Felines flown in from Fresno by rescue group
Tuesday gave new meaning to the phrase “The fur flies.”
More than 40 cats and kittens were flown to the Nut Tree Airport from Fresno where they had all previously been scheduled to be euthanized that day.
The felines were transported courtesy of Cat Tales Rescue, a Vacaville-based rescue nonprofit specialized in reducing the homeless cat population in Solano County. Jenessa Adams, vice president of Cat Tales, said the group rescues approximately 300 cats per kitten season which runs from March to October.
“This year, with COVID, we’re up to about 600,” she said.
For the first time, Cat Tales partnered with Pilots N Paws, a nationally based nonprofit that transports pets via airplane from kill shelters to rescue organizations or safe shelters. The cats in question were brought in from Central California SPCA, which does euthanize certain animal intakes based on their health or behavior or by the owner’s request.
Adams said the cats that were
flown in were on the list for euthanasia that night, but Cat Tales worked with the shelter to transport them to Vacaville.
“We’re helping to take some of the burden of that shelter,” she said.
Two cohorts of cats and kittens were flown in on two different planes, with the cats ranging from newborns to seniors. Some of the kittens who were stressed out upon arrival were bottlefed milk or Gerber chicken and gravy, while some of the adult cats had water and dry food. Volunteers cheered as the planes landed and loaded the crates into the back of a van.
Adams said all the cats would be taken to her house at first and evaluated for any health concerns or behavioral issues before attempting to adopt them out to forever homes. She said her house was equipped with the tools to help the cats thrive.
“We have incubators, oxygen tanks,” she said. “We have the full ICU setup for any that are sick.”
Kim Purcell, a pilot for Pilots N Paws, said the plane ride took about an hour and 20 minutes which she added was still faster than driving. One of the challenges was flying through the smoke as the state continues to battle wildfires.
“It’s pretty smoky up there,” she said. “It’s not the clear beautiful days that we’ve had, but you can see enough to fly.”
On the plus side, Purcell said the cats were very nice and vocal. She frequently tells air traffic control she has kittens in the back to explain the constant meowing heard in the background of transmissions.
“They were talking a lot of the way,” she said.
Purcell said Pilots N Paws works with animal rescue groups by request, and she enjoys being able to bring pets to safety.
“It’s wonderful (Cat Tales) took so many,” she said.
Purcell and Adams had the same message to cat owners: Please spay or neuter.
“Spay or neuter your pets so we can do this a little less frequently,” Adams said.
For more information on Cat Tales, go to Catalesrescue.org.