Experience has shown us that long after the initial emergency response is over, support for missing pets and their families will need to continue. While other organizations have ended their rescue operations, Pet Rescue and Reunification is in this for the long haul, and will continue to do its life-saving work for the months or even years after depending on the impact each disaster has had.
We often hear people say, “I don’t think my pet could have survived. They were inside our house when it burned.”
When we reply with “Have hope!” it may seem like an empty promise.
But we have reunited many cats that were inside houses that burned–even houses with doors and windows shut and locked. We don’t always know how they survived, but our trappers have some ideas:
- They could have went up the chimney and stayed there (construction crews have contacted us when cats jumped out as clearing began)
- They jumped out of windows that had blown out from radiant heat before the house burned
- They escaped when the walls fell down
There are more examples we could share, but the fact is, time and time again we find cats can survive a house fire. Unfortunately, the myth that a cat trapped in a house that has burned down couldn’t possibly be found alive prevents people from posting about their lost pet, or sometimes even looking for them. This results in many rescued pets languishing in shelters, never to be reunited with their families.
Meet Tiger Lily:
This cat is one of these “myth-busting” cats. Tiger Lily was fourteen years old at the time of the Tubbs fire, and inside a home that burned. She was found and trapped 134 days later, living just three houses over. ​Cats trapped in their homes can be found months or even a year or more after a fire. To see evidence of this, please check out our “Reunited” album from the Sonoma fire here.
Meet Shadow:
Watch our YouTube video about Shadow, the cat who was Found, then Lost, then Found Again.