'Ice Cream' Special On Its Way From Louisiana To Salem Animal Shelter

SALEM, MA —Ice Cream, the adorable little black kitty with a clubbed paw rescued along with 15 of its friends from an overcrowded Louisiana animal shelter, is expected to arrive in Salem on Thursday for surgery, treatment and then, hopefully, adoption to a forever home in New England.

MSPCA-Angell said that while Ice Cream's condition is not life-threatening, the kitten will require a hind leg amputation before being put up for adoption.

"Club foot is not a super unusual condition, and amputation surgeries are relatively routine for our clinics, but in the shelter where he was living veterinary resources are scarce so there would have been no option to address his condition," the Northeast Animal Shelter said.

The relocation of Ice Cream and its cajun friends is part of the partnership between the Northeast Animal Shelter and MSPCA-Angell that has helped bring thousands of dogs and cats from overcrowded and storm-ravaged shelters in other parts of the country to Massachusetts over the past two years where they then go through necessary rehabilitation and are put up for adoption — with amazing success rates.

Ice Cream and friends will be posted for adoption after undergoing the state-mandated quarantine and any veterinary care. They will be showcased here when they become available.

The latest transport is in advance of #GivingDay on March 23 and the debut of the MSPCA Academy, which will be a day of live presentations on a variety of topics, including training tips for adopted pets, pet health and information on how MSPCA-Angell and Northeast intend to combine to save "thousands" of more pet in 2023.

More on the MSPCA Academy can be found 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.)