This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, May 22, 2012 - What's the first order of business when you move a couple hundred cats?
"I went to Home Depot and bought trash cans and sponges and mops," Brandyn Jones, executive director of Animal House, says of the first days of her journey as the nonprofit cat shelter and rescue organization moved from the Midtown neighborhood of St. Louis to near the Hill neighborhood of southwest St. Louis.
When the city-run Gasconade Pound closed in the summer of 2010, St. Louis was at a loss; the cats and dogs that would have been housed at Gasconade were threatened with becoming strays once more.
“It was an emergency situation,” Jones said. But fortunately for the animals, several members of the community were ready to step in. Stray Rescue housed the dogs, and Animal House took in the cats.
Jones and her team brought 75 cats to a former warehouse at 2801 Clark Street. There the group implemented its “no-kill” policy. “I hate that term, but there’s really no other way to say it,” Jones said. The group then broadened its contact with the community, and took its fundraising initiative into higher gear. But the location wasn’t right for the work Animal House intended to do — the building had no windows, was too big, and was located in an industrial part of St. Louis.
Now, with two years of experience, the Animal House crew members are reflecting on their work and refining their mission. “It’s been a weird, winding road, but we’ve ended up in a good place,” Jones said.
'Emotional well being'
With the paint drying on the walls of the new 2151 59th Street location, the future is looking brighter, with lots of windows and open space. Large cages will soon be decorated with colorful paintings of Dr. Seuss’ Loraxes and star-bellied Sneetches. On the outskirts of The Hill, near residential areas, the location is in general "better for the emotional and physical wellbeing of the animals," the ultimate goal of Animal House’s work, Jones said.
The new location has brightened the spark of the group’s work and matched the unfussy vibe of their day-to-day ritual, she said.
Jones is in charge of the daily morning routine. "We wake up together," she said of herself and her cats. She and the early-rising volunteers come into the shelter to feed all the cats and check in on them every morning. "We get to see everyone, who’s healthy, who’s eating, who’s not eating, good poop, bad poop, everything. It’s a very hands-on, grass roots kind of feel."
"And then the phone starts ringing," Jones said. Whether the call is about stray kittens under a porch, a feral cat wandering the neighborhood, or six kittens in a drainpipe, volunteers are on the telephone, addressing each issue.
The shelter has "no shortage of intake," Jones said, but it never considers its own facilities as a first option.
Perhaps the kittens’ mother has left for a bit, or the animal has simply wandered from its owners; flyers and a finished bathroom with a foster parent or apart from the general Animal House population as a temporary home are a much better option than immediately placing the cat into a shelter. In other situations, when volunteers suspect abuse or neglect, a telephone call is more appropriate for Animal Control. And when a home cannot be found or a flyer is not enough, Animal House makes room for the new feline guest.
The shelter runs almost exclusively on the work of volunteers. Some are "core folks we absolutely rely on," Jones said. Others pitch in more intermittently. Their main purpose is to provide love and support to the cats, helping with socialization and making sure they are happy, healthy and adoptable. Many of the volunteers know the names and stories of all 225 cats the shelter currently houses.
Resource for cats
But Animal House goes far beyond the bounds of litter and love. "We consider ourselves a helpful community resource for information regarding cats and their welfare," Jones said. Much of the volunteers’ time is spent in conference with current pet owners, advising and counseling struggling cat-human relationships, and pointing some owners toward additional resources on the pet shelter circuit or simply talking through disagreements.
"They want to surrender their cat because it’s peeing in the closet," Jones said, as one example. "But we want to keep that cat in a loving home."
Animal House works with spay and neuter resources and a pet food pantry to help owners who need help through hard times, thus reducing the need for shelter entry.
Finding that "loving home" remains the goal at all times during the rescue and sheltering process.
"People come to adopt nearly every day," Jones said. The nearby residential neighborhood at the new location has helped increase walk-in adoptions. "We really feel there’s someone for everyone, Jones said.
The shelter is now at capacity, with 225 cats. Jones said, of the shelter’s fundraising efforts: "We definitely need more."
The shelter runs solely on private donations; a partnership with Ralston Purina provides food and litter.
"Like any new business, it’s tough for the first few years, but the fact that we’re here two years later shows that the community and our program are working together," Jones said.
She said she remains hopeful and excited for the future of the home on 59th Street, especially when she’s surrounded by Harry Potter, Nebraska, Lancelot and her other feline friends. “It’s all about the cats, after all.”