Berkeley Humane And Nine Lives Fly Kauaʻi Cats To Safety After Hurricane

BERKELEY, CA — Say aloha to the dozens of cats and kittens traveling from Hawaii to the Bay Area on Monday to find new loving homes after Hurricane Nolo damaged Kauaʻi.

Berkeley Humane Society partnered with Nine Lives to help Kauaʻi Humane transport 50 to 60 cats between Monday, Oct. 5 and Monday, Oct. 12, according to the nonprofits.

Hurricane Nolo has caused damage, power and water outages and overcrowding at shelters such as Kauaʻi Humane Society, the nonprofits told Patch.

"Kauaʻi Humane Society is facing an extraordinary situation, with more animals continuing to arrive while their resources and capacity are stretched," Jeffrey Zerwekh, Executive Director of Berkeley Humane, said in a statement. "When another animal welfare organization is facing a crisis, we believe in showing up. By working together across organizations and across the Pacific, we can immediately relieve some of that pressure and give dozens of cats and kittens a fresh start."

Berkeley Humane and Nine Lives will provide the felines with veterinary care. Officials say the cats will be available for fostering or adoption once they receive the necessary care.

Officials, meanwhile, are calling on community members and cat lovers alike for support, including with veterinary care, food and supplies.

"In a disaster, the youngest and most vulnerable animals can quickly be put at even greater risk," Liam Montgomery, Executive Director of Nine Lives, said. "Kittens require significant care, space, and resources, and moving them to safety creates critical capacity for Kauaʻi Humane Society to continue helping animals impacted by this crisis."