Salem Animal Shelter To Adopt Out 32 South Carolina Rescue Cats

SALEM, MA — A collaboration between MSPCA-Angell and the Northeast Animal Shelter brought 32 rescue cats from South Carolina to the Salem shelter this past weekend in what will be the first of several relocations to help trim the rampant homeless pet population in the Southeast part of the country.

The program will not only look to find the cats forever homes in New England, it is part of a mentorship program with the Darlington Humane Society, which is experiencing a "large and increasing number of homeless animals."

"Expanding our mentorship program was a natural next step after the success we've had over the past year with (the Berkeley Animal Center of South Carolina)," MSPCA and Northeast Animal Shelter Director of Adoption Centers and Programs Mike Keiley said. "But there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to working to end animal homelessness.

"In Berkeley, we spent a lot of time sharing our experiences addressing the free-roaming cat population in Massachusetts to help them on the path to similar success. But with Darlington, we're sharing ideas and tactics to help manage a large and increasing number of homeless animals."

The new arrivals are mostly domestic shorthair cats that range from five months old to two years old. They will be available for adoption out of the Salem shelter after they clear a state-mandated 48-hour quarantine and receive any necessary veterinary care.

Those interested in adopting one of the South Carolina cats can monitor here to see when they become available.

The mentorship partnership between the Massachusetts and South Carolina shelters began in May with the goal to relocate animals when necessary, and also helping officials in that area set up a "trap, neuter, vaccination and release" program for feral cats in the areas of South Carolina's Berkely Animal Shelter in Moncks Corner and the Charleston Animal Shelter.

A six-person team made several trips to South Carolina in 2022 with the goal of sterilizing up to 150 cats per weekend and 1,800 cats per year.

There are an estimated 32,000 cats living outside in colonies across Berkeley County in South Carolina.

"Our No. 1 goal with this program is to reduce the population of community cats who cannot live in adoptive homes and, as a result, multiply quickly in every corner (of the state)," Keiley said.

Since beginning their affiliation in 2021, MSPCA-Angell and the Northeast Animal Shelter have relocated more than 5,000 dogs and cats from overcrowded shelters and storm-stricken areas of the country to New England, where demand for pet adoption remains high nearly three years removed from the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis.

(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.)