FELLSMERE — A steel-and-concrete cat cottage has arrived on the same Fellsmere property where two wooden shelters burned in March, killing 11 cats and a tortoise. The next step is to set up the electrical system, insulation, and mini-split AC system.
Ted Pankiewicz Jr., co-founder of For the Love of Paws, said the new building is designed to house up to 30 cats and provide them with more than one way out if another fire starts.
The March 9 blaze began about 5:40 a.m. in the 14000 block of 109th Street, west of Interstate 95 and north of County Road 512. Indian River County Fire Rescue found two wooden structures fully engulfed in flames. Four cats were rescued; however, the rest did not make it.
Fire officials listed the cause as undetermined. Pankiewicz said a fire marshal and security video pointed to a window air-conditioning unit. The fire started on the wall that held the only cat door in one cottage, he said, leaving those animals with no exit.
Pankiewicz and his son, Ryder, ran into the smoke. Ryder dropped to the ground beside the burning building and lifted a kennel so cats could be pulled free. One survivor, Socks, ran to Pankiewicz already on fire. He wrapped his arms around her to put the flames out and suffered second-degree burns.
The four survivors — Socks, Bob, a tuxedo; Millie, a tabby; and Odie — now live in the family house. Pankiewicz said they have grown clingier since the fire.
“They’re living with us in a house for the rest of their lives,” he said. “I think they really understand what happened.”
The cats that died were buried a few feet from the old cottages, in a small garden Pankiewicz described as peaceful rather than grim.
Community donations reached nearly $100,000 within four days and later topped $100,000.
The old setup was two wooden sheds, each 26 feet by 14 feet, with room for about 18 cats. The replacement is a single 44-by-14-foot structure on a concrete slab. It will have a door on each wall, each with a cat door, mini-split air conditioners, a sprinkler system, smoke detectors wired to alert the fire department, and an outdoor catio.
The sanctuary has not been taking in new animals during construction.
The new building is made of steel, with smoke alarms that will notify firefighters directly, and a sprinkler system inside, too.
For the Love of Paws is a sanctuary, not a short-term rescue. Pets that arrive stay for life. Pankiewicz started the nonprofit in 2013 in memory of his late wife, Jessica. A meals program later grew out of the same work. Volunteers now move 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of pet food a month to food banks and households serving seniors, veterans and people with disabilities.
A later project, still unfunded, would add a larger building nearby with pantry space and more animal housing. For now, the priority is finishing the cottage.