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On December 21, 2014, Alley Cat Rescue, The U.S. National Cat Protection Association, greeted five kittens at Washington Dulles International Airport as they made their long journey from Erbil, Iraq. Thanks to a kindhearted member of the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, these lucky kittens were given a second chance at life.

While on a diplomatic mission in Iraq, Tony and his colleagues became involved in rescuing homeless cats and kittens. They provided cats in need with food, vaccinations, sterilization services when possible, and a safe shelter until arrangements could be made to fly them out of the combat zone to their new homes in the United States. By 2015, these dedicated men and women had rescued 20 cats and kittens, with one such group of felines making their journey to Alley Cat Rescue.

In May of 2014, Tony received a request from an individual living in Baghdad, to foster a mama cat and her five kittens for a few weeks until they could be flown to the U.S. Soon after their arrival in Erbil, it was noticed that the mother cat's belly seemed to be growing, and sure enough she was already pregnant with another litter. In early June, mama cat (Josie) gave birth to five more kittens.

The first attempt to fly the original five kittens to the U.S. was made in early July; however, due to cargo restrictions, the attempt was unsuccessful. Another attempt was made in August, but due to increased threats, all commercial flights were cancelled.

Finally in early December, Josie and her first litter were flown to foster homes in the U.S., with her second litter making the same journey a few weeks later. Alley Cat Rescue is honored to have taken in five of the kittens, and we cannot thank the servicemen and women enough for caring for animals living in combat zones...what selfless acts of compassion!