MSPCA-Angell Cares for More than 80 Cats Surrendered from Reading Home

Organization Issues Call for Adopters, Fosters as Resources Strained

BOSTON, Oct. 14, 2026 – The MSPCA-Angell is caring for 84 cats surrendered from a home in Reading where a woman was found deceased on October 8.

“Our hearts are with the family and everyone affected by this tragedy,” said MSPCA-Angell Director of Law Enforcement, Chris Schindler. “We removed the cats from the home and brought them to our shelters. Now, we’re focused on getting them the care they require before they’ll be ready to find new homes.”

The Reading cats have varying medical needs, and those that need treatment will receive it before they become available for adoption.

“We recognize the tremendous challenges often facing foster-based rescue work, when there’s an overwhelming number of cats in need with limited resources to care for them,” Schindler added, noting that a small number of the cats may be available for adoption as soon as this week while others are expected to remain in the MSPCA-Angell’s care for an indefinite period of time.

“Given that—and the fact that we were already caring for a lot of cats before this surrender—we really need help from the community: Whether that’s adopting, fostering, donating, or volunteering, there’s a way for everyone to chip in,” he said.

Those that would like to donate to help care for all of the cats in the MSPCA-Angell’s shelters are asked to give at mspca.org/petcareassistance.

Cats that are available for adoption are listed on mspca.org/adoptacat. More information on fostering may be found at mspca.org/foster. Volunteering resources are listed at mspca.org/volunteer.