Amid the chaos and devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires, two black cats have struck luck.
The felines, named Shadow and Bandit, were reunited with their owner — Georgia S. of Altadena — after being rescued by ASPCA officers when Georgia was forced to leave her home as the Eaton Fire approached.
Sharing her story in an ASPCA press release, retired banker Georgia, who has lived in her home for more than thirty years, describes the moment of reunion as “touching.” Meanwhile, ASPCA officer Jenn, who rescued the cats, says, “Being able to rescue and reunite these pets meant the world to me.”
72-year-old Georgia was forced to evacuate her home on the afternoon of Jan. 7. She decided to leave when she noticed a fire in the distance. “I saw light, and the light got bigger. Men were running up and down my street telling people to evacuate,” she said, per ASPCA.
The California resident kept numerous pets at her property including dogs, Max and Ruby, and six finches. She was unable to find Shadow and Bandit in the darkness and chaos of evacuation but left them food and water and headed to her sister Mary’s house in Pasadena, she noted to the animal rescue charity.
ASPCA
Following a windy night, Mary’s husband woke the family at 6 a.m. local time and suggested they relocate to the home of their other sister, Michelle, as the fires were also closing in on their property. Georgia first attempted to rescue her pets but couldn’t enter her neighborhood.
Worried, she left a message with ASPCA’s Pasadena Humane helpline and “within 20 minutes,” received a call back from Jenn.
After collecting the keys to Georgia’s property, Jenn traveled to her home and located Shadow and Bandit from the closet where they had been hiding.
“It was a touching moment filled with hugs,” Jenn said of reuniting them with Georgia. “Being able to rescue and reunite these pets meant the world to me.”
JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty
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“We don’t often get to do reunifications in the field,” the ASPCA officer added in the charity’s press release.
Per NBC News, The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports that the Eaton Fire destroyed 9,300 structures and damaged a further 1,062. However, amid the chaos, Georgia’s remained unharmed which she described to the ASPCA as “nothing short of a miracle.”
Vowing to stay in the area, the mom of two added, “I still can’t get over the devastation.”
Credit: dotdashmeredith.com
