Today has been a busy and rough day. We were under tornado watch and strong winds. My 12 year old watched out the door when we first realized the weather was getting bad, and she saw the long row of rabbit hutch style cat cages flip over with some of the Roicy cats flying through the air. The cats are all fine. We brought them all inside and put them in pet crates until I could borrow some cages. Thanks to Barbara with AHS, I was able to borrow some cages until Friday. I really NEED to get my own better cages, and a building to put them in as soon as possible.
When I left to go borrow the cages, the rain started coming down in sheets. When I got to Ambassador Caffery, the rain was so bad, and the water so deep already from flash flooding, that I could not see at all. We prayed our way through. Thankfully we made is safely to Petsmart where the cages were that we were borrowing. By the time I loaded the cages in the car, I was soaking, ringing wet all the way through. After I had everything loaded up, the rain stopped and the sun came out. I proceeded to the gas station, going up Amb Caff. towards Kaliste Saloom. The road in front of the Mall, and also the Mall parking lot was like a lake. I had to drive through at the right speed not to stall out, and not to slide all over. We made it through and got gas. I headed up to Kaliste Saloom so I could take the interstate home since Amb Caff and Pinhook both are prone to bad flooding and we were under flash flood warning at this point. It wasn't so bad on the interstate. But, when I was only a block from the house, I made the mistake of underestimating how deep the water on the road was. Once I started going, there was no turning back and no stopping. The further down the road I drove, the deeper the water got. At one point, the water was up and OVER the headlights on my Explorer and I could not see as it was pitch black outside. I had to pray my way home. When I got in the driveway the engine was smoking, water was pouring out of the frame of the Explorer, and there was a stick stuck in the top of my grill that had floated into it. When I got home I could see by the marks on the Explorer, that the water had been halfway up the sides of the door.
The cats are all settled in now in the cages that I borrowed, thanks to Acadiana Humane Society. I only have them until Friday though, so I could really use some better cages if I can raise the money, or if anyone has extra ones they don't need. I currently have 12 Roicy rescue cats in my care, some are fosters (for APAWS, AHS, ARNO, etc.), some are mine (not counting the other 50+ cats that do not need to be caged and quarantined). Not to mention the 3 dogs, 3 puppies, 2 gerbils, 1 goat, and 2 pet rats. My hope is to someday have a separate building for the rescue cats that we take in. It gets really hard when bad weather hits, and especially during hurricane season, to keep bringing the cats inside in pet crates. We would appreciate your prayers for the provision of a separate building and better cages for the rescue cats that need to be quarantined. Thank you! |
