Floridians were fortunate to have advanced warning of the landfall that Hurricane Irma was to make. As many were preparing to evacuate to safer locations, there were countless stories of cat rescues that came out of the event. Some good samaritans took in strays that would otherwise be caught in the storm, and others made it a point to foster shelter animals in their homes which were in safer locations. Natural catastrophes have a way of bringing out the very best in people. We’ve included all types of cat rescues that happened during the storm and the videos are not only heart breaking or heart warming, they are also educational.
We’ve put together a collection of 20 amazing cat rescue videos that came as a result of Hurricane Irma.
1. “Shelter Animals Flown To Safety Away From Hurricane Irma’s Path”
Cherie Watcher of a local Humane Society in South Florida knew that Irma was coming and she also realized that they had to evacuate as many animals as possible in order to ensure their safety. In a dramatic rescue effort, a deal was struck with a branch of the organization in California. The cats and dogs numbering 200 in all, were airlifted to facilities that promised to provide them with care while the cats and dogs would await adoption to suitable homes. They were airlifted from Florida to their new shelter and this video shows just how much these dedicated professionals care about the lives of the animals that had been abandoned by their previous owners.
2. “Hurricane Irma: Day cares setting up to help”
This touching video gives details about a pet daycare that set up shop to help relieve evacuees who could not take their animals with them to safety. One family in particular is featured. They have three cats, but the airlines that would take them to safety would not allow the cats to accompany their owners. They didn’t have many options, but the Furs and Feathers Resort daycare organization provided them with the emergency services that they so desperately needed to keep their beloved pets out of harm’s way.
3. “Man Adopts Shelter Kitty So They Can Evacuate From Hurricane Irma Together”
This is a touching story about a man who knew that he would need to evacuate to higher ground. Just a few days before he was scheduled to leave his home, he went to a pet shelter and found a cute little ginger and white kitten who was in need of a home. Her name is Rider. He adopted her and took her home with him. He had to put in one final day of work, but as soon as the day was over, he went back to pick up his new kitten, all of her supplies and the new family hit the road for safer ground. They arrived in Sarasota to ride out the storm in a hotel, but as the hurricane changed direction, they had to go yet further north. He reported that within four days and seven hundred miles of travel, she is fully potty trained and was his best friend throughout the ordeal. This is a heartwarming story about how a very kind and tender gentleman in search of companionship found a kitten in need of rescue, and made a new best friend in the process.
4. “Man Saves Kitten He Befriended Outside His Work Before Hurricane Irma Hits”
This video shares the story of a Miami-Dade businessman who spotted a stray kitten playing outside his office just a few days before Hurricane Irma was to hit. He saw the baby with an older cat the first day, but after the larger cat disappeared, the man searched for her, with no luck. The kitten was on it’s own. He attempted to make friends with the skittish kitty, but it would run away and hide in fear. As the storm grew closer, he knew that the kitten would probably not survive out in the elements, so he did something about it. He caught the kitty, and although his wife is allergic to cats, he took it home and gave it foster care. He offered this rescue kitten food, shelter and love until a forever family could be found. Now, after the storm has passed, there are families who are interested in adopting this miracle kitty and it looks like there will be a happy ending after all.
5. “Cats survive Hurricane Irma: Hemingway’s six-toed felines survive storm with toes intact”
There were a lot of questions as to whether or not the Hemingway cats survived the intensity of Hurricane Irma. Thanks to this TomoNews report, we’re all happy to find that they did very well. Although they were not evacuated, caretakers sheltered in place after making adequate preparations to keep the animals well stocked with food, water and other supplies. All fifty four of the cats which are direct descendants of Hemingway’s famous cats are alive and in good health. The curator for the iconic cats reported in the second video clip about how they made preparations in the famous museum.
6. “Rescued new born kitten born in Hurricane Irma”
A man and his wife were out driving and keeping track of the progressions of Hurricane Irma as she headed directly towards the state of Florida. As they were driving, they found a tiny kitten on the road. The husband admitted that he didn’t really like cats, but when he saw the kitten he just had to stop. He went back and looked for the mother, but she was nowhere to be found. We could tell that he changed his attitude about cats because the little guy is just so darned cute. The video shows how the kitty captured his heart. He introduced the kitty to the family dogs and decided to adopt it as the newest member of their family. They were planning to evacuate, but instead, ended up staying and sheltering in place with the dogs and their new little furry friend.
7. “Hurricane Irma animals, pets and cattle rescued from floods, sea animals displaced, Miami Zoo”
This video shows footage of the hundreds of cats and other animals that have been displaced as a result of Hurricane Irma. Perhaps the most touching of all of the images is an orange cat that is battling the flood waters in his attempt to swim to safety. Everyone should watch this video so they will understand the impact that the storm has had on the animals that call this area home. Cat lovers who wish to help can make donations to the various organizations who are out there trying to make a difference. Although the majority of the animals in this video are livestock, dogs or birds, the one cat image was so touching that we had to get it out to you.
8.”Hurricane Kitty Is Ready to Evacuate From Hurricane Irma”
This young ginger and white kitten is seen awaiting his evacuation from the pending danger of Hurricane Irma. His owners were keeping him in a safe location while they packed for their journey to a more secure location to ride out the storm. This video gives us a realistic look at what families and their pets did upon realizing that they could not stay in their homes. It shows us that their pets were a priority and this is good news for cat lovers who have seen some of the more tragic examples of what animals have gone through during the catastrophe.
9. “He’s Alive!”
This video follows a common theme that Floridians have been all about in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Friends and family are relieved to find out if their loved ones came through the event. This young man was courteous enough to let everyone know that the cat that was placed in his care survived and is doing well. It’s actually not his cat, but rather, the pet of his brother. It’s heartwarming to hear this tough guy profess that even though the kitty isn’t his, he loves him. After his brief announcement, he posted a video of the ginger and white cat to show proof that the cat was in fact, doing fine. Never mind the language that he uses, we’re assuming that it’s just the vernacular of the neighborhood, but the main thing is that he took good care of the sassy cat that loves a little rough play. Hey, this is PewdiePie after all, so we give him a pass.
10. “Foster Kittens in Safety During Hurricane Irma”
This is another reality video that shows how a kitty foster mom prepared the cats in her care for evacuation from the danger zone. When she realized that they would need to evacuate, she bought all of the things that they would need for their trip and prepared them for the car ride to the place that they would be sheltering. We hear her talking in a reassuring voice to them and this lady sets a great example of how to prepare pets for unusual circumstances. They were located in central Florida, but she was not taking any chances. If this isn’t love, we don’t know what is.
11. “We are Okay! Hurricane Irma”
Here is another wellness update. This is the cat foster mom who posted a video about her evacuation or shelter in place preparations. She wanted everyone to know that the kitties are all alive and well. We see the most adorable footage of the mama and babies enjoying a meal together post Irma. This woman has actually rescued the cats in her care in two ways. Of course, she kept them safe from the storm, but even if there was no hurricane pending, she is a cat foster parent who takes in as many pets into a temporary home as she can. She provides food, clean water, a comfortable home, along with training and socialization that prepares them to be amazing pets for adoption. She truly is one of our heroes!
12. “ASPCA rescues shelter animals from Hurricane Irma”
This video shows cat lovers how the ASPCA took preventative measures to relocate nearly 300 cats and dogs to a safer shelter location in North Carolina. The news reports shows footage of one cat that is housed in a temporary portable kennel for the journey. This was a terrifying experience for all of these animals, but even though they were scared, these caring professionals made the effort to protect them from the potential devastation that was possible with the storm. We learn how these animals were rescued from danger zones and what became of them after the operation was completed.
13. “ARF’s Hurricane Irma Rescue”
In this video we see a plane arriving with a load of animals that have been rescued from Hurricane Irma. A.R.F workers get help to move the crates from the aircraft so the cats and dogs can be moved to a more comfortable shelter where they will await adoption by their forever families. We were fortunate to see a beautiful longhaired white cat being gently transferred from the plane that also included yapping puppies which were probably driving him mad on the flight over.
14. “Manatees, dolphins, cats, and puppies rescued from Hurricane Irma”
Here is another special news report that shows how much people are willing to do to help animals during a crisis. There are some good stories about how sea life was rescued, but in the middle of this news report, we see a brave woman wading through flood waters in a very strong current that are running past a building. She sees a cat that is stuck on an exterior window sill, just waiting to be rescued. If the animal would have jumped into the raging stream, it almost certainly would have drowned. The frightened cat jumped into a bush, but the would be rescuer was joined by another samaritan and the two women were able to rescue the cat out of the tree and take it to safety.
15. “Florida shelter animals flown to safety in Ohio”
Here is yet another video that shows brave animals in crates and temporary pet carriers being ferried from an aircraft that has brought them from danger into a safer place to shelter. You’ll love the part of this video that shows a tabby cat looking comfortable in his temporary house, being transferred down a conveyor and he looks like he is really enjoying the ride. The animals in this video are all destined for a shelter location in the state of Ohio. It is touching how the country has come together to support the cats, dogs and other animals who have been displaced because of the catastrophic hurricane Irene this past week. This is one of many scenes that have yet to take place in the massive effort to save these pets and find them forever homes.
16. “Hurricane Kittens”
Not all pet owners were able to take their cats with them as the need to evacuate drew close, but some pet store owners face the same kind of dilemma. This wonderful lady fostered some kittens for a few days to keep them safe from harm when Irene began to bear down on the state of Florida. They were previously housed in a pet store, but when the business shut down to ride out the storm, they had no place to go. This video shows how the good samaritan provided the cat rescue that was needed to keep these beautiful kittens comfortable, safe and well cared for until the danger of the storm had passed.
17. “Baby kitten meow very loud on the street – Survivors of Hurricane Irma”
This video is actually a compilation of kittens meowing, but the kitty in the opening scene is shown walking along a sandy walking path with evidence of some debris scattered around. The footage was taken after the devastation of Hurricane Irma in the state of Florida. This little guy isn’t very happy about what he has been through and he’s letting the world know about it. He will probably grow up to be one tough tom cat though. He is a survivor of Hurricane Irma, and that is a lot to mew about. This is heartwarming video that shows us that good can come out of some of the worst situations if we only look around us to see what’s there.
18. “Hunkering Down for Hurricane Irma with 12 cats!”
Here is another amazing cat rescue video. This big hearted lady is not only a cat owner but she is also a foster parent. She has eight cats of her own and in addition to this, she is serving as a foster mom to four otherwise homeless kittens. While she is not going to evacuate her home, the foster mom is making preparations to keep herself and her beloved pets safe. You can take one look at these rescued animals and tell that they are in very good hands. They are not only getting the food, clean water and shelter that they need, but she also provides them with socialization and love. The kittens are being rescued from the storm and from a life out on the streets alone. She will house them until a qualified family steps forward to adopt them into their forever homes.
19. “Aftermath of Hurricane Irma – Cats are fine…Our Roof is NOT”
Caroline took the time to let us know how she and the 12 cats that she hunkered down with during hurricane Irma came out. Everyone survived and there were no injuries, but she cannot say the same for her house. Caroline was force to take all 12 of the cats with her into a walk-in closet to ride out the worst of the storm. It was a good thing that they did because the storm did massive damage to the home as you can see by the images that are shown in the video. Prior to her flight into the closet, she noticed that there was heavy water leakage coming through the ceilings and walls. The extreme winds tore off large sections of the roof and left insulation and other debris hanging down into the interior of the home. They also lost power in the storm and were forced to use candles to see what they were doing. They are now in a major cleanup and repair stage. They had to drain gallons of flood water from the inside of the house along with the removal of debris. Thankfully, all of the kitties did well in the turmoil and she proudly displays them for everyone to see, very happy that all humans and pets were spared injury.
20. “Rescued cats survive Irma”
We close our collection of the 20 amazing cat rescues from Hurricane Irma with this video posted by a family that rescued these sweet and adorable cats who were saved from the dangers of the impending storm. They are currently living in their temporary home with a loving family that is keeping them safe until their forever families see this video and make the preparations to adopt them as permanent members of their families. The rescuing family is keeping adoptions open until five o clock pm every night.
