The Los Angeles Fires: Best Friends Animal Rescue

“My mother will take us in, but she HATES DOGS!”

“We finally found a hotel room, but they have a NO PETS POLICY!”

“We can stay with my brother, but his daughter is ALLERGIC TO CATS!”

As the City of Angels descends into Hell, the L. A. fires are destroying everything. Things are getting worse, and at last count over 160,000 people are displaced, over 12,000 homes are destroyed, and apocalypse hardly describes it. Forecasters say the worst is yet to come, and hurricane force winds with 98 MPH wind gusts are forecast for the next 3 days. Fire has already burned an area bigger than the entire city of L. A.

This may be the most costly natural disaster in U. S. history. Many people barely escaped with what they could carry, their children and their pets. All they have is their lives and each other.

My daughter Michelle and her roommate Greg heard a radio appeal for “Anyone who can foster a pet so we can make room for new arrivals, please call this number.” Shel had just lost her beloved kitty Sebby to cancer, and her roommate thought fostering might be good therapy. It turned out to be a good idea, but heart wrenching. Thirteen cats were brought in during the time Greg and Shel were there.

Best Friends Animal Society, headquartered in Kanab, Utah, is the nation’s largest “no kill” shelter. Best Friends is bringing in adoptable cats and dogs from local animal shelters so those organizations can have the extra space needed for pets affected by the fires. The shelter worker told Greg and Shel they had an extra special kitty they needed to place to make room for new arrivals. It would need lots of love and attention, and would they please consider fostering it, as it was proving difficult to place. Maybe because Shel is adopted herself, she said they would welcome it into their home.

Yucca is a shelter cat, about 12 months old, and has had both his eyes removed due to a recent infection. He sleeps most of the time, but when he’s not sleeping, he is very playful and just wants to be held and loved. Everyone can all relate to that, especially if your life has recently gone up in flames.

Shel and Greg’s neighborhood was under an Evacuation Warning a couple of days ago, but thankfully that has been lifted.  The heavy smell of smoke seemed to make Yucca’s little body quake with fear.

Here are some pics of adorable Yucca.

As Joni Mitchell once sang, “You Don’t Know What You’ve Lost ‘Til It’s Gone.” What we thought we had can be gone in a heartbeat, and what we have left will become even more precious.

Best Friends asked Shel to bring Yucca back to the shelter, to be put on a plane load of pets and flown to Kanab where they can be cared for.  This crisis is far from over.

Thanks to Best Friends for contributing to this story. If you would like to help go to www.bestfriends.org.

And thank you for listening.

Duane