BRINNON, Wash. — Over 100 cats that were rescued from a property in Brinnon in late September are now looking for their forever homes ahead of the holidays.
Center Valley Animal Rescue (CVAR) told KIRO 7 they recently got custody of the animals and have been busy treating, spaying, and neutering them to prepare them for adoption.
“They had to undergo extensive testing for viruses, diseases they might be carrying as well as testing for things like drugs in their system, unfortunately,” CVAR’s Fundraising Coordinator Casandre Medel told KIRO 7. “Once we got through all the testing, we had to figure out who was healthy and who needed treatment.”
It’s the biggest hoarding case the rescue has been a part of.
“We really couldn’t have done it without the help of our partner rescues,” Medel said.
If you’re looking to welcome a new family member, here’s where you can adopt one of the cats:
· Seattle Humane took in several cats
· Pasado’s Safe Haven welcomed 25 cats
· PAWS of Bainbridge took in 16, mostly kittens
· Olympic Peninsula Humane Society took 10 cats
· Center Valley Animal Rescue has 35 cats including some feral ones for people looking to take in a barn cat with a safe outdoor environment.
The felines were seized from a property that’s part of an ongoing investigation by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Medel says CVAR’s director worked closely with law enforcement to ensure the safe transfer of the animals from the property to the rescue facility.
She says the morning of the rescue, all the volunteers met at the shelter to go over what to watch for and the safety protocol for handling the cats who may not be social towards humans.
“It was really just incredible to watch just how planned out it was because, in the weeks leading up, everyone in our office was like ‘150 cats? That’s so much! How are we going to take them in?’ Because we are a pretty small facility considering but with good organization and good leadership we made it happen,” Medel told KIRO 7.
In the days following the rescue, all of the volunteers showed up to make sure all of the cats were comfortable and cared for.
“I’m just beaming talking about this because this is what it’s all about,” Medel said. “To go from that point A that’s just so overwhelming that just seems completely impossible to this point now where we already have so many of them healthy and happy in homes and how we are ready to release more into homes and bring new family members to the community, it’s so rewarding.”
If you’re not necessarily a cat person, CVAR also has 39 puppies and adult Maltese available for adoption. Medel says they came from a case that was brought to their attention a week or so after the Brinnon cat hoarding case. One of the dogs arrived at the rescue pregnant, and Medel told KIRO 7 that six new puppies were born at the rescue last week and are being cared for by their mother and volunteers. Except the newborns, all the others are vaccinated, spayed, or neutered and seeking homes.
Medel says the rescue is always looking for varying levels of help and everyone is welcome to reach out for opportunities.
“Some people just want to come pet cats and that is amazing, and we need that, and some people love animals and support them but don’t feel like they can be there in person so there is always some way we can get creative to help this cause,” she told KIRO 7.
For volunteer opportunities click here.
To donate to the nonprofit, click here.