Teamwork, tenacity, and an epic road trip save 36 cats

A chorus of meows serenaded Best Friends caregivers Leah Massey and Parker Marine as they carefully loaded 36 cats into a van for an epic cross-country trip. Edamommy, a tabby cat with a bright orange swath of fur on her face, was the soprano of the bunch, but she quickly quieted down once the trip started.

The long-haul was all because a shelter in Rankin County, Mississippi, had an emergency situation. A cat tested positive for panleukopenia, a common but life-threatening virus that can wreak havoc in shelters if the staff don’t catch it right away. It was also the height of summer, and despite the team setting up fans in the cat area, the air-conditioning system wasn’t keeping up with the Mississippi summer heat. The shelter staff did an excellent job keeping the cats comfortable, but the potential for a panleukopenia outbreak loomed large.

Best Friends had already been working with the shelter for some time and had assisted other shelters around the country when they faced similar challenges. “We wanted to help them empty out the shelter,” says Dr. Erin Katribe, Best Friends director of national veterinary programs. The cats needed a place to go and to be monitored closely for symptoms of panleukopenia.

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Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill in 2025, and that means working together with other animal welfare organizations to save pets’ lives, giving each one what they need to move out of the shelter and into a happy new life.

After a search to place the cats closer to where they already were in Mississippi, the best option turned out to be to move them to the Sanctuary. There, they could be monitored for symptoms of panleukopenia, treated if necessary, and ultimately be placed in homes.

A whirlwind of activity followed: Plane tickets were booked, a van was reserved, and a location in Oklahoma (the midpoint between Mississippi and Utah) was secured to safely house the cats overnight.

“We flew to Mississippi, picked up the van, drove to the shelter, loaded 36 cats and kittens into kennels, got them all settled with food and water, and hit the road," says Leah.

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Approximately eight hours later, they reached Tulsa, Oklahoma. “The Humane Society of Tulsa provided us with a space to keep the cats for the night,” Leah says. “It was a completely separate, quarantined area away from the rest of the shelter, so we knew everyone would be safe."

After ensuring all the kitties were tucked in safe and sound for the night with fresh food, water, and litter, Leah and Parker tucked their own tired (but happy) selves into a nearby hotel. The next morning, they reloaded the cats into their kennels, refreshed their supplies, and hit the road again. And despite some challenges — including a flash flood or two — everyone arrived safely at the Sanctuary.

After Best Friends veterinarians checked everyone out, many of the cats went into foster care, including Edamommy, who brought some “stowaways” with her. She gave birth less than 24 hours after her arrival to three healthy, bouncing baby kittens.

“When I heard that Best Friends was looking for foster homes, and that one of the cats had just gone into labor, I knew we could provide a safe space for the mama and her babies,” says foster caregiver Jill Williams. “After the kittens were born, we brought them home to our large walk-in closet, which has always been a cozy haven for our many foster kittens over the years. Mama cat immediately made herself comfortable and has been the most nurturing mother. All the babies are growing and thriving. Every day we see new little stripes or spots, hear funny new sounds, or watch silly little wiggles that seem to pop up overnight.”

The best part (besides the cuteness overload)? Jill had the honor of naming the adorable little family. She embraced a vegan-friendly vibe and gave them all plant-based names: Edamommy (best name ever), Mew-shroom, Mochi Nugget, and M.C. Peapod.

The cats and kittens are all doing well, and none came down with panleukopenia after all. Some of the kittens have already been adopted, and the others are well on their way to the next step in their lives: new homes.

And the shelter received a grant from Best Friends to help fund a new building, complete with new air-conditioning, a heating system, lights, and animal housing areas.

In the end, the cross-country journey with a van full of cats and kittens wasn’t just about saving lives — it was about creating a network of care and compassion. Leah says, “Being able to support this shelter and honestly honor where their hearts are by ensuring those animals receive medical care and find adoptive homes is at the heart of it all.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.