BOSTON (WWLP) – The MSPCA is looking for people to adopt homeless cats as the population has increased due to a large hoarding situation in South Carolina.

MSPCA and Northeast Animal Shelter rescued more than a dozen cats last Friday from a home that had about 100 cats on a South Carolina property. The team drove approximately 12 hours to bring them back to Massachusetts.

“We needed to move quickly as the cats are in pretty rough shape,” explained Mike Keiley, MSPCA-Angell director of adoption centers and programs and NEAS executive director. “They were rescued from a dire situation and are lucky help arrived when it did.”

  • Photo Courtesy: MSPCA-Angell
  • Photo Courtesy: MSPCA-Angell
  • Photo Courtesy: MSPCA-Angell
  • Photo Courtesy: MSPCA-Angell
  • Photo Courtesy: MSPCA-Angell
  • Photo Courtesy: MSPCA-Angell

The MSPCA and NEAS were alerted to the situation by the Berkeley Animal Center, a shelter the two organizations have been mentoring since last year.

“Berkeley has grown and evolved so much since we started working together, but they still don’t have the staffing or experience that we do when it comes to handling hoarding situations, so jumping in to help with this was a natural extension of our already existing mentorship,” said Keiley.

“The property owner was posing as a legitimate animal sanctuary for cats with special needs and was clearly not qualified,” he added. “We’re grateful we were there to help rescue the surviving cats and bring some to Massachusetts where we’re confident they’ll be able to find the loving homes they deserve.”

For more information on adoption or donations, visit mspca.org/carolinacats.

If you are interested in adopting a cat, most are adult to senior in age and the majority are domestic shorthairs. They are in stable condition but are dealing with issues related to long-term neglect, including malnourishment.

“Not only did we bring shelter staff, but also members of our Law Enforcement team. There were about 100 cats on the property, and we needed the varied expertise to safely remove and begin rehabilitating the cats that survived,” Keiley added, noting that a couple dozen cats on the property had already died.

The case is being investigated by local authorities.