering anywhere and everywhere I can to help the Katrina animals. I heard that the shelter in Waveland, MS was having a really, really rough time of it, and went over there to see for myself and offer what help I could this past weekend. Before it was all said and done, I had written the shelter a personal check for $500 for emergency vet care and the wheels had begun turning in my mind with respect to how I could get them the help they truly need for their animals. That's when I contacted Best Friends, and you know the rest of that story.

I'm not sure if you're aware of it or not, but Waveland, MS was "ground zero" for Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans suffered terribly due to the levee breaches, but Katrina virtually wiped out Waveland and the Gulf Coast. And, to this day, Waveland seems to be the town the world forgot. As you drive through the streets which are the few that are not flooded out, all you see is foundations of homes, steps leading up to homes that are no longer there, and homes that may have survived but are in no way in a condition to be lived in. There are relatively few FEMA trailers and there are actually signs painted on houses that say "FEMA forgot us." Needless to say, the animals at the shelter and animal adoptions have taken a backseat, and, unfortunately, the Waveland Shelter is NOT A NO KILL SHELTER. [The shelter is doing the best that they can, but again, they are in the town the world forgot. They have not received government financial assistance.] That's where the need for assistance comes in. There are many animals there already -- beyond the capacity of the shelter to house -- and more are coming in every day.

The problem we're being faced with is the financial issue of getting these animals to the shelters who have offered to take them. I am working on that with Best Friends and will be contacting many more organizations today. Unfortunately, the Waveland shelter barely has the means to feed and house their animals, let alone pay for transportation around the country for them. And, as far as the surrounding areas -- Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, New Orleans, etc. -- they're pretty tapped out and are still reeling from the hurricane themselves. But I'm going to do everything in my power to help. I've never done or taken on anything like this before, so I'm pretty much approaching it blindly, but with a true and full heart. Any advice you can give me would surely be appreciated. I never imagined that I would go across state lines to help a shelter in Mississippi when our animas and our shelters here in Louisiana are still in such dire straights, but, trust me, at this moment, the greater need is Waveland. New Orleans has been so blessed by so many animal rescue groups since the hurricane, that I felt that helping Waveland's shelter in their hour of desperation was the very least I could do.

I'll keep you informed of the situation as developments occur. And, thank you again, especially on behalf of the animals."

Having received the above email, Barnwater Cats Rescue Organization set out on a mission to help as many of these cats as possible. However, with limited resources and limited funds, we could not possibly take them all, so we took seven in total. If you would like to help aid this rescue effort, please consider DONATING FUNDS.

UPDATE!!! ALL OF THE CATS RESCUED FROM NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA AND FROM WAVELAND, MISSISSIPPI HAVE FOUND NEW HOMES!

In December 2005, Barnwater Cats Rescue Organization received six cats from the Gulf Coast region. The photo shows the rescue in progress.

In March 2006, Barnwater Cats Rescue Organization took on the mission of "Operation Angel Flight" in which seven cats were rescued from Waveland, Mississippi.

Barnwater Cats Rescue Organization has taken on a THIRD rescue operation.

These six cats have been adopted into loving homes. Please help with the cost of these kitties previous medical care. To donate on-line, please click here.

It has been 15 months since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, and still our work with the abandoned and injured animals goes on.

On December 13th, 2005, Barnwater Cats received 6 cats from Bogalusa,La. through Alley Cat Allies. These kitties came with a multitude of health issues, including Chlamydia, pneumonia, a collapsed lung, Giardia; and two were positive for heartworm. To date, all have been adopted and are living happily in their new and forever homes.

In March, we were made aware of an animal shelter in Waveland, Mississippi that was in dire need of help.Margery Smith and I responded to Val Spencer's plea by deploying immediately to New Orleans, then driving to Waveland. After spending several days cleaning and feeding the animals and taking some in for vet care, we selected 7 that we were going to take back to Denver. These seven required emergency boarding and medical treatment) for eye infections,severe diarrhea,etc.) in Louisiana for their own protection and to prevent any further cruelty.Upon our return to Colorado, further medical treatment was required for conditions ranging from a collapsed trachea(we lost Buffy) to follow-up treatment for a cat that had had a nail impaled in her eye from Katrina.This little girl was transferred to Good Samaritan and adopted out to a wonderful family who adore her. Thanks, Beth!

Because of these experiences, we are extremely dedicated to continuing our work with these hurricane- impacted animals, both dogs as well as cats. Our hurricane project fulfills the very critical and specific need of rescuing these homeless and injured animals who, to this day, are still wandering the streets of the Gulf Coast, many sitting on steps leading to homes that no longer exist, waiting for families who will never return.

We were especially blessed this year to have financial help from the American Humane Association,the Humane Society of the United States, the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, Gary- Williams Oil Co., Animal Assistance Foundation(who made additional emergency funding available to us), and so many of you who gave large personal donations. We thank also, our wonderful shelter vet, Dr. Monica Watterud, who has never wavered in her support and has been through this whole ordeal, standing by our side with patience and kindness.

In July, we selected two cats from the Montgomery,Alabama shelter that needed help. Their ACO drove the cats to Birmingham, where they were met by American Airlines flight attendant/angel, Cheryl Gardner. She flew them to Dallas, where they spent the night in her guest room, then she flew them into DIA, at no charge to BCRO! Teddy and Gracie are beautiful cats and may be seen on our website, www.barnwatercats.org .

On the local front, we are working with a wonderful woman who has rescued 2 adults and three kittens from her yard in north Denver. We are helping her with medical costs and will be placing the cats into a foster home right after Thanksgiving.These cats and kittens will be available for adoption immediately.

In closing, I'd like to thank all of our friends and volunteers who have made this such a memorable year. Without your support, there would be no Barnwater Cats Rescue Organization.We have all worked hard and been willing to give when there was nothing left to give. Thank you from me, thank you from all of the cats who have no voices but still manage to cry in the dark for the homes they have lost or have never had. Only you can make a difference....and, this year, above all others, you have!

On Friday, December 29, 2006, I left Denver in the threat of an impending blizzard, scheduled to hit only hours after my flight took off. This trip had been delayed once already due to the one of the worst blizzards in Colorado's history the week before, but I was not going to let that happen again -- there were freezing kitties in Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Waveland, MS who needed help, and I was not about to let them down.

I flew to Houston, TX with three duffle bags of donated towels and blankets in tow. There I hooked up with BCRO volunteer and Katrina survivor, Val Spencer. Val, through a friend, Cathy Deskins who works at the Galloway School in Houston, had collected three giant garbage bags full of towels and blankets from the students at the school. Val and I then set out on our trek to Waveland by car, with Val's car stacked to the brim with towels and blankets for some chilly kitties.

Once we arrived in Waveland, Val and I drove through the still-devastated streets and found Susie Pollard's home -- a two-story structure; the bottom floor of which has been given over entirely to her cat shelter. Susie (and her kitties) were absolutely thrilled with the donations and stated that she would be able to help "the entire town's animals" with the towels and blankets.

Sadly, Susie explained that there were many homes ravaged by the hurricane where the owners had left and abandoned the homes. However, the animals who had been left behind still returned to what was once the front porch of their home, still waiting for their owners to return for them. It is these animals whom Susie plans to help with the extra blankets and towels. She takes time to ensure these loyal animals have fresh food and water.

Thanks to all of the wonderful folks who made donations -- both towels, blankets, and money -- for this worthwhile cause, and special thanks to the Galloway School for their incredibly successful, last-minute "towel drive". (A small child came into Cathy's office with one towel and said "Ms. Deskins, this is all I have, but maybe the kitties can share it.")

A final thanks to Carolyn Davis, who donated the cherished towel that her beloved cat, Golden Girl, was wrapped in for her final trip to the vet. The towel was donated in her honor.

With your help, Barnwater Cats Rescue Organization can continue to help cats around the country in their time of need, however, we need your Donations. Thank you!

Website managed and maintained by Rhonda Green. If you experience any problems with this site, please send an email to the Webmaster at BarnwaterWebmaster@yahoo.com.