MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — A bucket of paint, a ladder, and a paint roller are signs that work is underway to revamp an old building at Camp Papillon Animal Shelter near Snydersville.
The building will not be for employees or dogs. Instead, it will be the new cat cottage. A fire tore through the old one more than two years ago.
"Not only did we lose a building, but we lost ten cats in that fire. The plan all along was to rebuild. However, the money that we received from the insurance and the donations weren't enough to rebuild, and then what happened? COVID," said board member Felicia Katz.
Since the fire in April 2020, the shelter hasn't had any cats on its property, but it hopes to change that very soon, welcoming cats from overflowing shelters in the area.
"We're hoping to take some of that burden off them and open up," Katz said. "Once we get the house completed, open it up for more cats, and there is, even since COVID, the shutdown, the cat community has gone up, doubled and tripled in size."
A new roof, windows, and electrical work are some of the big-ticket items that still need to get checked off their to-do list to open the new cat cottage, and they need your help.
"Unfortunately, with the prices, everything went up two three prices since COVID. We're struggling a little bit, and if we can count on the community to come to help us open it up sooner."
If all the projects are completed, and the building is safe and ready for cats, the hope is to start taking them in at the end of January.
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