NAMPA, Idaho — Pet Haven, a Canyon County cat rescue organization, is building a new 4,500-square-foot adoption center in Nampa that will allow it to serve about three times as many adoptable cats as its current facility.
The new building, located off 12th Avenue Road in Nampa, is about twice the size of Pet Haven's current adoption center off W Orchard Avenue. The organization hopes to open the new center in October.
"We know that we were above our capacity in our current building and [we're] wanting to open something that was more substantial," Executive Director Brittany Sundell said.
WATCH: A first look inside the new Nampa location
One of the biggest changes at the new center will be the adoption space. Instead of cats spending most of their time in individual kennels, the new center will have 8 free-roaming adoption rooms.
"We'll be able to triple our adoption capacity and really get more cats served in Canyon County," Sundell said.
The new facility will also include several isolation spaces and a veterinary clinic.
"We'll also have several isolation spaces and a veterinary clinic in the back," Sundell said.
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That clinic could eventually play an even bigger role in tackling what Pet Haven calls a serious cat overpopulation problem in Canyon County.
"Unfortunately, there is no amount of clinic space in Canyon County to serve that population, and so we're hoping to help contribute to that effort in order to provide more affordable spay-neuter services," Sundell said.
The organization hopes to expand its spay-and-neuter services at the new location in 2027.
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Pet Haven does take in stray cats and plans to continue doing so, but there is a process. Cats are vaccinated and then returned to their finder or owner for about two weeks before entering the shelter, helping protect the cats already in their care.
The new building also includes a community education space under construction, where Pet Haven plans to teach people about TNR — trap, neuter and return — and other ways to help cats in their own neighborhoods.
"This is the first really big movement in order to serve the most amount possible in the most humane way possible," Sundell said.
Getting the new center ready will take help from the community.
Pet Haven is asking for donations to help finish the new Cat Adoption Center. Money raised will go toward creating housing, medical and adoption spaces where more cats can heal and find their future families.
Until the new center opens, Pet Haven's location on W Orchard Avenue remains open.
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