Massachusetts

In Wake of Deadly Tornadoes, 100 Cats From Kentucky Animal Shelter Arrive in Mass.

The MSPCA and Northeast Animal Shelter expect to hold an adoption special for the cats early next week

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One hundred cats arrived in Massachusetts on Wednesday, hoping to find their forever homes in the Bay State as Kentucky shelters seek to clear room for other animals in the wake of deadly tornadoes that blew through parts of the South and Midwest last weekend.

The cats were taken from the Kentucky Humane Society in Louisville, loaded onto a charter plane and flown to the New Bedford Regional Airport on Wednesday, according to an executive director for MSPCA, which helped coordinate the move.

After landing in the Bay State, the cats were going to be taken to the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem and placed under a required quarantine before being offered for adoption, Rob Halpin said. 

Severe tornadoes in mid-December are a normally rare occurrence. But as NBC10 Boston meteorologist Pamela Gardner explains, we had wind shear, instability, and a strong jet stream to help fuel the tornado outbreak this past weekend. Here is the science behind what happened:

While all of the cats brought to Massachusetts were living at the Kentucky Humane Society prior to the tornadoes, animal shelter officials were eager to relocate the cats to make room for an expected wave of pets who suddenly are lost or homeless as a result of the storms.

From countless kittens to a 10-year-old cat, there's plenty of options. And they have some great names, too. Pebbles and Bam Bam, Mayflower and Pocahontas.

Most will be at the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, while 22 will head to Cape Cod.

The MSPCA and Northeast Animal Shelter expect to hold an adoption special for the cats early next week, just in time to get them into their forever homes for the holidays.

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