Photo: Courtesy of the MSPCA-Angell
SALEM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Prior to Hurricane Ian making landfall in Florida earlier this week, dozens of cats were evacuated from the area and brought to Massachusetts for adoption.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston and the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem announced that a plane carrying 42 cats landed at Worcester Regional Airport, the flight being sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 28 of those cats had been living at the Lee County Domestic Animal Shelter, while the other 14 were kept at Tampa's Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center.
Video provided by the MSPCA shows the cats arriving and deplaning on the tarmac to begin their 48-hour quarantine before the NEAS and MSPCA can put them up for adoption. 10 of the cats were brought to the MSPCA's adoption center in Jamaica Plain and 31 went to NEAS in Salem. Officials say the batch of relocated felines includes kittens as young as two-months-old and adults aged up to 13.
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“These cats were directly in [hurricane] Ian’s path so it was essential for us to partner with other organizations, such as the ASPCA, to evacuate them as quickly as we could, ” Director of Adoption Centers and Programs at the MSPCA-Angell and Executive Director of the NEAS Mike Keiley said.
With the two-day quarantine period passed, the cats became eligible for adoption at the MSPCA and NEAS respectively. Those interested in donating to help animal protection officials offset the cost of care for the cats can do so here.
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