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Western Pennsylvania Humane Society Gets A Facelift

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The old adage says that many hands make light work and that is certainly the case at the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society.

Now, a national company is paying for some much needed upgrades to the facility.

A group of volunteers is in Pittsburgh giving the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society shelter a face lift.

"They call it a fresh coat of paint because it freshens everything up. And it's just, there's no marks on the wall. You immediately feel cleaner, fresher and they are happier to be there and if they are happier to be there, they'll adopt a cat maybe," Jennifer Sutton said.

Funding for the renovation comes from Purina Cat Chow as part of their 50 Years 50 Shelters program.

"We selected three shelters specifically for extensive make-overs. We are spending up to $30,000. We have 15 volunteers out here making a difference. We are painting inside. We are doing new flooring, new doors. New cat condos. We are making a huge difference in the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society," Vince Biroscak said.

Some of the cages have already been put up in the new Cat Crisis Center. Others are still in cardboard boxes. When they are all done, there will be 30 in the unit, designed specifically to help cats that have respiratory problems.

"The Cat Crisis Center is really like a hospital for sick cats for mild to moderately ill cats that aren't ready for adoption that are being treated with medication for respiratory illness which are really quite common in cats," Gretchen Fieser with the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society said..

"We do a lot of coupons. We do a lot of commercials. That's all great work in helping build the business. To actually have an opportunity to make a difference in cats' lives. It's what our consumers ask for," Biroscak said.

For the staff at the north side facility, hopefully two days of chaotic work will help their adoption rates go up. They already have 7,000 cats come through every year.

"We are going to have people come tomorrow and see our brand new cat adoption room and hopefully adopt cats," Fieser said.

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