These drones are the cat’s meow!

A Jersey Shore restaurant owner has unleashed an army of 18 high-tech drones to help rescue missing dogs, cats — and even a cow!

Michael Parziale, 64, and his nonprofit Unmanned Search and Rescue (U.S.A.R.) Drone Team — based in Manasquan — has so far saved 122 critters across the Garden State since it was founded two years ago.

“I’m doing it in honor of my father, who fought in World War II, and my two grandfathers, who fought in World War 1,” Parziale told the Post. “It’s my way of giving back to veterans.

“We do pet rescue to support the veterans in their drone-career training for free. Afterwards, they get jobs doing aerial surveying, agricultural spraying, photography and infrastructure inspections, along with search and rescue careers. You can’t have a nonprofit without profit.”

The idea for U.S.A.R. came to him after he helped locate a mentally handicapped man who’d been missing for three days in nearby Toms River.

“A pastor asked if I could come down and try to find him,” Parziale recalled. “I found him in an hour and 18 minutes. He was in a swamp. He was hypothermic, and after a few hours more, he would have expired.”

Soon after, someone asked Parziale if he could locate a lost pet, and after a successful mission, he decided four-legged family members was the way to go.

“It just developed into animals because I became really good at that,” explained Parziale.

The nonprofit has been growing by leaps and bounds as word of his success spreads.

Through his GoFundMe page, Parziale — an FAA-licensed drone pilot — also finances pet searches for the retired elderly, whose pets are sometimes their only form of companionship. And he does that as a public service.

“Every dollar is applied toward that,” said Parziale.

Parziale, who works alongside his two grown sons — Michael John, 27, and Jonathan, 17 — and a rotating group of five or six volunteers, said the people who reach out are often overwhelmed with emotion when the pet goes missing and when they’re reunited.

“I had one woman who was crying on my shoulder so much my shirt was wet!” he said. “Their pets are like children to them.”

Last February, Gina Manfredi’s five-month old puppy was lost. The American Bully mix named Shade was headed out for a walk with Gina when a sound startled the pooch and he took off into the cold night.

“It started getting really dark. It was cold, the winds started picking up, and (it began) lightly snowing,” Gina told NJ.com.

After a 24-hour search, she was frantic. Someone recommended U.S.A.R. Drone Team, and Gina called Michael, who raced to her home — and found Shade in 41 minutes.

“Michael donates his time and expertise to help those who cannot afford to hire a professional, dedicating countless volunteer hours to reuniting families with their pets,” Gina said in a Facebook post that detailed her ordeal, which can be seen in a heartwarming video on ABC News.

“It’s a beautiful reminder of the incredible kindness that exists in the world … In a world that can sometimes feel uncertain, this experience has been a powerful reminder that there is far more good than bad.”

Once he receives a call, Parziale hits the road, traveling anywhere in New Jersey — from Cape May to the northern mountains.

“We go to the location and then release the drone about a half mile away,” he explained. “Technically, our drones can reach 21,000 feet, but FAA rules limit us to 400 feet above ground level. And if we’re by airports, we let them know we’re nearby.”

Parziale, a private pilot for 45 years, also takes his drones into disaster zones. When hurricanes hit the East Coast, he flies in to assist first responders, using specialty drones to spot floods and landslides from above.