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He’s fur real: rescuer saving animals’ lives cue work prioritizes emergencies, most frequently cats stuck in trees and sewers, in the midWhenever an animal is in dle of highways and in other distress, John Debacker’s help precarious places. While he is only a phone call away. Bell- most frequently handles cats, more’s premier animal rescuer he has also rescued raccoons, has a mission to help every ani- squirrels and other domesticatmal he can. ed small animals. Debacker, 32, lives alone with He does his work with equiphis four cats. He got his start as ment he bought himself: nets, an animal rescuer around the leashes, incubators, trail camtime he graduated eras, microchip from Iris Wolfson scanners and more. High School in 2010. “It’s full time, but He saw that a neighI don’t get paid — I bor had abandoned don’t charge money four cats when they for the services,” moved away, and he Debacker said. “I do volunteered to help take donations, but catch them and findit’s all optional. If i n g t h e m l ov i n g someone can’t JoHN DEBACKER homes. afford my services, “We need more Animal rescuer the animal won’t animal rescuers in suffer. I’ll still catch the world,” he said. “There’s the animal either way.” just not enough of us. UnfortuIndeed, he stops at nothing nately, people abandon cats to protect the lives of misplaced every day, every week. There’s critters. In 2023 he got a mesnever, never an excuse for ani- sage describing feline screams mal abuse — there’s always coming from a tree in someresources, such as shelters, res- one’s backyard. There, 40 feet in cues. They’ll take the kitten the air, was a 6-week-old kitten. happily from them.” Debacker climbed as high as he After that first experience, could, and the kitten, as he tells Debacker committed himself to it, leapt into his outstretched helping animals any time and hands. The cat now has a safe anywhere. These days his res-
By JoSEPH D’AlESSANDRo
jdalessandro@liherald.com
W
Courtesy Jen Calonita
Merrick author Jen Calonita released her newest book, “The Taylors,” on Oct. 7, four days after Taylor Swift dropped her latest album.
Local author channels Swiftie spirit Calonita’s ‘The Taylors’ drops days after Swift album By BRIAN KACHARABA bkacharaba@liherald.com
When Mer rick author Jen Calonita released her newest middle-grade novel, “The Taylors,” on Oct. 7, she didn’t expect to be in a release-week rivalry with Taylor Swift herself. Yet there she was, debuting her story about four Swift-loving middleschoolers just four days after the pop megastar debuted her own album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” The timing seemed so ironic that some fans assumed that Calonita and Swift had conspired in a clever cross-promotion. But there was no secret collaboration, nor did the Swift camp ever contact Calonita about the release of her book, which was pub-
lished by Scholastic Inc. It was simply one of those coincidences that could make even the most skeptical reader believe in the power of the Swifties. “The funny thing is, people really think we planned it that way,” Calonita said, explaining that the book was announced 10 months ago. “We had no clue she’d have an album coming out the same week. It was just this amazing coincidence.” In a way, though, it couldn’t have been more perfect. “The Taylors” dives straight into the heart of fan culture, following four girls who share a name, a passion and a playlist. Each Taylor — ones nicknamed Teffy, TS and Tay Tay, and Taylor Perez — brings her own personality to the group: the shy COnTinued On page11
e need more animal rescuers in the world.
COnTinued On page 16