FULLERTON : Cat Shelter Allowed by County to Reopen

Saying they are granting a “second chance,” Orange County animal control officials have reinstated the operating permit of Concerned Animal Lovers, just a week after shutting down the volunteer-staffed shelter.

Mark McDorman, chief of field services for Orange County animal control, said the volunteer group consented to several restrictions during meetings this week, including not taking in stray animals, the reason they were originally shut down.

“We never questioned their love or concerns for animals,” said McDorman, who led an undercover investigation of the cat shelter. “We feel pretty good that they will cooperate within the law. We are giving them a second chance.”

Officials of the volunteer group, however, contended that a public outcry over the shelter’s shutdown prompted county officials to rescind the order. “They had no idea we had this much public support,” volunteer Mary Nadwodny said.

The investigation was triggered by calls from concerned pet owners, many of whom said they had trouble retrieving lost cats from the shelter. During the six-week probe, county officials found that the group was illegally taking in lost and abandoned animals. Under its operating license, the group was only permitted to take in owner-released cats.

After the action last week the county received about 200 calls regarding the shelter, about half in favor of shutting it down, McDorman said. He said the decision to reinstate the permit was based on “several considerations.”

Nadwodny said the group agreed to the county’s new rules and would not take in strays. The group will also refuse wildlife, another violation for which the shelter was cited. But she said the volunteers will continue to encourage people to hold strays for 15 days to claim ownership, after which the group can legally take them in.

After the shelter’s closing last week, about 100 cats were euthanized and about 100 others were put into foster homes.

“This has been a horrid thing to do to the animals,” Nadwodny said. Since the reopening Wednesday, about 80 cats have been brought in, she said.

County officials say they will continue to closely monitor the operation to make sure the shelter is in compliance.