Life Travels of the Founder

Kathy Williams, founder, reached the ripe age of 60 years on August 26, 2006. Because she feels she has only 25 good years remaining in her life, she has the pedal to the metal in trying to help improve the lives of cats in Klamath County. With the help of dedicated volunteers, the group maintains a 4,000 square foot Recovery and Adoption Center. In 2013, a Surgery Suite was added to host the once-monthly Free Spay Days for ferals, semi-tames, and neighborhood cats.

Before moving to Klamath Falls in August of 2000, Kathy lived in Kodiak, Alaska. During this period, she helped found the Humane Society of Kodiak. Kathy was the wife of a veterinarian, until she divorced in exchange for hoped-to-be better life. She had worked for ARCO and Bristol Myers in earlier years after retiring from the teaching profession. Athletics was her prime hobby, including riding her bike with a friend cross country, biking the paved roads in Alaska alone, and running foot races. Due to the load of working with the cats, she has retired from athletics, although missing them very much.

Kathy was born and raised in the Midwest (Elwood, Indiana). She grew up on home grown tomatoes, popcorn, corn on the cob, meat and potatoes. Both of her parents worked in a factory and trained their 4 children to be hard workers. Kathy says the day she was born her parents had a job waiting for her to do and she got right on it. Lying and cheating were not permitted any time. Such dared actions were punishable with a switch off the tree.

Kathy says she remembers her Mother telling her "Your only worth is what you are actually getting done today, not what you are talking about." Kathy took the thought to heart and has since been busy trying to do something productive with her time. None of her siblings ever remember her Mom making any such statement, but that is not considered to be important.

A great appreciation and respect for animals is what Kathy felt growing up. They were her friends when she played in the dirt and even joined in when she walked to the neighborhood basketball court. The family never had a lot of animals, limited to a dog or two, a cat or two, but she loved them and they were part of her good mental health and happiness.

For some reason Kathy has always taken life and its values seriously, but never herself too much. She considers her remaining  years to be most important of them all and hopes when she closes her eyes for the final time a feeling of "having made a difference" will wash over her in relief.