A dog up for adoption jumps on the glass of a kennel at Denton’s Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center on Tuesday. Dog adoptions are free Friday and Saturday as the shelter wraps up its Clear the Shelter campaign.
Several adoptable cats hang out in kennels at Denton’s Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center on Tuesday. The veterinary staff later discovered an outbreak of feline calicivirus among the shelter’s cats, which means cat adoptions are now on hold and mitigation measures are in place.
Denton’s Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center has been holding its “Clear the Shelter” event this week to find homes for as many animals as possible before the Fourth of July fireworks show nearby — although an outbreak of feline calicivirus means cat adoptions are now on hold.
Dog adoptions are continuing, according to a news release from the city, and dogs can be adopted for free Friday and Saturday at the shelter, 3717 N. Elm St.
A cat that underwent treatment for an upper respiratory infection was continuing to exhibit symptoms after treatment, and the shelter’s veterinary staff determined it had calicivirus, which has spread to other cats in the shelter, the release states.
Infected cats spread the highly contagious virus through saliva or secretions from the nose or eyes. All felines at the shelter are vaccinated upon intake, the release states, so the virus likely came from a cat that was asymptomatic when it entered the shelter.
“Given the high level of contagiousness and current capacity of the shelter, there is a high probability that the virus will spread further to healthy felines,” the release says.
Adoption fees for dogs and cats at the shelter were half off Monday and Tuesday, then dropped to $10 Wednesday and Thursday. Shelter manager Dorcas Johnson said in an interview Wednesday that the event had been a success so far. As of Thursday, the shelter had adopted out 14 dogs and 13 cats.
“Unfortunately we’re entering into a season right now where we are at maximum capacity for months at a time,” Johnson said. “We usually are very successful with the adoption events, and we have really good numbers so far.”
With the fireworks show happening close to the shelter for the first time, the shelter also has been giving products to adopters that aid in managing stress and anxiety in their new pets.
The products, one for cats and one for dogs, are used in the shelter and are similar to a plug-in that lets off a calming scent, Johnson said.
“That’s something we’re giving away because it helps with adapting to a new area and with loud noises,” Johnson said. “We do plug those into all of our kennels, so that’s already there for them, and we definitely want our adopters to take something home with them that is going to help them.”
Johnson said the shelter trusts the Denton community to provide the pets with good homes and said the protocols for adoption remain the same regardless of the waived fee.
“We usually get lots of residential turnouts, and just everyone who truly loves animals is coming and adopting,” Johnson said. “We’ve been doing annual Clear the Shelters since 2012, I believe, and we’re just hoping that we are getting the best types of people coming out to get our fur babies.”
Adoptable pets can be viewed at www.DentonASF.com/adopt. As of Thursday evening, 95 animals were listed as available for adoption.
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