Nesconset Nonprofit Aims To Help Army Sergeant Bring Cats Home

NESCONSET, NY — American Army Sergeant Hetty, while stationed overseas, rescued a cat she called Nubbs. Nubbs is the mother of a litter of kittens. Sgt. Hetty has received her orders to head back to the United States, but she can't bear the thought of leaving Nubbs and her furbabies behind.

She has teamed up with the Nesconset-based nonprofit Paws of War to try to bring the felines back home to the U.S., according to a news release. However, the organization needs financial help to make it happen.

"We are happy to help Sgt. Hetty, but we can’t do it alone," said Dereck Cartright, a disabled veteran who is the stateside logistics coordinator at Paws of War, via news release. "Our efforts are only successful at these missions if the community supports it. When they make even a small donation, it all adds up so that we have the funds needed to make this happen."

May is both National Military Appreciation Month and National Pet Month. Anyone who would like to donate to help Sgt. Hetty and Nubbs can do so here.

Nubbs was found as a stray cat who roamed around the military base, according to Paws of War. One day, soldiers saw her listless body caught on barbwire and thought she was dead. They rushed over to help her and saw she was just stuck and in bad shape, so they nursed her back to health. It didn’t take long before they noticed she was gaining weight, and they realized she was pregnant.

The cat continued to hang around the soldiers, building a relationship with them. While she liked them all, her favorite person was Sgt. Hetty, whom she gave more affection to and trusted the most. She gave birth to four kittens, but only three survived, even though the soldiers tried to help as much as they could by taking turns nursing the kittens. They even reached out to local animal organizations for veterinary care, but they didn’t provide any assistance, Paws of War stated.

Sgt. Hetty, Nubbs, and the kittens created a strong bond, which made her anxious when she got her deployment orders that showed she would be heading back to the U.S. She feels that she can not abandon Nubbs and the kittens in the area where she is deployed due to it not being hospitable for cats, the news release states. The sergeant's wish is to relocate the cats back to her home so Nubbs and her babies can live our their lives in safety and comfort, Paws of War shared.

"I love Nubbs, so there’s no way I can just walk away from her and leave her and the babies to fend for themselves," Sgt. Hetty stated via the news release. "I asked around and was told that Paws of War helps soldiers with rescues like this. I’m hoping that they can help me to get Nubbs and her babies back to my home. It would mean so much to me to be able to save them, and not leave them to die."

Nubbs is a calico cat, which is considered to be good luck. Her babies have been named Biggie Paws, Dhabi, and Patti. Paws of War said it needs the help of the community in order to make this rescue happen.

Every year, Paws of War helps soldiers to bring animals they rescue while serving overseas safely to the United States. Often times during deployment, the dogs and cats that they befriend bring them such joy and help them get through their tour of duty. While the organization has helped many soldiers rescue their pets, it's always challenging to do so, according to the nonprofit.

The mission is costly and takes jumping through numerous hoops, but Paws of War has done it enough times that it is able to navigate the procedure and successfully relocate the pet. The organization has a strong network of support that helps it to navigate through the challenges and logistics of relocating a pet overseas, and to pay for the care, paperwork, and flight that is involved in the mission.

Paws of War helps soldiers bring their rescued dogs and cats to America after serving their country overseas through its War Torn Pups and Cats program.