This story documents some of the events in Florida immediately after Hurricane Ian that hit the Ft. Myers/Cape Coral area hard on September 28, 2022 and the assistance that True Rescue provided.

October 1, 2022

“Crosby, Mom’s been helping out a lot at True Rescue this week, hasn’t she?”

“Yes, Buddy. There was a terrible hurricane that hit Florida and left thousands of people and animals with no place to live. So the people that run True Rescue went down there to help out, and Mom is helping at the shelter up here so all the kitties get fed and their litter boxes get cleaned.”

“How many litter boxes does Mom clean down there? I know she and Dad keep our 3 boxes nice and clean so they never smell like poop!”

“Well, there are over 200 cats at the shelter, so there are LOTS of boxes. She cleans probably 20 every day and other people clean the ones in about 12 different rooms that also have cats in them. Then Mom makes up about 40 bowls of canned food for the main room cats, and washes about 200 food bowls plus doing laundry.”

“I’m glad she is helping. What kinds of things are Amy, Kristin, Sandy and the other ladies doing in Florida?”

“Well, they drove down there with their cars filled with cat & dog food, blankets, towels, leashes, cages and anything else they could fit into their cars.

They drove about 14 hours to get there, and had a house to stay in, but it didn’t have any electricity. They went right to work visiting 6 different animal shelters, dropping off supplies and helping take care of all the animals there. They also helped a mobile vet unit from the University of Florida that provided free emergency medical care for people’s pets and handed out free pet food.

“Two of the teammates were delivering pet food to a Red Cross Shelter, and one woman named Kathy told of the horrors she spent in water that was chest-high for 3 days awaiting rescue in Arcadia. She held her animals as long as she could, but was unable to save one of her dogs (a 120 lb. mastiff), and one of her cats. She also lost 9 pet birds. Her other dog, named Mokka, is with her at the shelter. In so many cases, the pets are all these victims have, and knowing they are getting care and food means the world.”

“Crosby, that is so sad. It makes me want to cry…is that why Mom is sad when she comes home at night?”

“Yes, Buddy, she feels so sorry for all the people that lost their homes, and so many that had to surrender their pets because they have no where to live and no way to take care of them. So True Rescue is bringing back 32 cats & dogs from Florida so they will have a new home here in Tennessee, and will hopefully get adopted by new families that will love them.”

“Can Mom bring them all here to live with us, Crosby?”

“No, Buddy, there isn’t enough room here for them. But there are plenty of beds and friends for them to play with at True Rescue, and people can stop by there every day to adopt them too!”

End of Part One…Part Two coming next as a separate post!