LA rescue teams still trying to reunite pets with families after fires | ABS-CBN

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LA rescue teams still trying to reunite pets with families after fires

LA rescue teams still trying to reunite pets with families after fires

Reuters

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A fluffy gray cat on Tuesday peered out of the window of a home that was spared the wrath of the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. Just next door, a house had burned to the ground.

Los Angeles Animal Control Officer Luis Luna pressed his face against a glass door to get a closer look at the feline. After determining the cat looked healthy, Luna slid bowls of kibble and water inside an unlocked door. The cat quickly came over to eat.

"He must have food because he looks alert and pretty chubby," Luna said. "He'll have something fresh for at least the next 48 hours. And then we'll come back."

Luna is part of the ongoing effort to find pets left behind or lost during the chaos of the Palisades Fire near the coast and the Eaton Fire on the opposite side of Los Angeles. Three weeks after the blazes broke out, authorities still field dozens of calls a day from anxious pet owners.

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Hundreds of animals have been reunited with their families, according to officials and rescue workers. They range from dogs and cats to chickens, goats, pigs, exotic birds, koi fish and reptiles such as bearded dragons, said Susan Anderson, director of disaster response for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which has assisted with rescue efforts.

Because the gray Palisades cat appeared healthy and not in danger, Luna opted to leave it in place with a notice telling the owners to retrieve the animal within 48 hours. After that, animal control has the legal authority to take the cat to a shelter, where the owners will have more time to claim it.

Cats, in particular, are likely to stay in the burned-out areas because they like familiar territory, said Joy Smith, the founder of FieldHaven Feline Center. She observed cat behavior while helping in the aftermath of the 2018 fire in Paradise, California, and the 2023 fire in Maui, Hawaii.

Smith said it was important to provide food and water stations in the fire zones and to search for cats at night because they are nocturnal animals.

Los Angeles Animal Services is running a hotline for people to call about their missing pets. Even after several weeks, there is the possibility for happy reunions, rescue workers said.

(Production: Jackie Luna, Lisa Richwine)

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