Providing a safe, humane home for cats is the primary aim of the Lycoming Animal Protection Society (LAPS). To aid this venture, they have opened a new shelter at 630 Wildwood Boulevard in Williamsport. To highlight this new facility for the public, they will be holding an open house there on Sunday, June 12, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“I am thrilled with our new building and accommodations for our cats. LAPS has been a part of the local community for a long time. Now, with the help of our volunteers, our members, and all those in the general public who have donated time, energy, resources, and financial assistance, we can continue to serve the public — and “our” cats — for years to come in a permanent facility that is truly state of the art,” Maryanne Rossello, LAPS President, told Webb Weekly.
Lycoming Animal Protection Society, Inc., also known as LAPS, is a no-kill feline shelter and adoption center which serves Lycoming County and surrounding counties. Their non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization helps provide housing, food, and medical care for homeless and surrendered cats and works toward finding them permanent loving homes through their adoption program. At any given time, LAPS has an average of approximately 85 resident cats.
In 2017, LAPS received a tremendously generous bequest from Barbara S. Bressler, a fellow cat lover. The Board of Directors determined that the best use of those funds would be to purchase their own facility, securing the future of their organization. Our search for our new facility started slowly. At the same time, LAPS volunteers learned what zoning was required in communities in and around Williamsport. They looked at buildings that might meet those specifications and be a suitable size and layout to meet the needs of an animal shelter. The search had to be intensified when they were notified that the building in which LAPS was housed would be demolished. Fortunately, a building was located at 630 Wildwood Boulevard, Williamsport, which seemed to be an ideal size and layout and met the zoning requirements (with one approved variance.)
LAPS needed a great deal of help from local supporters, who stepped up and volunteered to open their homes to their resident cats while they renovated their new building. Because these renovations occurred during the pandemic, numerous delays in getting building materials and supplies slowed the process. What was expected to be a six-month renovation ended up taking almost two years.
The building had previously been a flooring showroom and warehouse. Some of what needed to be changed: moving structural supports that would have been directly in walkways, leveling a 14-inch drop between two sections of the building, removing various outbuildings, updating plumbing, heating, and lighting, adding air filtration, windows, security, and a storage area. Once they had the basics, then came the challenge of designing the cat enclosures to keep their residents secure while making maintenance and everyday care as easy as possible for their volunteers.
As the expense of all those renovations was mounting, LAPS was once again blessed with another exceptionally generous bequest from long-time supporter Ruth W. Lamade, which made it possible to outfit the shelter for the long-term. They were able to put in heavy-duty flooring, a clean-up area with an oversized sink, water-resistant laminate cabinets, and quartz countertops, among other amenities.
They have 32 enclosures or rooms of various sizes where the cats reside. Some can accommodate 3-4 cats, while others are “single cat” rooms. They have added two isolation rooms where new residents stay until medically cleared to move into the general population, a treatment room where they can medicate, test, or groom their cats as needed, and a visitation room furnished with comfy furniture where potential adopters can interact with cats in a home-like environment.
LAPS has a dedicated corps of volunteers that help out. These volunteers feel strongly about what they do to help these cats.
Sheri Yingling is a Volunteer Cat Caregiver and Recording Secretary. She stated, “An abundance of thought and planning went into making the new shelter as comfortable as possible for the resident cats while keeping their safety and well-being in mind and balancing that with creating a functional yet pleasant work environment for the cats’ volunteer caregivers.”
Kerri Reardon, Volunteer Cat Caregiver and Membership Chairperson said, “Finally, our shelter’s physical appearance is a representation equal to the dedication and love our volunteers and supporters have always shown for the cause.”
Nancy Steil, Volunteer Cat Caregiver and Member of the Board of Directors, declared, “I love the new shelter! It’s bright and airy, and there’s a happy vibe to the building.”
Gwen Uber, Volunteer Cat Caregiver, and Vice President said, “A huge thank you to the wonderful fosters who welcomed our then-current feline residents into their homes while our new facility was renovated. There was no way we could have done this without them.”
And finally, Cyndi Mussina, Volunteer Cat Caregiver and Treasurer stated, “One of the things that impresses me the most about LAPS is that the cats have rooms to live in, instead of small pens or crates. Our new building has many rooms with windows, and each window has a wide windowsill for the cats to sit on. In each room, there are cat trees that were built especially for LAPS, toddler beds, or other furniture for the cats to either view their world from or hide in or under, depending on the cat. LAPS has cats with all different personalities: playful, loving, mischievous, shy, relaxed; you name it! It’s an adventure getting to know them. Each week, when I go in to work my shift, I learn new things about even our long-term residents. I joke that I fall in love with a different cat every week.”
