By 1992, Kathy was taking in up to 500 stray and unwanted cats annually and placing them up for adoption. In need of more space than Brier could accommodate, she began looking for a new home for Purrfect Pals.
Kathy had never run a shelter and the only thing she had less of than money was fundraising experience. Determined to open the northwest’s first no-kill shelter and sanctuary, though, she somehow managed to scrape together the down payment for a modest house on five acres in rural Snohomish County. Kathy saw the property’s unlimited potential, which would allow Purrfect Pals to expand and save more cats.
Purrfect Pals moved into its new home in 1993 with one part-time paid employee helping volunteers clean and care for cats. Koko was the first new cat we took in after moving to Arlington from Brier. Barely two years old, she was pregnant with her third litter and her family did not want to be “inconvenienced anymore.” She was adopted in March 1994.