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MOUNT VERNON — A Knox Pages reader asked: What’s happening at the cat shelter?
In short, a lot.
The facility is about to undergo a significant expansion thanks to the bequest of a Knox County Humane Society member, along with several private donations.
As a result, a $440,029 construction contract was struck with Newark-based Claggett and Sons Builders. The Knox County government isn’t funding this project.
The Knox County cat shelter, built in 1993, is located on Columbus Road where it hasn’t seen an expansion is nearly 25 years.
In 2019 and 2020, the Knox County Commissioners deeded approximately 3/4 of an acre of land to Knox County Humane Shelter (KCHS), Martha Otto said while noting most of the property is east of the current shelter.
The property line west of the shelter is only about 10 feet from the current front door.
“We wanted to contain all our activities, including parking for the public (which now is on Knox County property), wholly within KCHS property,” Otto said. “In addition, we wanted a lobby that is more welcoming to the public and compliant with ADA standards, which our current lobby is not.”
Otto also said she wanted to expand and reconfigure the surgery and clinic areas to make them more efficient and less stressful for dogs and cats.
The lobby will be turned into a surgery suite and add a new room to house client dogs to separate them from the client cats and reduce the stress of both species.
The “dog room” will encompass 256 square feet, with the shelter veterinarian space measuring at 768 square feet.
Otto also said in 2021, the shelter’s surgery team neutered 784 male cats and spayed 1,042 females. It also “fixed” 130 male dogs and 164 female dogs, for a grand total of 2,120 animals, a 43-percent increase over 2020.
Otto said she hopes for the expansion to be completed by the first half of 2023.
The shelter is still conducting spay/neuter and wellness clinics during construction.
However, the shelter isn’t accepting surrendered animals or providing cats for adoption since the commotion of the additions would be very stressful to them, Otto explained.
Those in need may also post surrenders at this link.
