In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, teams from the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance (ASNA), located in Asheville, North Carolina, and the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center, located in Weaverville, North Carolina, pivoted operations to support our National Field and Disaster responders, providing pet food and supplies to Western North Carolina shelters and community members in need.

On a partly cloudy Friday, November 1, Dr. Michelle Amtower and Lawrence Hartje, an ASNA kennel assistant, loaded an ASPCA van with pet food and hit the road for deliveries across the region. Exiting the highway, they heard high-pitched noises coming from under the van’s hood and pulled over.

Lawrence quickly phoned a local auto service center, Mr. Tire, for help, while Dr. Amtower cracked open a can of cat food, which lured the unexpected passenger, a 6-week-old kitten, out from under the engine block.

“The kitten was in surprisingly good shape, not thin, not dirty, no upper respiratory infection,” says Dr. Amtower. “Seemingly, she picked the perfect spot in the engine compartment to be safe, clean and most importantly, heard.”

Another Lucky Break

In the kitten’s second lucky break, the Mr. Tire Auto Service Centers employee who answered the phone was Phoenix O’Brien, the center’s general manager. He told Lawrence he wanted to adopt a kitten and happily agreed to foster the friendly feline, a dilute Calico.

Dr. Amtower and Lawrence drove the kitten to ASNA with instructions to hold the kitten for Phoenix, and they resumed their pet food distribution deliveries.

“We’re puzzled how she got into the vehicle but are thrilled she made her way to us,” says Colleen White, ASNA’s senior director of operations, who was one of several smiling faces to greet the kitten upon her arrival.

An Almost Instant Adoption

Phoenix was about to explain to Lawrence how to safely remove the kitten from the engine bay when Dr. Amtower successfully coaxed her out.

“I told him I wanted the kitten,” says Phoenix. “I hadn’t even seen her, but I knew it would be love at first sight.”

He left work to drive to ASNA.

“My mind was already made up,” he says. “I met her, and she was beautiful.”

A Companion for Hercules

Phoenix and his girlfriend, Crystal, had wanted to adopt another cat for some time as a buddy for Hercules, their black, five-year-old Turkish Angora.

On their first day together, the two felines were curious about each other, but since then, they’ve become “almost inseparable,” according to Phoenix, a self-described animal lover.

The couple named the kitten Mikazuki, the Japanese word for crescent moon, and made the adoption official after Mikazuki was spayed at ASNA and received a few more hugs from ASNA staff, including Dr. Amtower.

‘No Storm Can Break Our Spirit’

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, a pet adoption and rescue service in Asheville and long-time ASNA partner graciously offered to handle Mikazuki’s foster and adoption process despite losing their facility, which has saved more than 100,000 animals since 2007, during Hurricane Helene. Their animals were evacuated before the storm, and the organization has transitioned to a foster-based rescue organization while it plans to rebuild.

Mikazuki with Crystal, left, and Dr. Michelle Amtower at ASNA, right.

“We’re the only lifeline for thousands of animals every year, and it’s times like this when they need us most,” says Leah Craig Chumbley, Brother Wolf’s executive director.

ASNA, which has served Western North Carolina for nearly 30 years, was also impacted, temporarily unable to complete surgeries due to displaced staff and a lack of water service.

During those weeks without normal surgical operations, ASNA staff helped transport animals to safety, distribute pet food and supplies, and assist shelter partners and the public with veterinary medical needs. A little over one month after the devastating storm, ASNA was back in action performing high quality, high-volume spay neuter surgeries and making safety adaptations due to the lack of running potable water.