BLUEFIELD, WEST VIRGINIA — Volunteers were out Thursday morning calming frightened cats and assessing the damage after a late-night fire burned a local organization dedicated to helping homeless felines.
The Second Chance for Cats facility on Littlesburg Road close to Bluefield started burning at about midnight, Director Michelle Muncy of the Mercer County Animal Shelter said. A total of fifty cats were at the house when the fire started. None of them were lost, but 14 ran away when firefighters arrived at the scene. Several other cats suffered from smoke inhalation.
“There’s extensive damage to the primary residence,” Muncy said. “They have a second building, but they have no power.”
“So we rushed down here, and Bluewell (Volunteer) Fire Department, and Green Valley-Glenwood (Volunteer Fire Department) and Montcalm (Volunteer) Fire Department were here. When I got here they were taking cats out of the house,” she said.
“There’s pretty major damage in the kitchen area and the dining area, and we just started pulling cats out and they put the fire out,” MacDonald said.
Six of the cats were taken to All Creatures Veterinary Clinic and another 14 were missing. About 50 cats and kittens were housed at the rescue facility. MacDonald said one firefighter was working to help a kitten when she arrived. That kitten was later taken to see a veterinarian.
The fire, which got into the walls of the house, started burning a second time two hours after firefighters departed and again at approximately 7 a.m., MacDonald said. She spent much of Thursday looking for the cats which ran away.
“We’re missing several cats. When the firefighters broke down the door, a bunch of the cats ran out,” she said. “We have a rescue and we have approximately 50 cats and kittens here now.”
Their immediate need is for foster homes and donations for the cats being treated for smoke inhalation, Muncy said. Those who are interested in donating for medical care can call All Creatures Veterinary Clinic at 304-425-9944.
Anyone interesting in fostering some cats can call Elizabeth MacDonald of Second Chance for Cats at 304-320-9747.
“They are a nonprofit 501-C3 cat rescue, and they’re an organization that provides spay/neuter assistance to the community,” Muncy said.
Second Chance for Cats founded and is affiliated with the Save A Pet Food Bank, which is one of the organizations which helped through the annual Prerogative/ Bluefield Daily Telegraph Shelter Drive.
We here at The Best Cat Page wish all of them the best in this their time of need.