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Thanks everybody for remembering these brave little souls! We were in awe of the effort and grit of the folks that made this possible. It is refreshing to know that there are humans that care for our furbabies as much as you do. Thanks again rescuers and bless all of you.

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Godspeed to those who are not able to be with us 2 years later....you fought the good fight and we shall continue that fight on your behalfs. And kudos to each and every angel involved in this monumental rescue. Hard to believe it's been 2 years already. May we never have to see anything like this again. I used to think I was the only person who cared this much for the animals but obviously I am in very good company and the numbers of animal advocates continues to grow day by day........and that makes me very happy! Godspeed my dearest Pete.....it's been 15 years since you crossed and mama still misses you with all my heart.....I love you my dear little boy. Mom of Whiskers, Pete, Niki and Samantha 5.23.94 ~ 8.13.94 ~ 10.10.05 ~ 6.10.08

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I will always remember The Great Kitty Rescue, as that's when I started fostering cats/kittens for the first time (Homeward Bound Cat Adoptions and SOS, both in Las Vegas, are who I foster for now). The 2 I fostered from the rescue were named Snickers and Rolo (I miss them, and hope they found loving, wonderful homes...I remember Snickers being adopted, although they should have been adopted TOGETHER, as they are brothers, by what seemed to be a nice woman, and I'd told her to call me if she had ANY problems. She apparently DID have a problem, and drove Snickers clear back to Pahrump without ever calling me. I was so angry.) Anyhow, Best Friends was so wonderful at the adoption events, and did such a great job getting most of those cats adopted.

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Thank you for sharing the uplifting stories of these kitties. It is very heartwarming to read them. God bless all of those who worked so very hard to help these sweet pets!

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Yesterday my precious Elmer went on to join his buddies from the Great Kitty Rescue at Rainbow Bridge. Elmer was one of two babies we adopted from the rescue. Elmer was so special when we lost him yesterday there wasn't a dry eye in the vet hospital.My pillow seemed so empty last night with out you there beside my head. Rest in peace my baby I will see you again and love you forever. mom

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I remember just stopping by to drop of some cat litter and leaving 2 hours later with 8 huge garbage bags of empty water bottles !!!!!! My recycle man must of thought we had a thirsty house. All the cats were wonderful and the people out there in that heat.

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I worked with the adoptions of the Pahrump kitties. Already having 3 cats, I could not take one but wanted to do something to help. But of course, my resistance was broken - by a skinny long-haired black kitty ("Pounce" - now "Lucy".) As the second adoption she had attended was ending and nobody had taken this sweet girl, who just cuddled in my arms, I was smitten. She came into my house with 3 big brothers and took over. She does have a crazy streak - the cat hanging from the door in the above photo looks a lot like her!

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I personally looked after about 15 of the cats temporarily, until most returned to Best Friends. My organization, Buffalo Humane, found homes for a couple. But one cat, Nova, remained with me, not by choice but because she had managed to escape from her crate when she arrived and remained at-large in the rafters of my attached garage. Providence? Nova was a godsend when a feral farm cat from somewhere nearby managed to enter my garage to have kittens. She had them in the rafters, in a box where Nova normally slept and stayed warm over the winter months. But the mama cat had abandoned them immediately. We had been hearing a "chirp chirp" sound in the garage and figured there was a bird nesting somewhere (it was spring afterall, and baby birds are always a fixture at that time of year, in nests built in nooks and crannies of our 1837 brick farmhouse). But after 3 days, we located the sound: There were 4 obviously days-old kittens in the box without mama. One was dead, and 3 had obviously been hanging on, eyes closed, bodies with little/no hair, and obviously in poor shape. Nova, having been rousted from her box, had decided to move to a cat carrier we had placed in the rafters. FINALLY, we were able to catch her, after her being on the lam for months. AND we also took in those kittens. Nova really had been affected by her Nye experience. She wanted nothing to do with people or with other cats. And the more isolated she could be, then the safer she felt. So, once we had Nova in the cat carrier, we set her up indoors in a very large dog crate, with a good size cat carrier inside. We also placed those kittens next to her in the hopes she would possibly start lactating. I personally bottle-fed the kittens as much as I could (working a full-time job), but I definitely needed her to take on some of the responsibility if those kittens were to survive. It was a matter of waiting, and hoping. Unfortunately, we lost one of the kittens within 2 days. Then another a few days later. But one kitten kept hanging in there, and Nova appeared to be producing milk! She kept watch over that little kitten, and once he started escaping from the dog crate to play with the other cats in the room, we knew we were home free. We named that little kitten Lucky! And we have Nova to thank for his survival. Lucky found a great home, and Nova continues to live in the dog crate, though she is free to leave if she likes. She prefers, however, the safety of her little "home" and the other cats let her have her space. She may leave from time to time, but we just don't know because whenever people approach the room, she's always hunkered down in her carrier inside her safe area of the dog crate. I'm soon going to be releasing some feral cats to my barn (after a period of acclimation), and I sometimes think she might be happier in the great outdoors. At the same time, she's healthy and well, and she may not have the survival instincts to survive in the rural Northeast. So, she'll stay in her space in the room we've set aside for the cats. We will be remodeling that room soon, and she will spend some time in the barn in her crate, but when we get done with the room, we plan on a special place for her: Rafters in the room, from which to perch and feel safe! We feel fine letting Nova live the life she chooses. But if Best Friends would like her to come back to them, we would certainly be happy for her because we know how wonderful and dedicated they are! Carol Buffalo Humane Western New York info@BuffaloHumane.org

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I will never, ever forget the Pahrump Rescue. All the people at the site working in hellish conditions for over 6 months. All the people in Los Angeles and elsewhere who supported the "Operation Desert Cats" supply expedition out to Pahrump. People showed up to help a bit and stayed for months, extraordinary efforts with great spirit. Great friends for always from that time. And mainly the cats… So many we remember... That some of them could recover is amazing. Thank you to all who helped in any way, volunteered, donated, fostered, adopted, it all mattered. Thank you! It needs to be mentioned, understood and remembered that the members of FLOCK have never been convicted of any crime to date by the Nye County legal system. How can this be?

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While for the most part the rescue was a great success, it is unfortunate that many crossed Rainbow Bridge. A special area was created, at Angels Rest, which still brings me to tears when I visit. A special thank you to all of the staff and volunteers who braved the moon dust, wind and horrid conditions to insure that so many were saved.

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Being from the Northeast, this was my first experience with Best Friends. I was and continue to be truly amazed with the organization and its volunteers. I now routinely volunteer with Best Friends in Las Vegas - which lead to me adopting three cats from Best Friends myself...

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Zachary from Glendale HS found his forever home last weekend! Update coming soon! Thank you Kathi for sharing this great news!

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