Dozens of cats who had been living at Florida shelters were flown up to Massachusetts Tuesday morning as the area prepares for Hurricane Ian.
The 42 cats come from the Lee County Domestic Animal Shelter and Tampa’s Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center. They will undergo a 48-hour quarantine and then be readied for adoption by the MSPCA in Boston and Northeast Animal Shelter (NEAS) in Salem.
"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," said Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs at the MSPCA-Angell and executive director of the Northeast Animal Shelter. "This transport ensures that both Lee County Domestic Animal Shelter and Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center are prepared to take in additional pets who could be displaced by this historic storm."
More on Hurricane Ian
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The transport was part of an effort to get vulnerable animals out of the storm's path. There are kittens as young as two months old and adults as old as 13.
"Right now, they're safe and secure and adjusting," said Mike Keiley, executive director of Northeast Animal Shelter.
Keiley told NBC10 Boston that MSPCA members would travel down to areas affected by the storm, and cats and other animals would be rescued.
The cats that have been flown to Massachusetts are expected to be available for adoption by the end of the week, an MSPCA spokesperson said. Those interested in donating to the animals' care can do so here: mspca.org/ian. More information will be available at a later date.
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