Animals displaced by Hurricane Sally brought to SPCA Tampa Bay

TAMPA, Fla. - A local animal shelter is stepping up to help rescue cats and dogs from the Panhandle. Nearly 50 were transported across the state Friday and will soon be looking for their forever homes.

The caravan left our area just after 8 a.m., meeting up with the Louisiana SPCA in the Tallahassee area to transfer the animals. A total of 28 cats and kittens, along with 20 dogs from animal welfare agencies in Pensacola were moved to free up space for animals impacted by Hurricane Sally.

Crews went right to work as soon as they arrived at SPCA Tampa Bay.

“We’re just gonna get them in, get them settled, make sure they have food and water and a comfortable place to sleep, then tomorrow our staff will jump right in and start checking them all out, making sure everybody’s doing well,” explained CEO Martha Boden. “Thankfully they’re coming with medical records so whatever care they’ve already received from the shelter in the Panhandle, we will already have that information so we don’t have to duplicate anything.”

Officials say there is a network between shelters across the country, and SPCA Tampa Bay did not hesitate to offer help after the hurricane hit. We are told the damage and flooding left many panhandle shelters without power and water.

All of the cats and dogs were already up for adoption, so staff expects many could be ready for new homes as soon as this weekend. SPCA Tampa Bay staff says once an animal is ready to go, it will be posted on their website, https://spcatampabay.org/.