When Ryan Ballard said goodbye to his orange tabby, Galaxy, on August 27, 2005, he had no idea that within 48 hours, 10 feet of swirling water would fill his New Orleans home. Before leaving, he set out large bowls of food and water, and he locked the doors and windows, expecting to return two days later, as he had done so many times before.

However, once at his evacuation destination, he turned on the news only to discover that the "impossible storm," Hurricane Katrina, had become a reality and New Orleans was right in its path. "I saw that the levees broke, and I thought, 'Oh no, Galaxy!'" he recalls.

**Get the May 2008 issue of CAT FANCY to read the full article.**