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Kathleen Shaw shares her home with five rescue kitties ranging in age from 6 months to ten years - all with different, but heartwarming stories.Kathleen has been volunteering with Purrfect Pals, one of the Northwest's largest no kill cat only sanctuaries and adoption organizations, for over seven years. While holding down a full time job, Kathleen has been one of Purrfect Pals most active and dedicated volunteers.
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, she took two weeks vacation and traveled to New Orleans to help rescue abandoned animals. Living in very difficult conditions she worked with other volunteers to save animals left behind trapped in homes or living on the streets. She also helped set up and manage one of the holding areas for rescued cats. While in New Orleans she met one special scared, shy, and very dehydrated cat in poor condition. She carried her around so that she could keep her hydrated and nursed her back to health. When Purrfect Pals brought a number of cats back to Washington to find them forever homes, Kathleen opened her heart and her house to 'Espy' where she now resides in comfort.
Three years ago when Purrfect Pals' Outreach Coordinator retired and left the state Kathleen stepped up to take over that role as a volunteer. Under her leadership the Purrfect Pals Outreach Program has grown dramatically. In 2009 Purrfect Pals had booths at over 30 festivals and special events and facilitated 18 special adoption days. Kathleen and her Outreach Team also hosted Purrfect Pals first wine tasting event and second annual Dine Out for Purrfect Pals. Kathleen has recruited and developed a great group of volunteers to support this program. Thanks to Kathleen and this group Purrfect Pals has the opportunity to educate thousands of people about the organization, adoption locations, and philosophies with respect to spaying and neutering, declawing, and keeping your cat safely indoors. These events are great fund raising opportunities as well, and at a large weekend festival $1,500-$2,000 is raised through general donations and donations received for the hundreds of KatNap blankets made and donated to the shelter by Kathleen. In 2009 alone, Kathleen made over 800 of these special blankets for Purrfect Pals. Kathleen and her team raised over $40,000 in donations to help the cats and kittens of Purrfect Pals.
Kathleen has a special passion for helping cats and kittens that are sick or injured and require special (and expensive) medical attention. Earlier this year she flew to Arizona to pick up a kitten that was trapped as a stray along with her mother and sibling by a Purrfect Pals volunteer wintering in Arizona. The mother and sibling found wonderful homes in Arizona, but the second kitten, Tiffany Tulip, had a medical condition that required expensive and difficult surgery to survive. Due to the cost of the surgery, no shelter in Arizona was willing to take
Tiffany. Kathleen brought her back to Purrfect Pals and worked very hard to raise money for the Purrfect Pals Tipper Fund (which pays for special medical needs). Due to her efforts over $6,000 was raised for that fund, more than enough for Tiffany's surgery. Tiffany had a successful surgery and after fostering Tiffany before the surgery and during her period of healing Kathleen fell in love and added Tiffany to her home.
Kathleen's commitment and dedication over the years has helped thousands of cats be it through rescue, fund raising, public education, and opening her own home to those most in need of a special place to live their lives.
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