Penelope, a calico cat that had been missing for four weeks since the Palisades Fire, has been reunited with owner Trish Alison after a lengthy search, bringing hope to the members of a family who lost their home in the inferno.
Alison, a photographer who specializes in family portraits, lost both her home and her newly-built studio in the Palisades Fire on January 7. While she and her family evacuated from the area in time, they could not find their cat — a common problem among Pacific Palisades evacuees, given that cats tend to be more independent than other pets.
Several non-profit animal welfare groups have been active in the Pacific Palisades burn area, as well as animal control agencies from a variety of local governments outside of Los Angeles.
As Breitbart News reported, many of these organizations leave food and water for pets at their owners’ former addresses, even if the homes are destroyed.
Some also set up “trail cams” to catch pets’ movements. Local government agencies also lay humane traps to catch pets.
In Alison’s case, Penelope was spotted several times on camera over a period of weeks. Neighbors (including this author) tried to find her; some spotted her, but she ran away. The Riverside County Department of Animal Services set up traps for her, as did other agencies and groups.
Eventually, she was found. Alison wrote to Breitbart News:
It’s still really hard to wrap my head around the dedication and commitment from volunteers that worked literally around the clock to help us bring Penelope home.
In the 23 days she was missing @jennsavespaws stayed with me every step of the way. We plotted, we bonded, and she worked tirelessly in coordination with her team @wufaw_official, @thescarygary, @del.gato.rescue, @urbanpanthersrescue and @ugh_icant, to keep Penelope alive. While ultimately Penelope went into another trap with wonderful Manny and Parker with @americanhumane and @ifawglobal, she and her team set the stage to get her back.
Alison also has a GoFundMe page set up to support her family, which includes two daughters.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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