Cat shelter works to rebuild after fire damages facility

OTTUMWA, Iowa (KYOU) - 29 cats were rescued from an electrical fire at Traphouse of Appanoose County Cat shelter two weeks ago, with all animals surviving thanks to neighbors and volunteers who rushed to help before firefighters arrived.

The fire erupted in the basement of the shelter, which is operated by four volunteers who founded the organization to give back to the community.

Cassidy Stewart, director of Traphouse of Appanoose County, said she feared the worst when her landlord called about the fire.

“Your brain really just goes into worst case scenario. Fortunately, we didn’t have any of those fatalities, but you know, we worked really hard to even get a building like starting a rescue is really hard,” Stewart said.

Employees at Centerville Produce Animal Nutrition, located down the street from the shelter, spotted smoke and took immediate action. Chase Uhlenhake, an employee, helped rescue cats.

“I grabbed a fire extinguisher too and followed them and then all of a sudden we were just pulling cats out of the old store,” Uhlenhake said.

His coworker, Cessna Stufflebeem, unlocked the shelter and rushed inside to begin the rescue.

“I thought there was like an old wood stove in there so I thought that it might be burning so I called him he said no call 911... so I grabbed the keys to the building,” Stufflebeem said.

Both employees pulled cats from the smoke-filled building and provided emergency shelter, saving all twenty-nine animals.

Stewart said most of the cats are recovering.

“They were you know scared and hiding but they just smelled like smoke...It’s really been pretty well,” Stewart said. “The main issue we had a few with kind of goopy eyes from the amount of smoke.”

14 cats have already been adopted since the fire. 12 cats are currently in foster homes, and three feral cats are still missing.

A GoFundMe campaign is raising money for repairs to the damaged shelter. Stewart said electrical contractors visited the facility and plans are underway to restore the building.

“We’re feeling positive we got some electrical guys here today we’re going to get H-VAC and hopefully get heating and cooling back in the building and so we’re hopeful that we can come back better than before,” Stewart said.

Stewart said she is grateful for the community support giving the cats a second chance.

Those interested in donating to the shelter’s rebuilding efforts can find the GoFundMe online.

More information about the shelter and updates on the recovery can be found on the Traphouse of Appanoose County Facebook page.