Midwest move

Midwest Pet Refuge has been finding pets new homes for eight years.

The non-profit animal rescue re-opened its doors on the anniversary of its founding Oct. 30 at its new location at 601 N. Charles St. in Portland.

“This has been our goal, to have something bigger and better,” said director Tara Drumm.

Cat Tales, the bookstore face of Midwest Pet Refuge, was previously located in a roughly 1,300 square foot shop on 115 N. Meridian St. When volunteers discovered an opportunity to expand to a larger building, they jumped at the chance.

“It’s so much better than it was before. We started off small there, and it was great for a while, and then we just, you know, the need is huge in this area,” Drumm said.

Midwest Pet Refuge purchased the circa 1977 building in March and began remodeling soon after. Drumm noted the rescue was awarded two grants from The Portland Foundation that have helped to cover some of building work. The facility closed for about two months during the move-in process. Most of the renovations and moving work were handled by volunteers, Drumm added.

“It has been a ton of work,” she said, noting she’s put in several 10- to 12-hour work days recently.

Renovations included volunteers painting the brown paneling walls a light gray as well as removing the carpeting. They’re currently waiting on new windows, which should be installed by the end of the month.

The 10,300-square-foot facility is the former site of Integris Community Church and First Baptist Church of Portland. It has an open floor for the bookstore, complete with seating areas and a planned “vintage room,” which, once completed, will have books from as early as the late 1800s. There are also five free-roam rooms for cats.

The two larger rooms can comfortably hold about 20 cats, and the three smaller rooms can house between 10 and 15. Each room has shelving painted in a different color. They’re also cat-friendly.

“That’s why we love the free rooms, because they’ve got shelves and cat trees and, you know, room to be a cat,” Drumm said.

There’s a space for laundry, a break room, an intake room and a room for pets with special needs, such as dietary restrictions. Volunteers are currently in the midst of putting together a room for small dogs or puppies, although Drumm noted they do not have the equipment — she mentioned one requirement as drains in the floors — to house multiple dogs for a long period of time.

Plans for the northern part of the building, the former sanctuary, are still in the works.

“I love all the space,” said volunteer Elayna Turner, who has been helping at Midwest Pet Refuge for about a year. “It’s so nice to have the individual rooms, and the cats aren’t on top of each other anymore.”

The expanded space and cat rooms allows those with allergies to come inside without having a severe reaction. Likewise, it also allows visitors to explore the bookstore without being surrounded by felines.

“Some people want to come in and see some cats, but not all (of them),” Turner said. “They’re able to come in and actually shop for books and maybe pet a cat or two.”

Midwest Pet Refuge has been working in the community since its formation in 2013. Its services extend to surrounding counties.

More than five years ago, the rescue began operating a used bookstore and adoption center on Meridian Street. Visitors from as far away as Tennessee and North Carolina have stopped in Portland to visit the rescue. (Ever since the coronavirus pandemic hit, about 75% of Midwest Pet Refuge’s adoptions have been made by those living outside of Jay County, Drumm added.)

As of Tuesday, the facility has about 140 cats in its care. In addition, about 58 rescued by Midwest Pet Refuge are being fostered by local families. The former location held only about half that amount of pets. After moving, it took in several previously fostered animals. The rescue adopted out almost 300 pets in 2020, and so far this year, it’s found new homes for more than 200 animals.

Even with the expanded space, Drumm noted, the facility still has to turn down cats.

“We thought we were getting headway the last several years, and then when COVID hit, it just exploded again,” Drumm said of the feline population in Jay County. “I mean, because they can have three liters a year, on an average of five kittens, that’s a lot of cats in one year. I think this year, from what I’ve been hearing, I think there’s more cats in Jay County then there are homes for them.”

She advocated for spaying and neutering animals. In order to care for the animals they have, she added, the rescue is always in need of more volunteers. It also welcomes donations of food and supplies — a full list of day-to-day essentials can be found on its Facebook page.

Cat Tales is open noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. There’s also an open house scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 4.

Adoptions are scheduled by appointment, with the fee for adult cats at $50, kittens at $75 and dogs between $150 and $200. Those interested in adopting can visit midwestpetrefuge.com for more information.