Outbreak of common illnesses close shelter’s cat ward

An outbreak of common feline illnesses at the Orange County Humane Society in Huntington Beach has temporarily closed the cat ward, a representative and a police official confirmed Monday.

The cats are believed to have ringworm — a common rash caused by a fungal infection that can spread to humans — as well as an upper-respiratory infection.

The center serves stray and abandoned animals from Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and other communities.

The felines have been relocated to another section of the facility at 21632 Newland St. and are being treated.

Meanwhile, the 30 cages and the ward are being bleached and upgraded in hopes of keeping the diseases from spreading.

A shelter employee, who declined to provide her name, said she did not know how many cats are at the center but that all are being treated and none had been euthanized.

The cats are currently unavailable for adoption, the employee said.

The Costa Mesa Police Department, which contracts out its animal shelter service to the Humane Society, has not stopped sending stray cats there, said Lt. Greg Scott.

“To our knowledge, the Humane Society is taking measures to address the situation, including, but not limited to, medicating affected animals and monitoring their condition,” Scott said.

He noted the affected animals are being quarantined, and public access to the cat ward has been restricted.

However, in light of the problem, Costa Mesa animal control has temporarily stopped accepting owner-relinquished cats to take to Huntington Beach, Scott said.

Scott said the department has been aware of the situation for the past two weeks.

Costa Mesa has contracted with the Humane Society since 2009. The latest contract, approved in January, was for $231,817.50 for services through January 2018.

Newport Beach animal control has also contracted with the Humane Society for its shelter services since 2011.

—Daily Pilot staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.