FALL RIVER ─ Shelter life just got a little better for some cats and kittens waiting for their forever homes at the Animal Rescue League of Fall River with the new initiative, Purrfect Spaces Project, which replaces cold metal cages with comfortable kitty condominiums and suites.
And a generous donation from a Dartmouth woman in memory of her late paramedic/firefighter husband just made the project closer to its goal.
Now a plaque commemorating Alan C. King, a paramedic/firefighter for 37 years with most of his career in Dartmouth, who passed away in June 2025, hangs outside one of the cat rooms where they can climb and play, be, well cats.
“My husband was a big animal lover, and he was a big believer in living versus existing,” said Lisa King, who was married to Alan King for 26 years. “And when I heard about the Purrfect Spaces Project, I thought these animals can live a little. They can play, they can rub, they can snuggle with each other.”
She said the project “aligned with his beliefs and that’s why I chose this.”
A less stressed cat is a more adoptable cat
By the looks of it on a recent visit to the shelter, the cats and kittens are really enjoying their new digs, jumping up and down on the multi-tiered cat suites, wrestling with each other and having a great time and mugging it up to the visitors in the rooms.
And unlike the wire cages, the litter boxes are housed at the bottom of the cat suite, separate from their food, making it more sanitary for the animal.
John Panarese, executive director of the Animal Rescue League of Fall River, said the cat suites afford the cats more enrichment when they are already stressed from being brought to a shelter.
“We have metal cages; most shelters have metal cages. But I don’t think they’re very humane. Ours are safe, but we can do better,” said Panarese. “Our responsibility is also about taking care of the emotional healthcare of the cats and kittens.”
Panarese said when the cats and kittens come with all sorts of issues, and the cat suites have been helping with adoptions.
“So, when people actually come in and see them in a comfortable environment, they’re more likely to adopt,” said Panarese.
The shelter has about forty-five cats and kittens right now, waiting in their kitty suites and having a little fun while waiting for their forever homes.
To give a donation to the Purrfect Spaces Project go to www.arlfr.org.
