Cat lounge closes, but work will continue to help animals
By Riley Funk
Self Expressions Cat Lounge and Rescue announced the closing of its doors last week, but the owner isn’t stopping her efforts to help cats in the area.
Mardell Barber, the leader of the nonprofit, said the closure after a year and a half has been a learning experience.
“The only reason I’m sad really, is because it was so cute. But other than that, I’m not sad because we’re going to do what needs to be done to help the animals. That was always my intention,” Barber said.
She cited a number of reasons for the closure, including a lack of funding in order to keep the lounge open.
“There’s not money coming in. Even when I do fundraisers, it’s not a ton,” Barber said. “The amount (of money) I’m spending for electric and all that here I could be rescuing and fixing cats,” Barber said.
Although the site at 300B South Belt Highway has closed, the nonprofit is reorganizing to continue helping animals in the city. It will now focus on the trap, neuter and release program. Barber said TNR services are important for the health of cats across town.
The cycle starts with trapping the animals, getting them fixed in Kansas City and then bringing them back to the area they were trapped.
“It’s not just so they won’t repopulate, it helps them not get a lot of diseases,” Barber said. “I mean, female and male, we can go to the doctor when there’s something wrong, they can’t. So it helps them with lots of different cancers and other issues.”
All is not lost after the closing of the location on the South Belt Highway. Plans are in place to reopen in a smaller location later on in the spring. The new site has not been announced yet, but Barber said it should open sometime in the spring.
Barber also said the hope is to get a team together by March to expand TNR capabilities. From there, the intention is to ask the city for help through funding.
“I don’t give up that easy,” Barber said. “A lot of people tell me, ‘Well, they’re not my cats.’ Well, they aren’t mine either, but I am still going to help them.”
