This top photo is Joseph Barnes, a New Orleans man, and his cat, Patches. Barnes refused to go to any of the shelters set up in New Orleans, because they wouldn't allow Patches to come with him. Several people from another baord are trying to help him and the cat. Please message me if you have any information. Brandypup@brandypup.com

 Joseph Barnes, homeless and a New Orleans evacuee, was separated from his beloved cat, Patches, as he boarded the buses from the Superdome on Sept. 4th. The duo were a fixture in the French Quarter (he's had her since 3 wks old and raised $600 to have her eye removed as a kitten and had her spayed.). She rode on his shoulder like a parrot everywhere. This board http://members.boardhost.com/JosephPatches/ is dedicated to finding Patches and reuniting them once again. On Sun. Sept. 4th, he was being evacuated with Patches on his shoulders. As he was boarding the bus, they Nat'l Guard took her away, but assured him she'd be taken care of. Joseph believed him, otherwise never would have left her. Joseph, not seeing the news on TV, had no idea the magnitude of the disaster, thinking he'd be back to New Orleans to pick her up soon. We hope the guard gave her to a rescue group, if any were at the Superdome on Sept 4th around 2pm (the guard took her into the Hyatt according to Joseph).

Thanks

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No one wants to take her from a current home if she is in one, we just really need to know if she is in a home and OK. We do have plenty of people willing to adopt her if she is in need of a home. Here is the link to the orignal post.
http://members5.boardhost.com/AcmeHouseOfCats/msg/1163892116.html
*partial crossposting due to word limits*
what i do know is this. the photo was taken at 2.48pm on august 30th, 2005, the day after katrina. myself and a fellow photographer came across the cat tied to the railing outside the superdome's 'east' entrance hall. this is close to where the louisiana national guard were dropping people they were rescuing from the city and placing in the superdome.
i returned the following day and noticed that she had gone. i asked the guardsmen what had happened to her. they told me she had been cut loose as the water continued to rise. i can not confirm that this is what happened to her, it is what i was told. i have never seen her since although i do think of her often. i have even produced a DVD of my images from just before/during and after the storm that is titled 'saints will call,' a title inspired by the photograph. the image also appears in chris rose's book 'one dead in attic.' http://www.chrisrosebooks.com/

i wish i could tell you more. i have attached a photo taken by my friend rick when i went to pet the cat. you can see the toy ball in the photo.
thanks and best wishes to everyone trying to solve the riddle of what happened to the cat in my photograph. wishing everyone the best of luck.

kindest regards,

charlie varley.
varleypix.com


Patches last picture before disapeearing

She has one eye and is spayed. She belonged to a homelss man who had to give her up at the superdowm to board a bus. This man refused to leave her during the hurricane, but was forced the day after.

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