Orange County

Opening date set for Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando’s downtown cat shelter

ORLANDO, Fla. — There will soon be a new place for people to adopt their next pet in downtown Orlando.

Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando will open its downtown cat shelter on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

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The 3,000-square-foot facility, located at 777 W. Central Boulevard, will house around 30 cats at a time available for adoption and provide intake services of owner-surrendered cats. Officials said the location will also serve as the Orlando base for Pet Alliance’s volunteer foster program and focus some of their Community Cat TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) Initiative in the surrounding neighborhoods.

“The downtown location will help relieve some of the pressure off of the Sanford facility and also give people in Orlando a more convenient location for cat adoption and surrender,” Pet Alliance Executive Director Steve Bardy said.

Read: Pet Alliance’s temporary cat shelter nears completion in Orlando

The opening comes a year after a fire devastated Pet Alliance’s Orlando location. Construction on the shelter’s new main location on John Young Parkway is set to start in spring 2023 with the shelter slated to open in summer 2024.

When that happens, shelter officials said the goal is to turn the downtown facility into an affordable veterinary clinic.

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“Pets are part of our family in the Orlando community,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. “To have this new facility for future cat owners in our Downtown speaks to the compassion our community has knowing every animal deserves a loving home and convenient, affordable care.”

In honor of the grand opening, Zesty Paws is sponsoring adoption fees and providing feline care kits for the first 30 cats adopted at the shelter starting on Sept. 27.

Read: Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando chooses construction company to build new animal shelter, hospital

The Downtown Cat Shelter will be open to the public Monday to Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. Intakes are by appointment only and can be scheduled by calling 407-351-7722.  For more information on Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, click here.

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.

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