Katrina survivor and Miss Kitty's owner dies
Bill Harris, whose story captivated MSNBC.com readers, succumbs in La
By Mike Brunker
Reporter
MSNBC
Updated: 2:35 p.m. ET Nov. 23, 2005
Bill Harris, a soft-spoken Slidell, La., man who gave credit for his harrowing survival during Hurricane Katrina to God and his “miracle cat” — Miss Kitty — has died. He was 63.
Harris, whose separation from his beloved tabby cat and subsequent reunion touched MSNBC.com readers when it was reported in the immediate aftermath of the storm, died Monday from gastro-intestinal bleeding after being admitted to a Slidell hospital for the second time in a week, said Donna Wackerbauer, a volunteer with the animal rescue organization Noah’s Wish.
Shelly Rodriguez, a social worker at the Trinity Neurologic Rehabilitation Center in Slidell, confirmed Harris’ death, but said she could not give a cause. Funeral plans were pending, she said.
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Wackerbauer, who had become close to Harris since she and Slidell animal control officer Horace Troullier found Miss Kitty nearly a week after the storm, said she had gone to the nursing home on Monday to talk with Harris about finding a temporary home for the cat, since Noah’s Wish is planning to shut down its rescue operation on Tuesday — the three-month anniversary of Katrina’s landfall. Now, she said, she’ll concentrate on finding a good permanent home for the gray-and-yellow female.