Hurricane Ian Florida Rescue Cats On Way To Salem Animal Shelter

SALEM, MA — The Northeast Animal Shelter of Salem and the MSPCA-Angell brought the first 42 cats from Tampa, Florida-area shelters north to Massachusetts on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Ian's expected devastating landfall early Wednesday morning.

MSPCA-Angell said that the ASPCA sponsored a flight carrying the cats — which included 28 from the Lee County Domestic Animal Shelter and 14 from Tampa's Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center — was set to land at Worcester Regional Airport late Tuesday morning.

Thirty-one of the cats, which include kittens as young as two months old and senior cats as old as 13 years, will go to the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, while the other 10 will go to the Boston adoption center.

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"These cats were directly in Ian's path so it was essential for us to partner with other organizations, such as the ASPCA, to evacuate them ASAP," said Mike Keiley, Director of Adoption Centers and Programs at the MSPCA-Angell. "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."

Catastrophic flooding caused by a possible 15-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay is a major worry for officials as Hurricane Ian intensified to near Category 3 status with sustained winds of 105 miles per hour early Tuesday morning.

"This could be the storm we have all feared," said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

Parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in Florida are under evacuation orders that could displace 300,000 residents. Lines were long at gas stations, grocery stores and home improvement stores selling out of storm supplies.

The Florida rescue cats will quarantine in Massachusetts for 48 hours before being examined and readied for local adoption.

Those looking to help defray the veterinary and shelter cost of these cats — and additional dogs and cats that may be relocated in the wake of the historic storm — can help out 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.)