Fascinating. I had no idea.
When a cat was stranded on the roof of a west Houston apartment complex at the height of this week’s winter storm, a 24/7 ambulance for animals responded to the call.
The cat, which had been stranded on the third-story roof for hours, was found very cold, wet and hungry, according to Julie Kuenstle, spokesperson the Houston SPCA, which runs the Injured Animal Rescue Ambulance team.
“A good Samaritan got him down right before we arrived,” Kuenstle said.
The young cat was taken in by the SPCA and recuperated from exposure to the freezing temperatures. It was one of many strays left vulnerable to the elements during the three-day arctic blast.
The group’s Injured Animal Ambulance was on the road all week, but Gulf Coast residents may not know that the service has been tracking injured strays since the 1940s and is the only 24-hour animal rescue ambulance of its kind in the Gulf Coast region.
“People don’t know about it until they need it,” Kuenstle said.
This ambulance is different from most county or city shelter dispatch because it is manned by emergency veterinary medical technicians, licensed veterinary emergency care units available for on-site response.
“It’s meant for animals that are in distress – we (the ambulance) go in and rescue them in sewers, sinkholes, just about anywhere,” said Kuenstle.
It also makes community response a key factor in the SPCA’s rescue efforts, especially during off hours and in situations such as extreme weather-related events where other resources are limited or unavailable and there is no one to call.
[…]
The service is only dispatched for emergencies involving all unowned pets and offers care to all animals, including companion animals, native wildlife and exotics.
The ambulance service runs 24/7 and during all holidays and can be reached at 713-880-4357(HELP).
There’s more about the history of the SPCA and this service at the link, so go read the rest. One might want to call them in a situation where you wouldn’t feel safe trying to rescue the animal in distress yourself. The SPCA is funded by donations, so I assume this is not a line item in the city’s budget. Be that as it may, I’m glad to know it exists.