LAKELAND, Fla. — More than 40 homeless kittens made the journey across the country Monday from Polk County, Florida, to northern Colorado in an effort to save their lives and find them forever homes.
“Collaboration is the key to advancing animal welfare across the country and we are so proud to work with Animal Friends Alliance to help Polk County pets in need. This life-saving journey will end with pets in loving homes in Colorado,” said Randa Richter, the humane programs and public media director at SPCA Florida.
SPCA Florida partners with several other no-kill shelters across the country to save the lives of homeless animals in Polk County, according to a press release. Those include partnerships in Maine, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Virginia, Ohio and Illinois.
The kittens took off from Lakeland International Airport and landed in Cheyenne, Wyoming before heading into Colorado. There, they were fully vetted and spayed or neutered, the press release says.
SPCA Florida, located in Lakeland, is a nonprofit “dedicated to improving the lives of pets and people in the community,” its website reads.
The no-kill shelter’s mission is to “eliminate animal suffering, and to engage the entire community in the welfare and well-being of animals.”
The organization says it has saved the lives of 3,297 animals since the start of 2021, and takes in more than 6,000 pets annually. Founded in 1979, it has grown into a full-service medical center.
If you’d like to learn more about SPCA Florida and the work that the organization does, click here.
