More than 50 cats under the care of Frankie's Friends Cat Rescue in New Kensington will soon relocate.

Dr. Becky Morrow, medical director and president, announced the nonprofit's purchase of a 4,000-square-foot office building that will serve as a new home for the cats.

Formerly a chiropractic office, the newly acquired building, located at 730 Fifth Ave., is less than two blocks away from Frankie's clinic, at 421 Ninth St.

Morrow said a dire need for more space prompted the plans to relocate.

“We will have lots more space, which is awesome,” Morrow said.

Morrow called the new quarters “really important to the growth of our organization.”

“We can help more cats in the community,” she said. “This is like a halfway house for the cats, before they get adopted.”

Renovations are ongoing at the new building, which the nonprofit bought in December.

Morrow said the nonprofit plans to transfer the cats to the new location by early summer.

“We are looking to pay off the mortgage in five years,” said Morrow, an Arnold resident who dreamed of becoming a veterinarian since kindergarten.

Frankie's Friends will use revenue earned from its high-volume spay/neuter services to pay off the mortgage.

“We are self-sustaining now,” Morrow said. “The new building is a better use of our resources, since it has multiple purposes.”

Frankie's Friends owns a private residence in Harrison that houses 16 cats, and those animals will relocate to the new building. Morrow said the house will be sold.

Cat-friendly flooring is being installed at the new location. The building offers ample natural light, a large front office area, a bathroom and multiple rooms for the cats to wander, said Lisa Kalmeyer, volunteer and Frankie's board member.

“This is exciting,” Kalmeyer said. “Our clinic is only open two days per week, and this new space will allow for adoption and other events.”

The building also houses two apartments. Still to be built is a breezeway to offer a screened-in cat enclosure between the main building and one apartment.

“The cats need that fresh air, stimulation, sunlight, hearing the noises and watching birds,” said Kalmeyer, who will reside in one of the apartments as a “feline” house mom.

Mark Kelly will reside in the other apartment, paying nominal rent in exchange for feeding, caring and promoting social interaction with the cats.

“I will take cats that need more socialization and rotate them by letting them live with me in my apartment,” Kelly said.

Morrow said other plans include construction of a garage that will house the clinic's mobile surgery unit.

Joyce Hanz is a freelance writer.

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