Cats at the Chilton County Humane Society have a few more creature comforts while waiting to adopted thanks to the addition of a “cat house” at the shelter.

The cat house serves as an enclosed space that allows cats more freedom to move and interact, all within the confines of the shelter building, board member Tina Austin said.

“We’re really excited about it, (and) having all cats in one area,” she said. “We’re very proud.”

Austin said the building of the cat house was a necessary move.

“The shelter has had dark, cramped quarters for cats,” she said. “They’ve taken a room where the cats can get some fresh air and sun and jump and climb, rather than sit in a 2-by-2 cubicle.”

The cat house, located in a room within the shelter, stands at about 8 feet high and 12 feet long, and provides different levels that cats can jump from and to, along with being next to a window that allows fresh air to blow in as well as sunlight for warmth.

The house can hold around 20 cats at one time, and groups of the shelter’s cats are rotated in through the area on a weekly basis where they are allowed to socialize, and be viewed by potential adoptees in a more natural environment.

“Its a healthy overall environment for cats,” Austin said. “It’s a happy type of place, and can be seen by the public easier.”

Austin said because the cats are allowed to interact with each other, it makes them more likely to have a smooth transition from the shelter to a new home.

“The cats in the shelter are more sociable,” she said. “They reach out their paws (for people). They’re extremely well-socialized.”

Austin also said the shelter was in need of several adoptions, as there are few cat rescue organizations that attempt to take in strays and find adoptees for them.

“I know right now, (we have) around 70, and 50 is considered full,” she said. We’re doing all we can to reach out and not put these babies down. The adults are the hardest to move.”

Austin said the cat house cost around $450 to build and was “nothing fancy,” but paid dividends in helping the cats of the shelter.

“We have to work with what we have,” she said. “We have to make the most out of every nickel.”

For more information on adoption, or how to donate needed supplies—such as bleach, cat litter and trash bags, among others— call the shelter at 755-9170.