‘Rustling’ leads to furry — and cute — discovery in plane at NC aviation museum
“Rustling” was heard inside a plane, leading to an adorable discovery in North Carolina.
A curious member of the Hickory Aviation Museum decided to look inside a display aircraft but didn’t see anything. Then he took a picture with his phone and zoomed in to see a furry surprise, officials said.
“He saw (a) mother cat and two little heads sticking up,” Buford Barnett, general manager of the museum about 55 miles northwest of Charlotte, told McClatchy News on Oct. 31.
It turns out, a feral cat had given birth to five kittens inside the plane. Now, about six or seven weeks after experts believe the babies were born, they have found a new home.
Officials partnered with the Humane Society of Catawba County to set up traps at the museum, which is located at the Hickory Regional Airport. That means there are potential hazards, including planes, trucks, coyotes and hawks.
“These kittens were not going to have a very good chance of life,” Erin Hooks, director of development for the humane society, told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
The last of the five kittens was captured on Oct. 27, and the nonprofit said it plans to raise them and keep their shots up to date. Then by December or so, the young animals will be neutered and ready for adoption.
But it was a different story for the kittens’ mom. She outsmarted the traps until she was finally caught on Oct. 31.
“She steps over the plate and gets the food and jumps out before the trap goes off,” Hooks said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The humane society wanted to catch the feral cat and spay her before bringing her back to the area around the museum. That’s the place she has called home and has become a beloved fixture.
Barnett said it has been at least a year since the mama cat started coming around the museum. During that time, people in the area have fed her and affectionately called her Phantom.
She gave birth inside a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, a model that was first used after World War II. Thousands of the training aircraft were built before production stopped in 1959, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
Barnett said the version on the museum’s property had its engine removed and access to its engine “riveted closed,” making it difficult for people to be able to reach the kittens.
“No one was small enough to even attempt to go into the jet to try to pull them out,” Barnett said. “They had an advantage on us there.”
Officials later were able to reach the kittens after their mom brought them outside of the plane to be closer to food. Those interested in adopting the kittens can visit catawbahumane.org for more information.
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 2:39 PM with the headline "‘Rustling’ leads to furry — and cute — discovery in plane at NC aviation museum."
