Adoption center for cats remodels, adds room to frolic

Visitors to the SPCA Suncoast cat adoption center might find the felines even harder to resist now that the cats can chill out in the comfort of the remodeled building.

In place of cages, most cats can snooze, play and eat in the five communal rooms, said Gail Armstrong, interim executive director of SPCA Suncoast.

A cat can gaze out from wide expanses of windows instead of staring out between the bars of a steel cage, said Virginia Elliott, the animal caretaker at the adoption center.

A ribbon-cutting took place Thursday at the SPCA Suncoast, 7734 Congress St. Guests were encouraged to bring a donation for the animals such as cat toys, cat furniture, treats or bedding.

An anonymous donor gave $15,000 toward building the project, Armstrong said. Clearwater-based Bay Area Remodelers donated most of the materials.

The owner of Bay Area Remodelers, Mitch Pozin, was eager to aid the SPCA Suncoast. The windows let in plenty of light for the feline residents. "I'm glad we were able to help out," Pozin said in a news release.

The rooms seem to help reduce stress for many of the shelter cats during their temporary stay at the shelter, Armstrong said. Cages under the old setup didn't exactly put cats into the best mood to meet potential adopters, she said.

Now the cats can be "far more relaxed," Armstrong said. "They're social animals by nature, so it's nice for them to be able to socialize with other cats if they want to. It's great because adopters can come in and meet several cats at one time.

"Instead of taking a cat out of a cage and taking it to our meeting room, and hoping the cat will get acclimated to the meeting room, ... we're taking the adopters to the cats' home. The cat already feels comfortable in the environment, so they'll come right up to the adopter" to make a better impression. "The cats are more comfortable, they're less stressed. They get more exercise, obviously."

Most thrive in the spacious rooms, Armstrong continued, although a few cats still seem to prefer cages for the moment.

Each room provides plenty of perches and cat trees to climb, scratch and lounge on as well as plenty of toys, Armstrong elaborated. The kitties like to stretch out in comfortable beds or on cool tile floors, she noted. Some of the rooms have window sills for bird and squirrel watching and one even has its own personal aquarium with fish.

"I'm thrilled and the cats are thrilled. We want them to go to their forever homes," Armstrong said in a news release. "But until they do, this is a comfortable place for them."