Cockpit Kittens!

Published: Mon, 06/19/23

Pet Tips 'n' Tales

‘Spit Fire’ was not the air pilot flight museum volunteer, Bill, was expecting to see!

Cockpit Kittens!

North Carolina’s Hickory Aviation Museum was thrust into worldwide publicity because of a ‘Phantom’.

“Bill, a former pilot, and a member heard scratching and ruffling noises coming from one of our 20 jets parked on the outside ramp. We usually find birds and bees in the planes, but this was different,” said Buford, retired Deputy Sheriff, and general manager for the museum.

Curious, Bill peered inside the 1950's 33 Lockheed trainer jet, named the shooting star.

Peering out at him was the museum’s resident grey feral cat, Phantom, (named after the F4 Phantom jet) and her five kittens. No one suspected that she was expecting, yet she found a safe place to give birth, hidden deep inside the jet.

Bill snapped a picture of the kitten named Spit Fire and the Museum posted it on their Facebook page.

“It exploded,” exclaimed Buford. “We’ve heard from the Washington Post, NPR Radio’s ‘Weekend Edition’, People magazine, others have seen the photo around the globe (England, Ireland, New Zealand), as well as all local news TV stations and Pet Tips n Tales in Oregon.

Volunteers placed food on the tarmac, and we waited for Phantom to introduce her kittens. Life is tough for feral animals here, we have lost many to coyotes, hawks, and weather. This little furry family even hunkered down during the hurricane and survived!

“Phantom emerged from the jet with her pretty, tabby, gray and black kittens,” said Buford. “The Humane Society of Catawba County’s ‘no kill' shelter trapped the felines in humane traps. The rescue team placed gourmet tuna and chicken in the traps. The stealthy mama took longer to

catch than the kittens. She ate the tasty morsels, then jumped over the trap floor without setting it off and ran off with a full stomach.”

After Phantom was caught and spayed, she was returned home to her pilot friends. Her kittens were tamed in foster care to fit into future families' homes. Their names are based on aviation and jet terms: Mohawk, Spitfire, Wildcat, T-Bird, and Prowler.

Video of Phantom’s museum: https://www.elevatehky.com/

TIPS

“We are OVERWHELMED by the media’s attention,” admitted Buford. “Our hope is that Phantom’s family encourages people to neuter and spay pets and/or donate to help Trap Neuter and Release (TNR) programs in their communities - then it's all worth it.

Our animal control’s TNR program is amazing, Phantom and her kittens would not have had a bright future without it. They only survived because of their smart mother’s survival skills and intelligence, which may also explain why she is our only remaining feral cat.”

Today, shelters cannot handle the current volume of pets. Also, pet shelters warn us to be leery of anyone that wants an entire litter of kittens as dog fighting rings use them for bait to start dog fights. Bill says, “We are glad our aviation kittens’ lives are no longer grounded, but now the sky is their limit!”

Several Hickory Aviation Museum pilots volunteer to transport animals for A ‘Pilots and Paws’ program. We also have volunteers who walk dogs being flown from kill shelters in the south to pet adoption shelters in the north.”

“A purr-caution for cats,” said The Humane Society of Cottage Grove president Janetta Overholser. “We often receive emergency calls about cats wearing collars. Pets grow, collars don’t.’ PLEASE DO NOT create a dangerous scenario. When a cat scratches their neck, they can get a foot hooked into the collar. This makes returning home difficult. We recently had a cat taken to vet, with his leg trapped through his collar, limping, and full of infection.

Also, the nature of cats means they can get the collar stuck on a bush or hang from a tree. Only use breakaway collars to prevent a tragedy.” Overholser added.

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Mary Ellen's Silver Persians swam their way into readers and viewer's hearts!

Several National and International TV shows featured the swimming felines teaching pet-water-safety.

Their furry faces also appeared on a line of t-shirts and on Animal Planet's Must Love Cats and Anderson Cooper's show.

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8820 NE 102 Street
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