SPCA of Florida sends 72 kittens, cats to Virginia rescue as part of no-kill effort

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The SPCA of Florida usually adopts out one animal at a time. But on Wednesday, they saved dozens of lives in one fell swoop.

They crated up 72 kittens and nursing momma cats and loaded them onto a van from the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA.

Virginia, like many northern states, doesn’t have enough adoptable cats and dogs to keep up with the demand.

So when the SPCA of Florida contacted their counterpart in Charlottesville and asked if they needed cats, it was a no-brainer.

“It was an all hands on deck kind of mission, and we are just so excited,” said Chelsea Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the Virginia organization.

They drove 13 hours to get here.

The SPCA of Florida became a no-kill shelter a few months ago. They hope this first big shipment is the first of many; the organization has been reaching out cutting deals.

“We now have 6 states where we have agreements where we can take our kittens,” SPCA of Florida Executive Director Shelley Thayer told FOX 13. “All we have to do is supply the transportation. These are no-kill organizations. We have the resources, we just need the funding.”

Polk County, due to its size and rural nature, euthanizes more unwanted cats and dogs than almost any other place in the country.

With the SPCA of Florida's decision to become a no-kill shelter, it hopes to save an additional 4,000 lives this year, partly by sending cats and dogs to places where they would be more easily adopted.