It's business as usual at the New Westminster Animal Shelter after 26 cats contracted an infectious feline viral disease in November.
One cat died from the virus and 25 cats were euthanized after contracting a strain of calicivirus that has a 70 per cent mortality rate. All of the cats housed at the New Westminster Animal Shelter tested positive for calicivirus.
"After the cats were euthanized, we went through the decontamination process," said Dave Cole, the city's supervisor of animal services. "We had a company come in that specializes in an ozone gas decontamination."
Cole said the building was tested and it was determined the virus was no longer present at the facility.
"We are focusing on maybe looking at our procedures and how we do the isolation," he said. "We have never experienced this in 20-some-odd years of operation."
Staff is considering whether there are different ways to organize the isolation and storage rooms to prevent this type of situation. They'll also be reviewing procedures related to the intake of new cats.
Cole said there has been some talk about a new animal shelter being built in New Westminster in the next three to five years, but at this point staff is focusing on what can be done at the current facility.
As of Jan. 3, seven dogs and three cats were available for adoption at the New Westminster Animal Shelter in Queensborough. While visitors were prohibited when the animals were in quarantine, volunteers are now returning to the facility.
"We have got everything back to the way we want it," Cole said. "We are open for business."
New cats coming into the shelter go into isolation, are checked by a veterinarian and are determined to be in good health before being placed with other cats at the shelter.
