Aloha Air Cargo has teamed up with the nonprofit Save Maui Cats to begin Operation Aloha Cat — an initiative to fly kittens to adoptive homes on the mainland.
Last week, Flight 8202 from Maui to Seattle carried 10 kittens.
According to Save Maui Cats, there are currently around 40,000 stray cats on the island. That is about one cat for every three humans on Maui.
Captain Adam Townley-Wren, a pilot for Northern Aviation Services, the parent company of Aloha Air Cargo, reached out to Save Maui Cats.
While Maui currently faces a lack of people and funding to get cats spayed and neutered, some shelters in the mainland have a shortage of rescue cats.
Prior to the flight, each kitten underwent a thorough medical exam to prepare for safe transport.
Operation Aloha Cat will continue to deliver Maui cats to adoptive families on the mainland.
