LONG BEACH : Cat Shelter Agrees to Pay $26,500 to Settle Lawsuit

The operators of a Long Beach cat shelter, accused in a civil lawsuit of providing misleading information about euthanasia policies and the rate of successful adoptions at the center, have agreed to pay $26,500 in penalties and costs.

The lawsuit was filed by the county district attorney’s office against the National Cat Protection Society, which runs the shelter. Under the agreement, shelter operators must notify people who bring in cats that the animals could be euthanized when the shelter is overcrowded. The shelter is also barred from making untrue statements about the probability of adoption.

The shelter has denied any wrongdoing. Richard Tanzer, an attorney representing National Cat Protection Society, said that people who come to the shelter have always had to sign a form that says cats may have to be killed in the event of overcrowding or illness. “We settled because of the costs of defending a lawsuit,” Tanzer said.