Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned [Hardcover]

Cathy Scott (Author), Clay Myers (Photographer), Ali MacGraw (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2008

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many animals had to fend for themselves because their owners lost them or were unable to care for them. In Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned, Cathy Scott documents her experience working with the Best Friends Animal Society triage center to rescue lost animals and reunite them with their owners. Over two hundred stories with accompanying photos describe dramatic and challenging rescue cases with details about the rescues, the examinations, treatment, and follow-up care by the selfless volunteers who worked to save beloved best friends.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

After Hurricane Katrina hit, animal rescuers found this handwritten note taped to an apartment door in a building from which residents had been forced to evacuate without their pets:

Our names are Fifi and Cici. We are both cats, one boy, one girl.

Please take us to a shelter. Our doctors are located at the Cat Practice.

If you find us, we are in the restroom. We have enough food to last us 5 days.

Please contact our parents, Daryl and Tasha, who love and adore us very much, at [and the phone numbers were given].

Please, we need your help!

Volunteer rescuers found the note and the cats a week later. Even though it was 11:00 at night, they called the number. Through her sobs, a grateful Tasha said, "It's my birthday. It couldn't be a more perfect gift."

As this book details, most people did everything they could to give their beloved pets a chance to survive in the chaos after Katrina. Thanks to the efforts of organizations and volunteers from all over the country, it's estimated that approximately 15,000 animals were rescued.

The staff and volunteers at the animal refuge facilities set up by Best Friends Animal Societyhelped to rescue between 5,000 and 7,000 terrified, abandoned animals and reunited some 1,500 pets with their people, most of whom had lost everything. This book details the rescues, the nonstop care given at the shelters, the reunions, the adoptions, the triumphs, and the tragedies. It celebrates the powerful bonds between pets and their people and those that develop between strangers who despite all kinds of obstacles, share an unwavering commitment to a common cause.

In addition to Fifi and Cici, you'll read about:

Himie, a Rottweiler found with a plastic bottle attached to his collar holding a note and his eye medicine; Himie was reunited with his owner

Tenderfoot, a Black Labrador puppy whose foot pads were burned off by the toxic sludge; he was treated for weeks and adopted

Bubba, a longhaired gray cat whose displaced owner drove for ten hours in a rented car to retrieve his cat—all he had left after Katrina

Red, a partially paralyzed Staffordshire Terrier who was hospitalized for about three months, fitted with a "wheelchair," and eventually adopted

And many more ...

The lessons learned resulted in a Law Protecting our beloved pets.

Just weeks before the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in August 2006, the plight of thousands of New Orleans residents and their pets led to a new federal law—the Pets Evacuation and Transporta-tion Standards (Pets) Act—that requires local and state governments to include household pets in their evacuation plans. It also provides federal funding for pet-friendly refugee shelters. Because of the dire experiences of Hurricane Katrina, animal owners will not have to choose between saving their own lives or remaining in a disaster-ravaged area with their pets, only to have to abandon the pets later.
—From Pawprints of Katrina

From the Back Cover

"This is an unforgettable account of the courage and boundless energy of people who realize that we human beings have an absolute obligation to help the other creatures of this planet.... I love this book!"
—Ali MacGraw, Actress and Animal Activist

"Hopefully, lots of lessons were learned as a result of Katrina, and reminding us of these lessons is good. Warning: Tissue is required for this reading, though the book abounds in happy endings."
—Steve Dale, Tribune Media Services; (From Steve Dale's syndicated column My Pet World)

"Americans were outraged to see people being forced to abandon their family pets. As Congress rushed to pass new laws, and volunteers raced to New Orleans to help, Hurricane Katrina changed the face of animal welfare forever. This is a story of pure, unconditional love in the face of unimagined suffering."
—Michael Mountain, President and Cofounder; Best Friends Animal Society

Pawprints of Katrina Will Leave Pawprints on Your Heart

You probably vividly remember the animal rescues you saw on television in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Veteran reporter and lifelong animal lover Cathy Scott covered the stories straight from the muck, the rubble, and a makeshift shelter. She witnessed dramatic rescues and joyful reunions firsthand. This book shares Cathy's stories and insight, poignantphotographs from Clay Myers, and follow-up information about the animals today. Heartbreaking and heartwarming, it conveys the depth of the tragedy; more importantly, it celebrates the indomitable spirit of the volunteers who refused to give up, the determined pets who survived, and the owners (original and adoptive) who love these animals today.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Howell Book House; 1 edition (June 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470228512
• ISBN-13: 978-0470228517
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #826,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thank you for visiting my Amazon page! I'm currently finishing my eighth book, The Millionaire's Wife. It's about the 1990 contract murder of George Kogan on an Upper East Side Manhattan street in broad daylight. Fast-forward nearly 20 years, and Barbara Kogan, George's estranged wife at the time, admitted to hiring a hit man to have her husband gunned down. It's scheduled to be released in October 2011.

In the meantime, check out my other books and also watch for a third edition of The Killing of Tupac Shakur and a second edition of The Murder of Biggie Smalls. Thanks again for stopping by! --Cathy

Cathy Scott is an award-winning journalist and true crime author based in Las Vegas and San Diego. You can find out more about this author by visiting her web site at cathyscott dot com and womenincrimeink dot com. Also, visit Wikipedia's author page by searching for Cathy Scott.

Contact Cathy directly at [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winning Book, July 11, 2008

By 

Norine Dresser ""Tom's Mom"" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned (Hardcover)

Scott's book is completely absorbing. She reveals the astounding dedication to animals by humans who dedicate themselves to finding the separated and abandoned animals of the Katrina disaster and reuniting them with their bereft owners. This is an important social document. Above all, the book celebrates the human/animal bond. It's a must-read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars loved this book, June 20, 2008

By 

animal lover (windsor ct usa) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned (Hardcover)

This book is amazing.....I was overwhelmed by the stories of the rescues ,some with happy endings some not....I cried at the end of almost every chapter...a lot of happy tears. Cathy Scott told of the devastation in New Orleans and about the volunteers who gave up part of their lives, time and sometimes jobs to care for these poor animals and owners. Then, she told about the changes in law and mindset since then .........very well written

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remembering Katrina, July 17, 2008

By 

J. Christianson-Wood (Winnipeg, MB Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned (Hardcover)

I bought this book as soon as I read about it on the Best Friends Sanctuary website. The story of Marina, the dog first named "Survivor" is inspiring and was--at first--my primary reason for reading it. I cried tears of sadness for the people and animals who didn't make it through Katrina and Rita and tears of happiness for the selflessness of rescuers both locally and from all over North America who stayed to help the people and pets of Louisiana and Mississippi. In this book there is an acknowledgement of the "remote reunion" volunteers who spent many hours on the internet and the telephone linking families and their pets or sharing the grief of those whose pets didn't make it. I was one of those volunteers and it changed my life.