Purrfect Pals

Purrfect Pals was founded in 1988 by a cat lover, Kathy Centala, who took a look around at her community and saw far too many unwanted cats and kittens whose only options were, in most cases, over-crowded shelters with high euthanasia rates. Kathy wondered what could be done to improve the odds of these cats, and quickly determined that the only solution was to take away the option of euthanasia completely. Kathy had never run a shelter and the only thing she had less of than money was fundraising experience.  Determined to open the Puget Sound region’s first no-kill cat shelter, though, she somehow scraped together the down payment for a modest house on five acres in Arlington in 1993. Room by room, the house was renovated over the years, along with its two unattached garages, to create our existing shelter, veterinary clinic and sanctuaries.

Today, our facility has room for up to 225 cats, both short and long-term residents. The sanctuary cats live in cage free rooms with cat towers, toys, windows and lots of comfy spots to nap. Most have attached outdoor catio enclosures for fresh air and sunshine time. We house an additional 50-250 cats and kittens in foster care, depending on the time of year.

At Purrfect Pals, our highest priority is taking in the cats and kittens who need us most… those who other shelters and rescue groups might not have the resources to help. This includes older cats, cats with major medical needs, cats with chronic illnesses (including FIV and Feline Leukemia) and those with behavioral challenges. Cats who are not easily adoptable have a forever home in our sanctuaries. We use our Tipper Fund to pay for medical expenses above and beyond the care that our Shelter Veterinarian and her team provide in our shelter’s clinic. We partner with outside veterinary specialists and surgeons to provide any care necessary for those cats with special needs.