06/09/2026
Forty days without a required hearing. Tens of thousands in unreimbursed costs. Kennels filled with animals we legally cannot move. This situation is not sustainable, and the community deserves to know why.
**(long read but a lot of ground to cover on this one)**
It is with a heavy heart and deep frustration that we must announce an immediate pause on all cat intakes, as well as a pause on responding to animal-related calls outside the Marshalltown city limits.
This decision was not made lightly. We have been placed in a position where we can no longer continue these services without putting the entire organization at risk.
Our partnership with the City of Marshalltown remains strong. Their leadership has been supportive, communicative, and committed to animal welfare. The challenges we are facing right now are not related to the City. They are the result of decisions made at the county level, and it is important for our community to understand that distinction.
A large number of animals were seized nearly forty days ago after we responded to assist the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office with a search warrant. Our team helped remove the animals from the property and transported them to the shelter for safekeeping. Under Iowa law, a hearing to determine their future is supposed to happen within ten days. We are now approaching forty days, and no hearing has been scheduled.
Because of this delay, these animals are stuck in our care with no legal way to move forward. They cannot be fostered, adopted, or released. They are living in small holding spaces far longer than they should be, and their well-being is being affected while we wait for the county to take the required next steps.
A large portion of our kennel space is currently being used by the animals from the Laurel hoarding case. More than twenty of the animals we took in from that situation are cats, and they have filled nearly every available feline enclosure. These animals cannot be moved, fostered, or adopted until the county holds the required hearing, which means their kennels remain occupied far longer than intended. This has pushed us to full capacity and has left us with no open space for new cats needing help from the community.
Because of this, we must pause all cat intakes until space becomes available again.
Separately, on the advice of our legal advisors, and due to the ongoing issues with the county and the lack of a current agreement, we are also pausing our response to animal-related calls outside the Marshalltown city limits. These two decisions are connected to the same larger problem, but they are separate actions, and we want to make that distinction clear.
To date, we have taken on more than twelve thousand dollars in costs for the care of these animals. Because no hearing has been held, we have no way to recover any of these expenses. As a nonprofit with a limited budget and no government funding, we cannot continue to absorb costs at this level.
At the same time, the county allowed our contract to expire and has not responded to the proposals we submitted weeks ago. Instead of working with their local shelter, they have explored sending services to other counties. This leaves us carrying the full financial and operational burden without any support or partnership.
We have tried repeatedly to get answers from county leadership, but our concerns have been met with silence or deflection. We have followed every step required of us, and we have acted in good faith throughout this entire process. At this point, we need the community to help us get the attention that these animals, and this situation, deserve.
If you choose to reach out, you may contact the Marshall County Board of Supervisors or the Marshall County Attorney’s Office and ask why no hearing has been scheduled, why these animals are still in limbo, and why the county has not taken the steps required to resolve this situation.
We know this situation creates challenges for our community, and we do not take that lightly. Our goal has always been to be here for the animals and for the people who rely on us. At the same time, we have a responsibility to protect the long-term stability of this organization so we can continue serving Marshalltown and the surrounding area for years to come.
We remain fully committed to the animals already in our care, and our team will continue to provide for them as we work through this situation. We will share updates with the community as soon as we have them. Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and your continued support during a time that should never have reached this point.
