military cats

One of my friends just asked me if I could help out a couple of his Army buddies with their cats. They think they may be deployed any day now. These men are not in a 'combat' position, yet their support is needed overseas should this Iraq fiasco escalate into a war.

I completely sympathize with single folks who don't have a cat-loving friend or relative to care for their baby while they are gone. However, having been a military brat myself, I'm wondering why our government has not taken steps to provide for these dependents. The military always takes care of it's own...even pets. Yet I haven't heard if there will be kennels set up for single military personnel who don't have options.

A kennel isn't home and a warm lap, but it is better than being killed in a pound. If we suddenly have thousands of troops being deployed, what is going to happen to all of the pets?

I can only assume that the reason no concrete plans have been announced is because the decision to deploy troops has not yet been made. If it is customary to make arrangements for pets, surely emergency plans are awaiting this decision. I certainly hope this is true. I doubt we would be privy to that information right now. I'm sorry. It certainly is a serious issue.

Speaking from experiance as I just got out of the Navy. Many military people are not very good about caring for their animals in such cases. Many military animals are left behind when moves are made. And the kennels that are on bases are meant for the animals the military houses. The search dogs. It is the responsibility of the service member to make adequate arrangements for their animals in time of need. And is something a single service member should take into consideration when aquiring animals. My best advice is for people who want ot help to start an organization and contact the base chaplain for help getting the word out. You can find the listing for the chaplain by calling the base information number which is found in the local phone book.
The way you have to look at it is a single parent has to make arrangments for their children to go to someones house, pet owners need to do the same.
Denise Russell

Denise, Thank you so much for that information and suggestion. I guess policy changes. I know my brother made his own arrangements for the care of his dog when he joined the navy, but that was quite a few years ago.