Pilot Adopts Cat He Flew to Safety During a Hurricane Rescue Flight

This weekend, Southwest Airlines partnered with Greater Good Charities and Lucky Dog Animal Rescue to save shelter animals affected by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene. And one lucky cat aboard didn’t just escape the storm — she found a forever home when the flight’s pilot, Captain Matthew Prebish, fell in love on the spot.

The kitten, Avery, was one of 145 animals transported to Wisconsin from Lucky Dog’s Rescue Campus in South Carolina. Earlier in the month, the pets had been relocated out of the storm’s path from Tennessee and Florida. In addition to the flight, Greater Good Charities and Southwest Airlines provided over 6,000 pounds of humanitarian aid packs to communities hit by the recent hurricanes. “This donation of humanitarian supplies and our emergency shelter pet airlift are part of our efforts to bring relief to the hardest-hit communities,” Liz Baker, the CEO of Greater Good Charities, said in a statement.

But no one expected what happened next: Captain Perish — aka “Captain Matt” — immediately connected with Avery. “It was love at 30,000 feet. I don’t think Captain Matt was expecting to adopt a hurricane evacuee from Tennessee when he agreed to fly this amazingly special flight, but some things are meant to be,” The CEO of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, Mirah A. Horowitz, told PEOPLE.

In a video taken after the rescue, Avery is cozy in Captain Perish’s arms. “Hey, I’m Captain Matt and I just adopted this kitten,” Captain Perish says. Later in the video, Avery relaxes in cockpit on Captain Perish’s lap.

Eight different shelters took in the rest of the animals, where they now await adoption: the Humane Animal Welfare Society, Elmbrook Humane Society, The Washington County Humane Society, the Humane Society of Jefferson County, the Dane County Humane Society, Eau Claire Community Humane Association, Green County Humane Society, and One Tail at a Time.

To support Lucky Dog and Greater Good Charities’ life-saving work, you can donate at the links below.