Rescuers help 18 cats after owners die in a house fire
Ringgold resident Marsha Avans said her longtime friend Elaine Helmes was a tenderhearted person who would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.
“She was a good person,” said Avans. “She was a bornagain Christian. She was always ready to help people and animals. She loved animals — cats, dogs, horses, chickens, rabbits ...”
Tragically, Helmes and her husband, James, died in a house fire while trying to help a colony of cats they fed.
On Sunday, Jan. 14, the Helmeses set up a space heater on their porch at their home on Stubblefield Road in Ringgold so the 18 cats they fed would have some warmth during a very cold night. No one is sure how the fire started — there is speculation that a piece of cardboard came in contact with the heater — but it spread and took the Helme
ses with it, leaving behind family and friends to grieve.
Also left behind was the colony of cats that had been dependent on Elaine Helmes for food and love.
It didn't take long for the animal rescuers in the area to learn of the problem and step in. North Georgia Animal Alliance and individual rescuers started to feed the hungry cats, then started to catch them and take them to be spayed and neutered.
By Monday evening, Jan. 22, ten cats had been caught, taken to a vet and placed in temporary homes. The rescue Trooper's Treasures, run by Ruth Smith, took three.
Two kittens had singed ears and noses and were so covered in ash it was hard to tell what color they were, said Erin Smith, one of the rescuers who is caring for three of the cats, including the two kittens.
Sara Deberry, secretary for NGAA, said most of the cats had been caught by Wednesday evening, Jan. 24. She said the cats were wary at first, but hunger overcame some of that. “They didn't know us. Some of them are socialized and some not as much so,” she said. “We'll see how they do in foster homes before deciding on the right options for them.”
Deberry said people have already offered to take some of the cats, but she said they'll have to go through the usual application process to be sure they will give the cats
good homes and will be able to care for them.
NGAA has been working with the Helmes' family regarding the cats. The group has been raising funds and is paying for all the vet care for the cats.
“It's so sad,” Deberry said. “I'm glad we can help at a time like this. It's been wonderful to see how so many rescuers stepped up to help, to get out there in the freezing weather to feed and catch the cats, to give them space in their homes so they can adjust to their new lives.”
“I hope the part we played has been an encouragement to Mr. and Mrs. Helmes' family,” Deberry said.