Photo:Jamie McCarthy/WireImageHilary Swankis remembering a cat that will always hold a place in her heart.The actress, 49, is sharing her memories of volunteering with theASPCAduring the aftermath of 9/11 on the SiriusXM podcastLiterally! with Rob Lowe,which will be released on Thursday. While discussing her love for animals, Swank recalls rescuing pets that owners could not get to following the tragedy.“People would go over to the piers over on West Street and they would say, ‘my dog Simpson, or my goldfish or my rabbit,’ or whatever it is, and ‘this is my address, this is my apartment,’ and I’d get these cards and we’d go,” Swank says in a PEOPLE exclusive clip of the podcast.Hilary Swank and Rob Lowe.John Sciulli/Variety via Getty; Jon Kopaloff/WireImageWorking with animals was nothing new for Swank — she says she had been volunteering at the ASPCA prior to 9/11. But after 9/11, there were many dangers and obstacles in the way. In addition to the possibility of a building collapsing or catching fire, no elevators or technology were working.“If their animal was on the 50th floor, you were walking up to the 50th floor,” she tellsRob Lowe, her formerbrother-in-law. “And we’d get up there and we brought cats down, we brought turtles down, we brought fish down, we brought lots of dogs. I think a couple hamsters.”She continues, “God, but I mean, these apartment buildings, they were missing windows, and the trauma that these animals went through living there for, you know, some a few days and some a few weeks.”Lowe, 59, then reminds theOrdinary Angelsstar of a memorable story she once told him about what he describes as a particularly “terrified” cat.“It was going crazy,”the mom-of-tworemembers. “It was missing its person — who knows how long it didn’t have food. The front windows were blown out. It was smoky. It was dirty. It was dangerous.”She later reveals she had to get creative to finally bring the cat to safety: “It kept getting out of a blanket, so we finally figured out how to put it in a pillowcase, knew it could still breathe through it, got them back to their owners.”Hilary Swank during an interview on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on February 14, 2024.Todd Owyoung/NBC/GettyDespite the stress both Swank and the pets endured, she says nothing compares to finding the furry friends’ families.“Reuniting these animals with their owners was such a gift. They were just so happy,” she says.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.New episodes ofLiterally! with Rob Loweare available every Thursday on the SiriusXM app and all other major podcast platforms.
Photo:Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
Hilary Swankis remembering a cat that will always hold a place in her heart.The actress, 49, is sharing her memories of volunteering with theASPCAduring the aftermath of 9/11 on the SiriusXM podcastLiterally! with Rob Lowe,which will be released on Thursday. While discussing her love for animals, Swank recalls rescuing pets that owners could not get to following the tragedy.“People would go over to the piers over on West Street and they would say, ‘my dog Simpson, or my goldfish or my rabbit,’ or whatever it is, and ‘this is my address, this is my apartment,’ and I’d get these cards and we’d go,” Swank says in a PEOPLE exclusive clip of the podcast.Hilary Swank and Rob Lowe.John Sciulli/Variety via Getty; Jon Kopaloff/WireImageWorking with animals was nothing new for Swank — she says she had been volunteering at the ASPCA prior to 9/11. But after 9/11, there were many dangers and obstacles in the way. In addition to the possibility of a building collapsing or catching fire, no elevators or technology were working.“If their animal was on the 50th floor, you were walking up to the 50th floor,” she tellsRob Lowe, her formerbrother-in-law. “And we’d get up there and we brought cats down, we brought turtles down, we brought fish down, we brought lots of dogs. I think a couple hamsters.”She continues, “God, but I mean, these apartment buildings, they were missing windows, and the trauma that these animals went through living there for, you know, some a few days and some a few weeks.”Lowe, 59, then reminds theOrdinary Angelsstar of a memorable story she once told him about what he describes as a particularly “terrified” cat.“It was going crazy,”the mom-of-tworemembers. “It was missing its person — who knows how long it didn’t have food. The front windows were blown out. It was smoky. It was dirty. It was dangerous.”She later reveals she had to get creative to finally bring the cat to safety: “It kept getting out of a blanket, so we finally figured out how to put it in a pillowcase, knew it could still breathe through it, got them back to their owners.”Hilary Swank during an interview on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on February 14, 2024.Todd Owyoung/NBC/GettyDespite the stress both Swank and the pets endured, she says nothing compares to finding the furry friends’ families.“Reuniting these animals with their owners was such a gift. They were just so happy,” she says.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.New episodes ofLiterally! with Rob Loweare available every Thursday on the SiriusXM app and all other major podcast platforms.
Hilary Swankis remembering a cat that will always hold a place in her heart.
The actress, 49, is sharing her memories of volunteering with theASPCAduring the aftermath of 9/11 on the SiriusXM podcastLiterally! with Rob Lowe,which will be released on Thursday. While discussing her love for animals, Swank recalls rescuing pets that owners could not get to following the tragedy.
“People would go over to the piers over on West Street and they would say, ‘my dog Simpson, or my goldfish or my rabbit,’ or whatever it is, and ‘this is my address, this is my apartment,’ and I’d get these cards and we’d go,” Swank says in a PEOPLE exclusive clip of the podcast.
Hilary Swank and Rob Lowe.John Sciulli/Variety via Getty; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
John Sciulli/Variety via Getty; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
Working with animals was nothing new for Swank — she says she had been volunteering at the ASPCA prior to 9/11. But after 9/11, there were many dangers and obstacles in the way. In addition to the possibility of a building collapsing or catching fire, no elevators or technology were working.
“If their animal was on the 50th floor, you were walking up to the 50th floor,” she tellsRob Lowe, her formerbrother-in-law. “And we’d get up there and we brought cats down, we brought turtles down, we brought fish down, we brought lots of dogs. I think a couple hamsters.”
She continues, “God, but I mean, these apartment buildings, they were missing windows, and the trauma that these animals went through living there for, you know, some a few days and some a few weeks.”
Lowe, 59, then reminds theOrdinary Angelsstar of a memorable story she once told him about what he describes as a particularly “terrified” cat.
“It was going crazy,”the mom-of-tworemembers. “It was missing its person — who knows how long it didn’t have food. The front windows were blown out. It was smoky. It was dirty. It was dangerous.”
She later reveals she had to get creative to finally bring the cat to safety: “It kept getting out of a blanket, so we finally figured out how to put it in a pillowcase, knew it could still breathe through it, got them back to their owners.”
Hilary Swank during an interview on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on February 14, 2024.Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty
Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty
Despite the stress both Swank and the pets endured, she says nothing compares to finding the furry friends’ families.
“Reuniting these animals with their owners was such a gift. They were just so happy,” she says.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
New episodes ofLiterally! with Rob Loweare available every Thursday on the SiriusXM app and all other major podcast platforms.
source: people.com
