The new sign just arrived this weekend. (via Brendan Kergin)

In less than two weeks the new B.C. SPCA animal centre near the Kamloops Airport will open.

It'll be the biggest facility of its kind in B.C., at least for a little while, until a new animal centre is built in Vancouver.

"This (facility in Kamloops) was built to be an animal care centre and it will actually suit that purpose," says Hayley Bennett-Ortner, community engagement manager for the Kamloops and District B.C. SPCA.

Staff will be moving out of their previous location on the North Shore to the new centre this week and next, with a grand opening slated for April 5, Bennett-Ortner says.

The new space is much larger and has dozens of upgrades. One significant one is that the B.C. SPCA clinic formerly located on Tranquille Road is now attached to the centre.

"Before, our staff was having to drive back and forth across town," Bennett-Ortner tells KamloopsMatters. "Sometimes with animals that were in distress or pain. Now, it's going right through a door."

The temporary housing for the cats and dogs has also been vastly improved. Both now have a corridor of their own. For the cats, there are a few rooms with cat cages in them. When in the cages they can pass through a hole to go to a neighbouring one, in case there is a mother with a few kittens or a few cats that should be kept together.

When they're allowed to roam about the room there's a cat door for them to go to an outdoor enclosure.

"Very purposefully, we've got trees outside," Bennett-Ortner says. "We're going to put bird feeders in them. We're actually encouraged by our animal health officers to do that."

The birds give the cats a stimulus, which is healthy for them, even if the cats don't get to hunt the birds, she adds.

For the dogs, there are about a dozen kennels, mostly doubles, but a few singles as well.

"Those dogs also have outdoor enclosures," Bennett-Ortner says. "And on cold days, they'll have a door that closes behind them to keep the warm air in."

The enclosures connect to the centre's back area, a large patch of dirt currently. In time, it'll be a place for the dogs to run and play.

A separate room for other small animals will also be set up. Bennett-Ortner says commonly they'll see rabbits or guinea pigs come in.

How many animals the new centre can handle is a bit of an unknown, Bennett-Ortner says, since it depends on a variety of factors, including how healthy each animal is and how well they socialize with other animals.

However, to help deal with health issues, there are isolated quarantine rooms with external access for both cats and dogs, to keep any ill animals separate from healthy ones.

"When animals come in, we do do a health assessment and exam to know their health and behaviours," she says. "Sometimes an animal comes in and we find out shortly after they're sick or maybe they're coming in and we know they're sick and we still want to bring them in and care for them."

"We do need to have an area where they're essentially quarantined."

Aside from the areas where animals are kept, there are a host of upgrades, including a large food prep room, a large laundry room, office space, room for animals to meet with people and a pay dog wash station for people to stop and use whenever.

One of the highlights, Bennett-Ortner says, is a community room, which the SPCA will use for lectures and classes. While they'll have uses for the room, she adds it's open to anyone.

"If people are wanting to host a meeting or have an event, kids might have their birthday parties here," she says. "We've already let Rotary North Shore know this could be a great place for their meetings."

The space has room for up to 75, along with a kitchenette and smart board.

"We finally have a space where we can invite people in and utilize," Bennett-Ortner says.