JIM THORPE, Pa. — The doors are locked at Carbon County Friends of Animals in Jim Thorpe. A sign taped on the front door alerts visitors that the shelter will be closed until March 20 because cases of ringworm were found in some of the cats.
It's a problem the shelter's been dealing with for a month.
"We had someone who adopted two kittens, and when she took them, we required them to take them to a vet for a checkup after adoption. It was when she took them for the vet visit that the vet spotted the ringworm, and they let us know. So, then we knew we had to be more proactive," said Susie Yaich, the co-founder and a board member.
Yaich decided to close for a month to stop the spread.
Not all of the cats are infected. Affected animals are being treated.
Yaich says volunteers must be dressed from head to toe in disposable protection while at the shelter.
"They're required to wear paper gowns, booties, and gloves. We are using a specific disinfectant that kills ringworm on contact, but because the cats — until they are ringworm-free — they will continue to shed spores, so we're going to have to keep checking the cats," said Yaich.
While the shelter's closed, they're still accepting and need donations, like cleaning supplies.
"I'm trying to nip it in the bud. Get it taken care of, and hopefully, by March 20, we will have it completely eradicated, and then people can start adopting cats again," Yaich said.
For now, the Carbon County Friends of Animals shelter in Jim Thorpe will not take in any cats or adopt any out.
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