Cats and Dogs Rescued in Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa

Animal-Kind International
12 minutes ago
4 min read

Thank you so much to all of you who ensured we had the funds needed for extra cat and dog food and vet care for the many animals affected by and rescued after Hurricane Melissa. Our Partner Organization, Kingston Community Animal Welfare, was able to help so many thanks to your generosity.

Below are some of their stories, but 1st, here's a thank you from Deborah/Kingston Community Animal Welfare:

"Thank you for your donation every one who contributed after the hurricane blew our little island away. It has been used to take injured animals to the Veterinarian, purchase food and other supplies, medicine and a lot more!! The recovery has been slow and I myself suffered significant damage to my own home but it is important that we try to do all we can to get to all the affected homeless strays.

The Kingston Community Animal Welfare is eternally grateful for all your kindness and support during this devastating event. I pray that you will all continue to support this wonderful animal organization AKI that has helped me save so many suffering animals over the years. I could not have done it without them. Your contributions are appreciated and could not go to a more worthy cause."

Deborah loaded up the KCAW rescue and s/n mobile (funded by Animal-Kind International and we're happy to report that it handled the flooded, muddy roads beautifully) with food and water. After the hurricane passed through Jamaica, she was was ready to head out to feed and rescue cats and dogs on Kingston's streets.

SUV trunk filled with red and orange pet food bags and boxes with the rear door open in Kingston in Jamaica. — Cat and dog food purchased thanks to AKI supporters

But she didn't have to go far before she found her 1st hurricane victim. This little pup came right up to Deborah's gate looking for food. It seems his mama (who, before the hurricane, Deborah had been feeding and was preparing to spay) ran off and left him behind.

A brown puppy stands on his hind legs behind a black metal gate, peering through with a background of green foliage and asphalt street in Kingston in Jamaica. — Please can you spare some food?

Then more dogs showed up at Deborah's gate. One with the collar, probably belongs to someone who lets him out during the day to scrounge; the other two are strays, already known and fed by KCAW before the hurricane. They knew where to look for food!

Three dogs stand behind a black gate, two tan ones are close together while a white and black dog stands further back in Kingston in Jamaica. — Strays at the KCAW gate

When Deborah finally headed out to check on KCAW street dogs and cats, most weren't hard to find. If they could, the dogs had returned to their usual spots on the streets. Many were still soaked and frightened, but most survived and were in need of a good meal.

Two brown dogs, wet and sad looking are stand behind a rusty wire fence, peering through in Kingston in Jamaica. — Wet and hungry, but they survived

Before the hurricane hit, and then after it passed, Deborah stopped to check on the "cat ladies," caretakers who feed and watch over many stray cats in Kingston. Deborah made sure that all the cat caretakers had plenty of food pre- and post-hurricane.

Woman in yellow top feeds cats on a street with small buildings in the background in Kingston in Jamaica. — Kitty caretaker

While most of the dogs had returned to their usual spots, the cats were slower to return, and some never have.

This was one of the lucky kitties, who had belonged to a colony that Deborah fed and s/n'd. When she checked on them after the hurricane, she saw this kitty was pretty bruised up. She took him to the vet, and then home to recover.

Cat wrapped in a brown blanket on a vet's exam table with a computer, microscope and scattered papers on a table at the back in Kingston in Jamaica. — Kitty got bashed up in the hurricane-an abscess on his neck and some bruises on his body

Some new dogs also showed up on the street after the hurricane, like this poor, hungry mama dog, who is now a regular on KCAW's feeding rounds (and on the to-be-spayed list).

Very skinny brown dog eating kibble from a tray on a cracked concrete surface, surrounded by grass in Kingston in Jamaica. — Post-hurricane, a mama dog with pups, HUNGRY, and living on the streets of Kingston

This dog was posted in a Kingston animal rescue group on social media. His leg was injured during the hurricane and members of the rescue group took care of him as best they could.

Brown dog with injured bandaged leg stands on a path next to green grass in Kingston in Jamaica.

The rescue group named him Miracle. When Deborah saw the post, she volunteered to take Miracle to the vet to have his leg x-rayed and to get a proper cast, if needed. It turns out Miracle had a broken leg, and luckily, Deborah had gotten him to the vet in time so that a full recovery was expected. Not only that, he now has a permanent home!

We've saved the best Hurricane Melissa story for last.

This little guy may be the only survivor of a litter of pups.

Person in cap holds black puppy and a sign while sitting against stone steps in Kingston in Jamaica. — I survived Hurricane Melissa--lucky puppy!

Before the hurricane, mama and her puppies lived in an abandoned house, where Deborah fed them and she hoped they would be safe there during the hurricane. The mama was wild and couldn't be caught and the puppies were too young. They needed her milk. Deborah left food for the mama to get her through the worst of the hurricane.

As soon as possible after the hurricane passed, Deborah returned to the abandoned house, and mama and pups were nowhere to be found; mama had moved the pups! Weeks passed and we all figured that the family didn't make it.

And then, Deborah saw the mama dog running down a lane behind a supermarket, and right behind her was a pup! The little pup couldn't keep up and was heading for a main street. Quick thinking and moving, Deborah was able to grab him. He felt so thin, she fed him right then and there. There was no sign of the other puppies; we just hope they found a safe place with kind people.

A black dog stands on an asphalt street with cars parked along the road on an overcast day in Kingston in Jamaica. — Puppy: a survivor

The "Hurricane Melissa puppy" went home with Deborah and it only took one call to find him a forever home! His new owner picked him up on December 13. What a story this puppy can tell; a survivor of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 monster hurricane!

Man in sunglasses lovingly holds a black puppy near a white car in Kingston in Jamaica. — A loving home for a sweet pup!