US Army soldier saves cat on deployment, seeks help bringing her home before holidays

A U.S. Army soldier is hoping to overcome hurdles to bring his pet back home with him after deployment.

When Spc. Kaiden arrived on duty overseas, he saw a cat that would watch everyone from atop pallets, but run away afraid if anyone approached her. One day, Spc. Kaiden decided to sit on the pallets to see how the cat named "Tiger" would react. From that moment on, the cat and Spc. Kaiden formed a bond threatened by the possibility of being nearly 7,000 miles apart.

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"Spc. Kaiden has a strong bond with Tiger, and now he needs her to safely be sent back to her home in America," explains Dereck Cartright, a disabled veteran who is the stateside logistics coordinator for the nonprofit Paws of War. "We want to do everything we can to help make this happen, but we need the assistance of the public to successfully pull off the mission."

Tiger took to sitting on Spc. Kaiden’s shoulders and always running up to him when he was around. She even became friendlier with the others, losing her fear as time went on. She was fed and well taken care of, and provided Spc. Kaiden with companionship and something to look forward to each day.

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Tiger will have to fend for herself if she is not sent back to the states, where she can live out her life in her forever home with Spc. Kaiden and his family.

Spc. Kaiden had heard of Paws of War helping other people in the service to get their pets relocated after deployment, so he reached out to see if they could help him, too.

"Tiger and I have become inseparable, and I can’t imagine leaving her behind when I live thousands of miles away," explained Spc. Kaiden. "I’m grateful that there is an organization like Paws of War that cares enough to help us with this type of situation. I’m also thankful there are people in the community who support what they do, so that they can carry out their mission."

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Paws of War is working to relocate Tiger back to America for Spc. Kaiden, and is seeking community support to help make it happen. In addition to the financial costs that it will incur, which includes airfare, veterinary care and other logistics that can be costly, there are government hurdles. 

To help save Tiger, visit the site: HelpSaveTiger.PawsofWar.org.

Donations Paws of War receives from those in the community, no matter how small they may seem, all add up to help pull off successful missions for the soldiers.