Helping the Pets Affected by Japan’s Earthquake and Tsunami

While the extent of the devastation caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami is still unknown, there’s no doubt that many pets have been injured and/or left homeless. Several organizations are pitching in—and they need all the help they can get!

The pet captain blog has details and several links for aid agencies responding to the crisis. (Thanks to Dmitri for contacting me about this.) The Best Friends Network is also covering the story, and promises updates as new information becomes available.

Especially troubling is a recent update on the Life With Cats Website, which isn’t optimistic about the fate of Cat Island’s many residents:

“At this moment, there is no official news available on the status of “Cat Island” (Tashiro Island), although the speculation is that it has been submerged by the tsunami’s surge. Cat Island, located on Japan’s vulnerable eastern coast, is the home of 100 elderly humans and hundreds of cats.”

My heartfelt condolences go out to all of those who’ve lost friends and family—human and non-human alike—in this disaster, and my deepest gratitude to the many courageous souls involved in the ongoing rescue efforts.

UPDATE: Some good news about Cat Island from a commenter on Ingrid King’s  The Conscious Cat blog:

“I have a friend in Japan who managed to get in touch with people who knew about Tashirojima – people and cats are said to be okay, but there was a lot of building damage and they need bare necessities for humans and cat food… The Japanese organizations said they couldn’t help at the moment (my friend was very frustrated) and he’s checking for some other foreign organisations which maybe could help. He also found out that a the Japanese defense forces’ helicopter landed there this afternoon. So that’s hopeful.
Lots of volunteers are going to be needed there to help rebuild the island.”