FARMINGTON – The Franklin County Animal Shelter reopened Monday after an outbreak of ringworm in kittens.

Although the shelter has reopened, the kitten room remains closed to cats and the public to prevent further contamination from the fungal infection, shelter manager Patty Lovell said.

The animals have finished one round of treatment and the staff feels comfortable that it’s not in the other two main rooms, she said.

A specially made tuna flavored medication for the three-week treatment has not been appreciated.

“They’ve let us know that it tastes awful,” she said.

Donations at the shelter are down and the number of animals is up, she added. During November, nine dogs and 63 cats were left but none taken.

“Usually we have 50 percent of dogs coming in claimed by owners, but during November there were no animals claimed,” she said. “It just floored me.”

The shelter will offer its annual fundraiser of photos of pets and children with Santa on Dec. 13. A 5- by 7-inch photo in a Christmas card frame is $10; or $5 with a donation of a cat or dog toy. For more information contact the shelter at 778-2638.

The shelter is also developing a Web site, fcas-me.org, the site has lists of felines and in time will list the dogs available at the shelter, she said.