Just as affected communities began to get their bearings after Hurricane Helene struck in September 2024, Hurricane Milton swirled ashore less than two weeks later. In the aftermath, communities in Florida, South Carolina, and beyond were left flooded, devastated, and cut off from the most critical resources for both people and animals.
Alley Cat Allies’ Rapid Response Team hit the ground to keep lifesaving care for cats and kittens running any way we could. In Jasper County, South Carolina, we brought in the generators necessary to keep Jasper Animal Rescue Mission, which was without power with over 100 cats and other animals in its care, up and running. We also rushed in flea and tick treatment, immune support, cat and kitten food, and vaccines for hundreds of cats, among other critical supplies.
“With the power being out for the last three days, it was very difficult for us to keep the place rolling,” said Keith Hughes, board president for Jasper Animal Rescue Mission, as we were on the ground post disaster. “We couldn’t do this without the generosity of other organizations like Alley Cat Allies. It’s huge, this help is exactly what we need.”
And before we could catch our breath, our team was rushing to Florida to respond to Hurricane Milton. Working with advocates, organizations, and veterinarians protecting cats in the impacted communities of Polk and Hillsborough counties, we helped indoor and community cats alike with food, medical supplies, and coverage for a variety of needed veterinary treatments. Alley Cat Allies supplied generators that kept power pumping at Paws Plus Veterinary through widespread outages.
Community cat Jack was one of many to receive Alley Cat Allies-funded treatment, and he was able to return to his outdoor home within days, along with plenty of food for his caregiver to provide him. Dusty, who was found with a wounded eye and weathered the hurricane with a local organization, received treatment he needed for an ulcer. He has since recovered and returned to his outdoor home.
Additionally, Alley Cat Allies supported post-disaster Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) in South Carolina and Florida communities. While community cats have incredible survival instincts, as they begin to emerge in the aftermath of storms, they can find themselves displaced from their original outdoor homes and make their way into new colonies. That is a perfect opportunity to expand the reach of TNR and ensure these new cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and eartipped.
Thank you to our dedicated donors and supporters for helping us hit the ground running to protect cats and kittens after disasters. We can save lives when it matters most because of you. In addition to our relief work, we are always expanding the reach of our disaster preparedness education to save lives before disaster strikes.
You can learn how to protect your family in the event of disaster at alleycat.org/Disaster.