With the Hurricane Rita preparing to make landfall, many pet owners are scrambling to find refuge for their animals. The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) in response has placed a list of holding areas for those evacuating the Hurricane’s path.  

“We started out with a listing of 180 sites, and now I think it is well over 200 that will accept animals that are evacuating or displaced,” said Carla Everett of the Texas Animal Health Commission. The list is available at https://www.tahc.state.tx.us.

“We are just trying to play matchmaker,” Everett explained. “We take in calls and try to figure out where the people are headed and their needs, then we try to match those needs.”

She said they had just placed a man who had three horses who was evacuating. Even though the TAHC does not serve the needs of companion pets, she said, “There was a person with six cats who was at a bed and breakfast, but they would not allow the cats to stay. I got on the horn and found a vet, my vet actually, that could handle a few more cats. He told me to bring them on