The Saugerties Animal Shelter is seeking foster homes for cats as its staff fights a ringworm outbreak that began in May. The shelter has paused some intake and most adoptions, though some kittens remain available through off-site events.
The outbreak has been difficult to manage in the shelter’s current home: an old equipment garage next to the Route 212 transfer station with just one back room for quarantine. A new building under construction is expected to be completed in January. Shelter officials said they have raised $3.5 million for the project and need about $2.5 million more.
Residents can help by applying to foster cats that are free of ringworm or by adopting eligible kittens at off-site events. They can also donate toward the new building, buy an engraved brick for its entrance or bid on the dog statues created for this year’s “Barkin’ Around Saugerties” street art display. The Saugerties Chamber of Commerce has scheduled the auction for Oct. 25, with proceeds helping fund the shelter’s construction, among other causes.
Ringworm is a contagious fungal skin infection that can spread between animals and humans. The shelter has seven dogs, 12 cats and two guinea pigs on-site, along with 53 cats and kittens in foster care. All seven dogs are ringworm free and available for adoption, but the shelter has put a hold on on-site kitten adoptions and intake until further notice to manage the spread, which is a tedious process.
“We start the minute we walk in the door,” Executive Director Elly Monfett said of the daily cleaning routine.
Staff disinfect each cage while wearing protective gear, working from the least infected animals to the most infected to limit transmission. They change gloves and gowns between animals and run several air purifiers throughout the day.
Three full-time employees manage the shelter’s daily operations, with help from three part-time employees.
Ringworm is a common problem in animal shelters, but this is Saugerties’ first outbreak in nine years, said Shalan Newkirk, the shelter’s cat coordinator. Staff traced the outbreak to a crate of 14 kittens who were found on the side of the road and brought to the shelter in May, which spread to the other animals around June.
Newkirk, who has taken 10 cats home herself, posted on social media this week seeking foster homes for cats that are free of ringworm. A few people have signed up since her posts, she said, and regular fosters continue to help. The shelter has also continued to run off-site adoption events for ringworm-free cats and kittens.
“We’re doing the best we can,” Newkirk said. “I think most shelters actually shut down for several months completely, and we’ve gone above and beyond to get this season’s kittens adopted.”
Staff said this year’s kitten season has been the worst they have seen in a decade.
“Just the sheer amount of cats and kittens that have needed help, and the lack of adoptions. Even before the ringworm, adoptions were super low,” shelter manager Morgan Bach said.
Bach said housing costs, economic uncertainty and the cost of veterinary care may be discouraging some families from adopting.
“There’s no real quarantine,” Monfett said. “It’s an old equipment garage at the transfer station, so it wasn’t built for a shelter.”
Monfett said the new building will have slightly more space, a dedicated quarantine area, updated ventilation and an intake room with its own entrance. The layout would allow staff to examine new arrivals before they come into contact with other animals.
For now, staff are working to contain the outbreak and reopen the current shelter.
“Any grace and patience that the public can afford us is deeply appreciated,” Bach said.
Isabella Schoonover is a staff reporter for The Overlook covering Woodstock, Saugerties, Hurley, and surrounding Ulster County communities. Send correspondence to isabella@theoverlooknews.com.
