BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Dozens of cats from the Bahamas made a long journey to Brevard County on Saturday night after Hurricane Dorian destroyed their homes weeks ago.
- 55 cats from Tilloo Cay, Bahamas come to Brevard
- Felines will be quarantined for 14 days before adoption
- Volunteer: Takes $150-$200 per cat for basic care
It was quite a journey for 35 carriers with 55 cats: They had to from Tilloo Cay to Abaco by boat for five hours, then hop a vehicle ride to the airport that lasted about three hours. Finally, the traveling felines were loaded on a plane, and that journey took about an hour to Fort Lauderdale.
The last leg of their journey culminated in Melbourne at HOPE For Brevard three hours later.
Volunteers worked around the clock to get all the cages set up with food, water, bedding, and anything the cats may need.
"We had no idea how many carriers or how many cats (we had). We just loaded them on to the van off the plane as quickly as we could, and when we got here we realized we got 55 cats," HOPE For Brevard volunteer Sarah Hawk said.
The island cats are going to be in quarantine for the next 14 days before being put up for adoption. Another nonprofit stepped into help.
As Heather Holjes from Big Love Community Animal Outreach explains, she is giving up her home to all of the cats for however long it takes.
"I use a couple of rooms for my rescue, and I Airbnb out the rest, since they were empty and the need came up, I canceled renting the rooms," Holjes adds.
After the long journey, the cats seemed to be settling in and finally starting to relax after enduring so much. The cats were originally at a shelter in "Friends of Abaco Animals" in the Bahamas. That shelter agreed to give them to HOPE For Brevard so the cats can have a better life since a lot of homes are devastated by the hurricane and unable to adopt them.
"One cat went immediately into the hammock that we make from pillow cases and one immediately went it and fell asleep," Holjes describes the moment one of the cats went inside the cage.
Hawk says caring for the Bahamas cats is going to be pricey. In two weeks, most of them will be available for adoption or foster.
If anyone is looking for a pet, Hawk says to look no further because they have cats of all ages.
"It takes anywhere from $150 to $200 per cat for basic animal care and that doesn't include food, litter and everything like that," she explained.