Nassau Humane Society
Press Release
June 10, 2021
“As a precaution, Nassau Humane’s intake department is still suspended, but is expected to reopen sometime next week.”
The Nassau Humane Society has resumed cat adoptions after tests showed that preventive measures halted the spread of a feline disease.
NHS closed its cattery May 21 after kittens at the shelter’s intake facility tested positive for feline panleukopenia, a highly contagious cat disease that most severely affects kittens.
“We are pleased to announce that after the designated quarantine period and after two consecutive negative panleukopenia test results, our cat adoption floor is back open to the public,” NHS Executive Director Debbie Chissell said.
“Over the past several weeks, we have been on strict quarantine, following rigorous cleaning protocols, and retesting all cats for panleukopenia,” Chissell said. “This allowed us to ensure that the virus was contained, and our uninfected cats remained healthy.”
As of Wednesday, all of the cats at the shelter had tested negative for two weeks and were out of quarantine, she said.
As a precaution, Nassau Humane’s intake department is still suspended, but is expected to reopen sometime next week. In the meantime, NHS is asking anyone who has a cat-related animal control or surrender inquiry to please contact Nassau County Animal Services at (904)-530-6150 for assistance.
“We are so thrilled to confidently open our cattery to the public again,” said Director of Adoptions Stephanie Miller. “No shelter ever wants to deal with an outbreak such as this, but we are very proud of our staff for following our strict quarantine protocols and keeping all of our uninfected cats healthy,” she said.
NHS has several cats and kittens available for adoption, and their profiles are posted at nassauhumane.org/adoptable-cats. Prior to adoption, all cats are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and brought up to date on all vaccinations and prevention they are eligible for given their age, Miller said.
The NHS shelter is at 639 Airport Road in Fernandina Beach. Dog adoptions were not affected by the quarantine, and available dogs can be seen at nassauhumane.org/adoptable-dogshttp://nassauhumane.org/adoptable-dogs .