The Animal Haven, one of Connecticut’s oldest, private, no-kill shelters for homeless dogs and cats, will celebrate the grand opening of its new cat wing on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. at the shelter, 89 Mill Road, North Haven. (Snow date is Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.)State Representative Dave Yaccarino (R-87), First Selectman Michael Freda, and other dignitaries will be on hand for the ribbon cutting.

The launch of the 1,500-plus square foot addition marks the completion of a three-year renovation and expansion project that began with an overhaul of the core facility in 2017. In 2019, the cat wing was added, and the dog kennel area was renovated and brand new, larger kennels were installed.

The project has transformed the shelter into a state-of-the-art refuge for homeless, abandoned, and surrendered cats and dogs.

“Providing a healthier, more stress-free environment for the animals in our care was our main goal,” said The Animal Haven President Linda Marino.

To reach this goal, new heating, venting, and air conditioning (or HVAC) systems were installed to reduce the spread of diseases, and the floors and walls were sealed to make the shelter easier to keep clean and hygienic. Special rooms were built in the new cat wing to isolate sick animals from the rest of the cats. The new dog kennels more comfortably accommodate larger dogs, and the glass kennel doors, along with more sound-absorbent ceiling tiles, help to reduce the noise level, making the environment calmer for the animals.

“North Haven is proud to be the home of The Animal Haven, which has fulfilled its mission of sheltering and adopting out homeless, abandoned, and surrendered cats and dogs for over 70 years. This new, state-of-the-art renovation and expansion will allow The Animal Haven to take in even more animals in need and to provide the community with even more happy and healthy cats and dogs for adoption, for many years to come,” Freda said.

The renovations were made possible by generous contributions from The Animal Haven’s donors as well as by grants from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven from the Lillian and Henry A. Konopacke Fund, the Baxter Fund, and the Judith R. Corchard Fund.

Tours of the new facility will be conducted on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. To sign up, email linda@theanimnalhavenct.org.