Dozens More Hurricane Ian Rescue Cats Arrive In MA From Florida

SALEM, MA — Twenty-nine more cats and kittens rescued from Hurricane Ian-ravaged areas of Florida have arrived in Salem — joining about 30 that remain available for adoption from an evacuation prior to the historic hurricane's landfall.

"These (newly arriving) cats were brought to Massachusetts where loving homes await, which gave the Florida shelters more space to help pets in need there," said Mike Keiley, MSPCA-Angell director of adoption centers and programs and executive director of NEAS. "We'll continue to help out in Florida as much as we can, even if it stretches our resources thin."

Keiley said 12 of the 42 cats that arrived in Salem and other MSPCA-Angell shelters from the Tampa area before the hurricane have been adopted with most of the remaining kittens and cats still available. The new felines were rescued from shelters in Naples and Sarasota County and were living in the shelter prior to the hurricane making landfall.

Bringing them to Salem opens space in the Humane Society Naples and Humane Society of Sarasota County to house cats newly homeless because of the storm.

"The state's been hit hard," Keiley said. "I'm proud that we're able to step up once again to help animals in need, impacted by a natural disaster."

(Stay up-to-date by viewing all Hurricane Ian coverage on Patch here.)

The new cats were flown from Florida to Binghamton, New York, where transport vans from MSPCA-Angell and the Northeast Animal Shelter were there to bring them to Massachusetts. The Bissell Pet Foundation funded the flight from southwest Florida.

The newly arrived cats will be available for adoption after the state-mandated 48-hour quarantine and any veterinary care needed.

"It's an ongoing situation that requires much more help," Keiley said. "Local shelters that were already at capacity will likely be inundated with animals displaced by the storm that are unable to be reunited with their owners despite all efforts, or are surrendered by people who have lost everything and can no longer care for their pets."

Keiley said he expects more cats and dogs to be brought to Massachusetts for adoptions "in the near future" - including 22 cats from Okeechobee County Animal Control that are set to arrive later this week and will be brought to the MSPCA's Cape Cod Adoption Center.

The MSPCA is asking that anyone able to donate to help offset the cost of caring for these cats to do so here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)