A purrfect ending: - Seniors 101

Kabul cat and NATO officer reunite in Vancouver.

Abandoned, tear gassed, airlifted and very much loved: a cat rescued from Afghanistan finds a new home

But Tay Tay, a three-year-old grey tabby, was much more than a number to Gary Ash, 59, a NATO officer stationed in Kabul. Ash worked in occupational safety at Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Kabul, Afghanistan, located next to the American Embassy.

She was a friend.

Tay Tay beside Gary Ash on a cold night at Camp Resolute Support in Kabul. PHOTO BY GARY ASH /PNG

So when an international mission organized an airlift to Vancouver to liberate Tay Tay and 300 other dogs and cats stranded in Kabul, nothing would stop Ash from coming to get her, and take her home to Vacaville, Calif.

Tay Tay was one of 10 cats at the RSM headquarters in Kabul. Known as the “Fightin Felines of the RSHQ,” the cats had clipped left ears that showed they were working cats, and plenty of official duties, like catching mice.

“We weren’t supposed to touch them, or pet them,” said Ash, who had arrived in Kabul in Nov. 2020 to work as a garrison safety officer.

I am a cat person,” said Ash. “I had cat snacks and I’d give them a treat. My peers would say, ‘Stop it, they are supposed to be chasing mice.’”

One cat in particular stood out: Tay Tay.

Tay Tay took a liking to Ash, and the feeling was mutual. “She’s pretty, she’s petite, but she’s strong,” said Ash.

Soon Tay Tay was following Ash around the base, even sneaking inside to find him if someone left a door open.

“A bond formed,” said Ash. When he left in June 2021, he was not allowed to take the cat with him, but he left Tay Tay with a friend at the U.S. embassy. “I took comfort in knowing she would be taken care of.”

As events unfolded during the NATO withdrawal from Kabul in August, Ash learned that Tay Tay had been left by embassy staff in the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR). Although an evacuation flight had been arranged, “it all fell apart before our eyes,” said Ash.

The dogs meant for that flight were released at the airport under orders of the military, and the cats, still in their cages, were tear-gassed, Ash said. Six of the cats perished, but Tay Tay survived.

After an international outcry, months of planning and hard work by KSAR in Kabul, and international fundraising efforts, another flight was arranged. Tay Tay made it onto the plane.

When the plane landed in Vancouver on Tuesday, Ash was there to meet her. His fantasy of a warm cuddle dissipated immediately.

“I saw Tay Tay in her giant crate and she was petrified,” said Ash.

Ash took Tay Tay to the hotel, where he let her out of her cage. She found a cosy hiding space in the hotel room, behind the towel rack, and had something to eat. She sniffed Ash now and then, slowly warming up, and even let him slip a harness on her for the trip home — a requirement for going through airport security.

Tay Tay, already traumatized by her last international flight, slipped out of the harness in YVR security. “It took 45 minutes and five security guys to round her up,” said Ash.

Now Tay Tay is unwinding in Vacaville, napping under a new favourite chair on a lambskin and a familiar Afghan rug, and, getting used to retirement.

“We’ve been apart for six months and she’s been through hell,” said Ash. “It’s an extraordinary feeling to have her home.”

Animal welfare organization SPCA International and partners Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR), War Paws, Marley’s Mutt’s, RainCoast Dog Rescue Society, and Thank DOG I Am Out Rescue Society) arranged for around 300 dogs and cats stranded in Afghanistan to be evacuated to Canada. It’s been nearly a six-month long effort to extract the animals. The animals arrived Monday evening via chartered plane at Vancouver International Airport. The animals are seen at Signature Aviation, East Building in Richmond.

This article and photo was published in the Globe and Mail on February 4th 2022.