Downtown Cat Adoption Center closed, needs foster homes for dozens of cats and kittens

Manatee County Animal Services is closing the Downtown Cat Adoption Center and is now looking for help finding temporary homes for dozens of cats and kittens.

A water main break at Manatee Avenue and 10th Street West on Thursday flooded the streets, closing 10th Street and Manatee Avenue, and forcing repairs that will take about two weeks. But drivers are not the only ones seeing impacts of the water main break. More than 50 cats are now looking for a new place to live.

The Downtown Cat Adoption Center, at 1002 Manatee Avenue West, closed its doors to the public and will remain closed until further notice, according to officials. The center is operated by Manatee County Animal Services and houses more than 50 cats and kittens.

The closure, according to Animal Services officials, is due to the water main break and “other complications.”

Now, they are are turning to the community for help fostering the cats that are now out of a home. All the supplies needed to foster cats and kittens will be provided by MCAS. Anyone interested in fostering is asked to contact Alexis Clegg at 941-742-5933.

For those interested in adding a permanent furry friend to their family, many of the cats will also be available for adoption at Saturday’s Adopt-A-Palooza and Pet Expo at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd in Palmetto.

The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adoption fees at Adopt-A-Palooza will be waived in lieu of a donation to the Friends of Manatee County Animal Services. Admission and parking are free.

The downtown adoption center, nicknamed “Downtown Meowtown,” reopened in January 2015 after it closed the prior summer. Before the reopening as a renovated cats-only facility, it housed both cats and dogs, Bradenton Herald archives show.

While crews work to repair the water main break damages, Manatee Avenue from Ninth Street to 12th Street will be shut down for about two weeks.