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Giving Thanks for Jetty and So Many More Pets

By: Author Paris Permenter

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Rachael Ray Nutrish has sponsored this post, but all opinions are my own.

This week we take time to slow down and really think about this season of thankfulness. We have so many things to be thankful for this year–and one of the most important is our newest family member, Jetty.

As you know, Jetty was one of the thousands of animals evacuated after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas on August 25 of this year, the same day we lost our sweet 18-month-old Ochi to cancer. It was also the same day that we evacuated for four days from rainfall amounts that were predicted to top 24 inches in our area, rain that could have cost us our home due to our creekside location.

Harvey spared our area, staying south and east of us–but our gain was others’ loss as catastrophic amounts of rain fell on the state. The scope of the storm was like nothing Texas has ever seen, leaving so many counties as disaster areas:

These are all areas we’re very familiar with; just five days before Harvey struck, we had turned in the final edits on our Day Trips from Houston guidebook–a book that we’ll now need to redo. It has been postponed for a year as we wait for recovery efforts to get tourist attractions open and running again.

One thing that will not wait in a disaster, of course, is animal welfare. The amount of assistance that homeless animals received before the storm hit and even as the storm hung over the state still brings tears to my eyes. Many, many shelter animals were transported out of the path of the storm before the winds ever reached the coast, a far cry from the once-traditional way of handling homeless pets in advance of a hurricane: euthanasia.

Thanks to efforts such as those by The Rachael Ray Foundation, which donated $1 million to animal welfare efforts in Texas and Louisiana in the wake of the storm, thousands of animals were saved and continue to go on to forever homes. Funded by sales of Nutrish foods, The Rachael Ray Foundation’s donations included $100,000 to Austin Pets Alive!, the rescue that on August 30 sent a crew to the town of Victoria to rescue pets in an animal shelter that was stranded by the rising flood waters.

One of those pets was our Jetty.

In the big picture of a state so devastated by a storm–one that left 900,000 people applying for FEMA aid–the rescue of a 3.5-pound kitten might seem like a small thing. But for Jetty–and for us–it was everything. Like so many Texans, our lives were changed on August 25th but Jetty has brought laughter and endless fun back into our home again.

And we are thankful.

This year we’ll be giving special thanks to the many animal lovers who helped save pets like our Jetty, both through their purchases and donations and through their on the ground efforts–and for those who continue to work to find homes for the thousands of Harvey pets still waiting for their forever homes.

And we’ll be celebrating Jetty’s very first Thanksgiving. We’re looking forward to a relaxing day at home with all our furry family. As always, Jetty’s dinner will include her favorite Nutrish cat foods.

As a growing kitten, Jetty loves the whole line of Nutrish wet foods as well as Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Super Premium food for cats™ and Nutrish® Zero Grain Dry Cat Food, all formulated to meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient profiles for all life stages of a cat. (Nutrish Indoor Complete Cat Food is just for the grown-ups so she’s got to wait six more months!)

Rachael’s Rescue® was created for all of the forgotten pets – the ones who might not have someone who loves them as much as they deserve. A portion of proceeds from each sale of Nutrish is donated to The Rachael Ray Foundation, which helps animals in need through Rachael’s Rescue. Through September 2017, Rachael’s Rescue has donated more than $21 million to pet charities and other organizations that do good for animals. The funds are used for food, medical supplies, treatments, and more for animals in need. Many more animals around the country need help, and through Rachael’s Rescue, together we can make a difference in the lives of many four-legged friends.

Making that difference takes place one pet –and one special thank you — at a time.

Learn More about Nutrish and Rachael’s Rescue

Follow Nutrish on social media for more information (and keep your eye out for special offers and giveaways, too!)

Paris Permenter
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This post originally appeared on CatTipper.com and is the sole property of CatTipper and LT Media Group LLC.