FULLERTON : Cat Shelter Closed for Accepting Strays

County investigators this week ordered the Concerned Animal Lovers cat shelter to close for illegally taking in stray animals.

After a six-week investigation, Orange County Animal Control officials revoked the shelter’s operating permit Tuesday for receiving strays, a violation of state law.

“Their license permited them to accept owner-released cats, not strays,” said Judy Maitlen, assistant director of Orange County Animal Control.

Maitlen said the investigation began as a result of complaints from animal owners. Some had gone to retrieve their pets but had trouble getting them back from the shelter, she said.

She said the investigation also found that the shelter was illegally taking in California wildlife such as opossums and wild birds.

Mary Nadwodny, a founder of the shelter, admitted that animals were taken in illegally but said shelter employees did not have the heart to turn away the strays.

“We’re not supposed to take strays and we know that,” Nadwodny said. “Yes, it’s against the law. I say, ‘Well, we need to change the law to protect the animals.’ ”

She said shelter personnel worked around the restrictions by asking people with strays to keep them for 15 days, the time legally needed to become an owner, and then return the unwanted pets.

When the order to close was received this week, about 250 cats remained at the Fender Avenue shelter. Since then, half have been euthanized and the others adopted, Nadwodny said.

But on Wednesday, people who did not know the shelter was closed continued to bring unwanted cats there. Shelter workers turned the animals away but took down names and promised to help the people find foster homes for the cats.

“It’s such a shame,” said Gay Walker, who had come to the shelter hoping to drop off a sick stray that had come to her Fullerton house. “This has been the best service for animals we have found.”

Maitlen stressed that the shelter closure was not based on findings of cruelty to animals. “We are not claiming that they were unkind or inhumane,” Maitlen said. “There were no complaints of that.”

Nadwodny said the 7-year-old shelter will begin looking for a new home somewhere in Los Angeles County. “We won’t have one minute of peace until we do,” she said.