Photo Gallery: A Morning at the College Park Animal Shelter

Tucked far behind Davis Hall, amid giant stacks of mulch and rumbling Public Works trucks, sits the College Park Animal Shelter. An outdoor area is enclosed with chainlink, and indoors, a space roughly the size of a modest bedroom is home to close to a dozen cats, all of varying sizes, colors and ages.

In spite of the shelter's size, Vivian Cooper, the city's Animal Control Officer, has a lot to do. In addition to running and maintaining the shelter, she is also in charge of the city's pet adoption program and is responsible for figuring out where the animals - which, at this location, consist solely of cats - will go.

"I'm something of a one-man band," she said. "It's a little difficult to be everywhere at once."

College Park Patch spent a few hours Tuesday morning helping out around the shelter (read: petting the kittens), and took some photos to share. (It was part of our Give 5 Program. If you'd ever like us to come volunteer with your group, let us know.)

But that's not all: starting this Saturday, Patch will feature a Rescue Pet of the Week and will profile one of the shelter's many eligible animals on a weekly basis.

In the meantime, if a cat in any of the photos strikes your fancy, contact Vivian Cooper at (240) 375-3165, or email vcooper@collegeparkmd.gov.