PALM COAST, Fla. – Cutting the ribbon their new location, it was all cheers for Jessica Myers, executive director of the Community Cats of Palm Coast and her team in May.
Moving from the outskirts of town to a central location in City Marketplace, both the animal adoption center and the thrift store are set to thrive in their busy new spot just steps from places like Dominic’s Deli, City Repertory Theatre, Cue Note Billiards, and the Redefined Food Company.
“It’s so much better because it’s in the middle of Palm Coast. You can’t get any more central than this right here, I think,” said Myers. “It’s easy for people to access, it’s right next to our thrift store and the space is set up a little bit better than the last place.”
Offering the cute and cuddly kitties a place to roam in a setting more similar to a home, Myers said the uncaged adoption center allows both prospective adopters and the cats to interact more freely and bond.
“In this new location it’s primarily an intake/adoption center,” explained Myers.
“You see we have the intake area back here. They stay here for 10 days, make sure they don’t have any illnesses, diseases, viruses or whatnot. We can care for them back here, we have all the medical supplies. Kittens then go to foster. Any cat that doesn’t need it or is a quick turnaround, like some of the adults, all they need are some vaccines and a bath, then they’ll stay here with us.”
“Of course, we’ll have adoption events here and that will take place upfront. Any cats or kittens that don’t get adopted, when we need the foster space, once they’re ready to go, they’ll come here as well. People can actually come and sit and see how the cats really are rather than just seeing them in a cattio.”
There is also a place for quarantine, medical needs and a waiting room to screen those looking to adopt, all under one roof.
“We have a separate place now where we can do medical. We have separate intake and isolation where they’re truly isolated behind a wall and a door,” she said.
Thrifty: Shop and Support
Supporters of Community Cats of Palm Coast can also shop in the thrift store next door or donate the resale shop to help fund the organization.
The expansion in their new location is a win-win for the organization according to assistant to the director, Rae Andreano.
“The previous location we had some enclosures that we housed the cats in. Here we’re looking to try something different for free range so cats can have more of an at home feel, kind of like in a foster setting,” said Andreano. “They can visit with them, see if they have a connection.”
“We opened our thrift store here in City Marketplace which is right next door. It’s more central to Palm Coast, more high traffic, lots of local businesses, a lot of people kind of know where this is,” she said. “We’ve gotten a lot of compliments as far as our new location goes. It’s been fun to be in here, for sure.”
https://www.communitycatspc.org/thrift-store
Community Support
Since it’s inception in 2013, starting with spaying and neutering feral cats in the area, the organization has continued to grow and serve the community, while working to reduce the number of feral cats.
Attending the ribbon cutting and grand opening, Flagler County Commissioner Leann Pennington sees Palm Coast Community Cats as a complement to the array of services provided by volunteer and professional animal organizations in Flagler County.
“What Jessica does here is a tremendous asset to the community. In my opinion there’s not enough people involved in TNR and adoption of cats,” said Pennington.
“She runs a very clean and efficient operation and you can tell that she cares a lot with her animals. It’s nice to see that we have an alternative in our community that you can come and pick up one of these cats. I’m very grateful to have her in our area.”
Community Cats of Palm Coast is located at 160 Cypress Point Parkway, Suite C101 in City Marketplace, Palm Coast.
