Posted: September 13, 2008 3 a.m. EDT
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| Rudy the kitten was rescued from the streets of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. |
Josephine, Ike, Hannah and Rudy are the newest feline residents of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. Joining the sanctuary on the dog side of things are Napoleon and Rose. All the animals survived Hurricane Gustav but came out of the storm a little worse for wear. The folks at Best Friends plan to change that.
Enjoying her fresh start on life is Josephine, a mother cat rescued from a yard in New Orleans. Her new kittens were found on a sidewalk nearby, and all the cats were surrendered to Best Friends by the owners. Best Friends employees brought the mother and her kittens to Jefferson Parish East Bank shelter for emergency care.
“The mother was in pretty bad shape,” said Patty Hegwood, Best Friends animal care director. “She had a 105.5 temperature. She was panting and couldn’t cool down. She was having a difficult time. She was freaked out, and one of her babies didn’t do well.”
Hegwood helped lower Josephine’s temperature by making a bed from ice packs and a towel. Staff kept the bed out of reach of the kittens, so Josephine could nurse the kittens then retreat to the bed to cool off.
On the same afternoon, animal control officers discovered an orphaned kitten in a nearby neighborhood and brought it to the shelter. The Best Friends team placed the kitten with Josephine, in the hopes that she would accept the kitten. To their delight — and relief — Josephine started nursing the new kitten, named Rudy.
Now Josephine and the kittens — along with two dogs rescued in New Orleans — are on their way to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, where they will continue to receive excellent care.