Cats fleeing bushfires search for love in the city

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Four homeless cats who were evacuated twice from their foster home due to bushfires near Bellbrook NSW have been flown to Melbourne due to the impact of ongoing bushfires on their volunteer rescue group.

The cats, who were being cared for by NSW volunteer rescue group Helsby Cats had to be evacuated twice during recent bushfires in the area which, prompted the organisation to reach out to PetRescue in hopes of finding permanent homes, as caring for them had become extremely difficult with the impact of the bushfires.

Four cats named George, Yogi, Oscar, and Oreo have now arrived in Melbourne and PetRescue is hoping that Melbournites will open their hearts and give them stable homes after the cats were evacuated twice in the last weeks, at periods needing to stay in crates due to lack of suitable places to go.

The evacuation coordinated by PetRescue, saw the collaboration of a charity, business, and volunteers to ensure the safety of the cats. 


Due to the regional location of the cats’ foster group, additional logistics and flights paths were undertaken by Jetpets to ensure a swift relocation for the stressed cats to Melbourne-based PetRescue member Maneki Neko, a volunteer cat rescue group, who despite being at full occupancy offered to take on the cats and find them emergency foster homes.

Co-founder of PetRescue, Vickie Davy says this now presents an opportunity for residents in Victoria to lend further support to the communities and pets affected by the devastating bushfires.

“We’re extremely grateful to Maneki Neko and Jetpets for responding quickly and giving of their time and resources to help these cats. So many people and animals have been affected by these bushfires, it feels good to see the community still willing to band together to offer help to rescue pets in need.

“Given that these cats have already been through so much, we’re hopeful that they will find new homes in Melbourne very quickly so they have a chance to settle after so much upheaval.”

With four cats now flown to safety, a few of them are still in foster care in Bellbrook NSW and seeking urgent adoption due to limited options in bushfire affected areas.

“If anyone feels they have the capacity to adopt a cat, we urge you to visit www.petrescue.com.au and consider adopting a bushfire evacuee, giving them new homes and helping to relieve the already stretched resources of their amazing carers,” said Ms Davy.

To view the rescue cats currently available for adoption, go to www.petrescue.com.au 

About PetRescue

PetRescue is a national animal welfare charity with a vision of a future where every pet is safe, respected and loved. Every day, the not-for-profit delivers free pet search and adoption services to thousands of pet seekers.

Since the PetRescue website launched in 2004, it's been the first connection for more than half a million rescue pets and their new families. PetRescue has also earned the title of ‘Australia’s most visited charity website’ and grown to become the nation’s largest searchable database of rescue organisations and rescue pets.

MEDIA RELEASE, 7th February 2020

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