Kitty haven

Monday, April 3, 2000 | 11:39 a.m.

Now that Renee Lyss' cat sanctuary is out of the bag, she and her supporters hope Clark County planning commissioners will allow it to stay open.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday Lyss and other supporters of FLOCK -- For the Love of Cats and Kittens -- will ask the Clark County Planning Commission for a variance that will allow the no-kill cat shelter to operate on five acres in Sloan. The property is zoned for farm animals, but not for a kennel.

Lyss has been rounding up and sheltering stray cats for about 25 years. She closed her Las Vegas shelter five years ago when her nonprofit group moved to Sloan.

It operated unnoticed until a July flood knocked over the fences, releasing the cats into the adjacent manufactured-home community. Neighbors began complaining soon afterward.

Lyss says FLOCK volunteers immediately replaced the fence and have trapped all of their cats plus a few others, which neighbors say are having kittens on their properties. Lyss says that isn't possible since all FLOCK cats are taken to the veterinarian for shots, spaying or neutering before being brought to the compound.

The shelter is composed of three mobile homes that have been gutted, cleaned and outfitted with shelves and bedding that provide the animals' shelter. Each one has several cats doors and air-conditioning and heating units.

Lyss lives on the property in another mobile home, which is separate from the animals' towering, fenced enclosure.

When Lyss first appeared before planning commissioners in January, the trailers were a mish-mash of colors, and she was taking care of about 300 cats. Clark County Animal Control officers said they had no qualms with the cleanliness or manner of care. But they thought Lyss, who is 67, had too many animals.

The sanctuary had about 150 cats Friday. Lyss says she has reduced the number over the past few weeks through adoptions at PetCo in Green Valley.

Volunteers painted the buildings a reddish desert tan, and trees toppled in the July flood have been righted or replanted.

"The neighbors who say they don't like the look of us can see we're trying to make it better so they'll like us better," Lyss said, scooping up one of the sanctuary's purring NBC's.

That stands for "naughty black cat."

"We are necessary. We are doing a public service," she said. "We are the only sanctuary for feral cats."

Lyss says she and co-owner Grant Greene knew the property wasn't zoned for a sanctuary when they bought it, but they figured since it was OK to have bigger animals, cats would be OK too. When they found it that wasn't true, they applied for the variance, Lyss said.

If planning commissioners deny the request Tuesday, Lyss said she will appeal.

Meanwhile, owners of other no-kill shelters in the Southwest are watching. Raphael de Peyer of Best Friends Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, said he'll help FLOCK any way he can.

"Our normal practice is to take as many as we can, and we would certainly endeavor to find homes for them," de Peyer said. "In this particular situation we would pull out all the stops to find homes for them."

Lyss is a well-known, well-respected shelter operator, de Peyer said.

"I can't believe if a shelter has been around for 25 years, they'd shut it down," he said. "It doesn't matter if it's been on that property for five years or 25 years, it's Johnny-come-lately. This is too late for this type of complaint, and I don't think there'd be any complaints if there hadn't been flooding."

Lyss says if the planning commission eventually forces her to move, she will have no trouble selling the property. It is a prime piece of real estate along the Interstate 15 corridor that likely will see a development boom if a new cargo airport is built in Ivanpah Valley.

She warns those who oppose the sanctuary to be careful what they wish for.

"They don't know what they're in for if we go. Every week, I have people trying to buy this property -- developers," she said. "If we sell this place, there will be a huge housing area in no time. The desert will no longer be a desert."

Susan Snyder is a staff writer for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-4082 or by e-mail at snyder@lasvegassun.com.