The much-talked-about cat facility at the Lancaster County Animal Shelter is open and filled with furry felines waiting to be chosen and given a home.
Seventeen cats and kittens removed from small, cramped cages last week were running free in their new spacious, clean, cool home Wednesday afternoon.
"We wanted to get these cats out of those cages," said Animal Shelter Director Alan Williams. "It's a whole lot better for them, breathing fresh, clean air and enjoying some freedom."
The 14- by 26-foot shelter has two rooms, one for males and one for females. An exterior 8- by 26-foot run will be added in the next week, with a divider in the middle, Williams said.
The cat facility was built by Daniel Hammond, the county building maintenance director, with help from maintenance tech Tyler Love. The materials cost $11,000, according to Hammond. That includes the exterior runs.
"Hammond saved us a lot of money," Williams said.
In fact, that is $14,000 under the $25,000 that the county approved for the project.
When asked if the surplus money could be used to start a spay/neuter program for the cats, County Administrator Steve Willis explained that county council actually took the money from the county's savings.
"The council's approval was for the facility, not to exceed $25,000," Willis said.
If the shelter pushed the issue and presented council with the idea for a budget amendment, there is a chance the funds could be released to the shelter for such a program, he said.
The maximum capacity of the building is about 25 cats, maybe a few more once the exterior runs are built, Williams said. Cat towers and climbing trees will be added soon, he said.
The cats were tumbling and tangling with each other in their new space on Wednesday. A few were fascinated by small plastic balls with enclosed tinkling bells. Different personalities and energy levels were on display, making it easier for visitors to pick the perfect pet. Two cats were adopted earlier in the week, Williams said.
The cat house idea was the result of a conversation between County Council Chair Bob Bundy and the previous shelter director. Bundy visited the facility earlier this year to determine the most pressing needs at the overcrowded shelter.
He discovered the cats only had one designated room, which was always
overcrowded. The idea of a separate cat shelter was born.County council channeled a small surplus from other departments totaling $25,000 for the project.
Williams is hoping to partner with a local veterinarian for pre-adoption sterilization. He said he has had positive conversations with one.
"Spay and neuter should be at the top of the list for the shelter," Williams said.
"It's a way we can do our part to prevent more homeless cats. It will help us in the long run."
His biggest challenge right now is resistance to change – even changes for the better like shelter-sponsored sterilization. County council, animal advocates and the public are used to doing things a certain way.
"It's hard just changing the way things have always been done," he said.
Shelter-sponsored sterilization would begin with the cats, since the dogs have many animal rescue groups providing that service for them, Williams said. He wants to even things out for the cats.
In the past, the shelter has tended to favor the dogs, Williams said.
"These cats deserve a chance. Fair is fair," he said.
He reached down, picked up a tiny gray kitten with blue eyes, and gently caressed it and said, "Look at that little face. That is a pretty little kitten," he said.
The current adoption procedure includes a sterilization agreement, but understaffing and underfunding have made follow-up and enforcement difficult, Williams said.
Once cats come in the shelter, Williams observes them for a couple of days to determine their temperament, tests them for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), vaccinates and deworms them. Once that is complete, they are placed in the cat facility ready for adoption. His ultimate goal is to sterilize them before they are adopted out.
"I hope to get funding to keep about a dozen males and females fixed and keep them in the cat house," Williams said. "That way we know when they leave here, they aren't out there making more."
The cat facility offers visitors a place to get to know the cats a bit before making the commitment of adopting one. Two more kittens were adopted Wednesday afternoon.
Lancaster County residents Thera Bender and Ari Weisman made a second visit to the cat facility that day after narrowing their picks earlier in the week.
Bender left with the little grey blue-eyed kitten from the cat house, and Weisman selected an older kitten from one of the cages inside the shelter. They left smiling and happy with two purring kittens.
Williams invites the public to visit the cat house and spend time playing with the cats and providing human contact.
The adoption fee is $15 for kittens and $30 for cats. Williams said the shelter barely breaks even at that price, once the costs of vaccines, testing and deworming are figured in.
Williams has been in charge at the shelter since June 27 and feels he has finally caught up enough to begin making a difference. He hired his assistant director, Carissa Valenti, this week. She has made a huge difference in a short time, he said, giving him more time to spend with the animals and less time on paperwork.
"Alan has done a very, very good job," said County Administrator Steve Willis. "He came in and got things going again and has worked well with our community partners and rescue groups."
In an effort to offer more supervision and guidance to the shelter, Willis appointed Public Works Director Jeff Catoe as the direct supervisor to the shelter.
Williams was hired as shelter director after serving for a month as interim director. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) began an investigation at the shelter May 13, when the previous director was suspended. As of this week, the investigation remains open, according to SLED spokesperson Thom Berry.
When the investigation began, Lancaster County sheriff's spokesperson Doug Barfield said the allegations did not involve the direct care and welfare of any animals there.
The last three months have been filled with frustrated animal rescue groups voicing their concerns at county council meetings and demanding help for the overburdened, overcrowded and underfunded animal shelter.
The animal advocates continue to offer their time and talents to help care for the homeless pets. Among their requests are more funding, two-way communication, Saturday hours, clear photos of the pets on the shelter's website and Facebook pages, and assurance that the medical needs of the pets are met.
Both county council and animal rescue groups seem pleased with the hiring of Williams this past June.
8/21/16
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152
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