LAKEPORT >> Khymmyr Hansen has lived in the Lake County area for 16 years. Four years ago, a stray cat showed up on her porch in the middle of the night and stuck around until Hansen decided to officially adopt the cat and named her Worm because she looked like a night crawler.
Soon after, Hansen took Worm to a local veterinarian to make sure the cat was healthy and she had her new companion micro-chipped, which later became the cat’s ticket home.
When the fire raged through the neighborhood, Hansen only had a few minutes to evacuate and she couldn’t find her pets (she also had a pug who unfortunately perished in the fire). Hansen’s home was completely burned down, and she was convinced she lost both her pets.
Since September 13, the ASPCA has been assisting the Lake County Animal Care and Control in rescuing animals impacted by the devastating Valley wildfire. Professional responders have been conducting field rescues to save badly burned animals, as well as checking individual residences for pets and livestock left behind.
To date the organizations have saved more than 200 animals, including dogs, cats, goats, pigs and horses, by rescuing them in the field and bringing them back to the shelter. In addition they have fielded 700 phone calls, including calls from pet owners searching for their animals, provided a hay grant to a local equine rescue group to help horse owners who lost supplies and reunited 37 animals with their families after being separated during emergency evacuations.
On September 18, a week after the fire, she received an email from a pet microchip company, HomeAgain, informing her that Worm was found and sheltered by Lake County Animal Care and Control. Hansen was overjoyed to hear the news that Worm survived the blaze and raced to the shelter to get her cat. Worm suffered severe burns from the fire and the cat is currently being treated at a local vet. Hansen reported that Worm is recovering from her injuries and the vet said she should be able to go home in a few days.
