Volunteer Cheryl flies with pilot Bobby Aronson on a Pilots to the Rescue mission transporting 30 cats and kittens from overcrowded North Carolina shelters to foster homes in New England. Southern counties face severe overpopulation and low adoption rates, making these flights critical. A calico kitten rides on Cheryl's lap during the journey.
As a cat mom of 4, I jumped at the opportunity to go along on a cat rescue mission with Pilots to the Rescue. Hi! Are you Bobby?
I'm Bobby.
Nice to meet you.
You must be Cheryl.
Yes. Bobby Aronson is a volunteer pilot with Pilots to the Rescue, and the reason he volunteers his time to save animals is simple and comes from the heart.
It's a great, harmonious, symbiotic relationship, you know, we have with these animals. So It's, um, it's special.
Today's mission is to rescue cats in need from several rural animal shelters in North and South Carolina. After completing routine safety checks, we settled into the Piper Saratoga aircraft's cockpit and we were airborne. Destination: Asheboro, North Carolina.
In southern states, counties, it's very hard. Difficult. Yeah, there are so many cats and kittens there. Nobody will go get one or just go adopt one. Very few adoptions. Adoptions take place, if any. There are too many running loose that you could go pick up and just carry home with you. You know, you don't need to go adopt one. Most people there don't spay and neuter, which makes the problem worse and worse and bigger and bigger and bigger.
Oh my gosh. Now we are in Asheboro, North Carolina, and we are transporting 30 cats and kittens, giving them a second chance at life and an opportunity to find love.
It's the greatest thing ever. We just have people that cry when they leave, and just knowing that they're not going to grow up in a shelter. It means everything to me to get some out. I love cats, and I don't want to see them die or be discarded. Dillon's a small town, and there aren't many fosters, and you can only keep so many, you know, at your house. So we have to get them somewhere, and this is, this is a godsend for us.
As we secured our precious feline cargo in our plane, Nervous meows and hisses came from their cat carriers. However, it brought comfort to know that soon these cuddly cats and kittens would be purring in the arms of their new fosters and adopters in New England. "Thank you!" "Pawlets to the rescue!" As Bobbi fired up the engine, the cats became surprisingly quiet. But the bravest of them all was a beautiful, fearless calico kitten who spent most of the flight on my warm lap. Made it to West Earl to check on the kitties. Oh my goodness! Although there was a chill in the air, our hearts were warm because our fuzzy felines handled their first flight like champs. As we unloaded our precious cargo, a modern-day Catwoman superhero from Cat Tales Animal Rescue in New Hampshire arrived on the tarmac to help get our cats to safety.
We put a lot of time, love, money, and just investment into that, you know, but it's blood, sweat, and tears.
Oh my goodness. Yeah.
And we don't get paid for what we do.
Rescuing animals is a labor of love, and Cat Tales helps to give cats in particular a voice.
Cats are grossly underrepresented, and that's when I knew I had to help cats. Because for every 5 dog rescuers, there's 1 cat rescuer. And it broke my heart.
A piece of Amanda's heart now belongs to Pilots to the Rescue.
Um, they have saved me this year alone probably about 40,000 miles on my car from trips that I normally would make down south. Um, what they're doing for animals and changing the animal transport scene is incredible.
With wings outstretched, they are angels in the sky, making it possible for our companion animals to receive the most fundamental needs.
They want nothing from us except to be loved and fed. You know, a lot of things. The biggest reward is when you match a cat up to their human.
While adoption may not be an option for everyone, there are simple actions that anyone can take to help cats in need.
They can talk to their legislators. They can demand change. They can push for people to take care of their animals better, push for stronger spay/neuter laws and programs, donate to their local shelters, offer to volunteer.
With fuel prices on the rise, Pilots to the Rescue would not be possible without generous donations from supporters. If paw prints have left a mark on your heart, please visit pilots to the rescue dot org to learn more about how you can make a difference.
The more people that know about Pilots to the Rescue, the more animals we'll be able to save and the more missions we'll be able to do.
