Tails in the News
Friends to the Rescue
The
Tree House Animal Foundation experienced quite a scare in the middle of March
when a fire destroyed part of a 12-unit building undergoing renovations next to
the shelter. Although the no-kill, cageless feline shelter did not suffer much
damage, and, gratefully, none of its 300 or so cats were hurt, the city deemed
the adjacent structure unstable and a threat to the shelter. The building was to
be demolished, and city officials ordered the shelter to be vacated
immediately. They had just one day to move all of the cats. “There were a lot
of operational issues to take care of in a very short period of time, including
moving sick cats and keeping them separate from cats who were ready for
adoption,” explains Bob Marovich, shelter board president.
The task could not have been completed
without the help of several generous area organizations, such as the Anti-Cruelty
Society, Animal Ark Veterinary Clinic,
“It was amazing how quickly the volunteers
and staff responded to the situation,” Marovich says. “What this experience has
revealed is the unbelievable commitment that the local shelters displayed by
stepping up to help,” Marovich adds. “It just goes to show what can be accomplished
together when it comes down to the safety and well-being of animals,” he says.
Besides the outpouring of love, the shelter
also got an unexpected lesson in disaster preparedness. “This gives us a
template to come up with some procedures should something like this happen
again,” Marovich notes. The cats have now returned to the shelter, but the cost
of transportation, temporary housing, and damages to the shelter put a dent in
the Tree House budget. “There are a lot of expenses associated with the fire
that have to be handled now, without impacting the day-to-day operations of the
shelter,” Marovich says.
