How a stray cat started this sanctuary

In the late 1990s, a very special kitty found her way to us. 

Natalie came from a high-kill shelter in Pomona, California.

I was in the adoption room for cats looking for someone to save. 

It was heart wrenching to see so many cats in those cold steel cages.  

Each one had a story and wanted someone to love them.

It broke my heart to think I could only take one.

I walked from cage to cage and a white paw reached out to me.
 

I peered through the bars and saw a sickly gray and white cat. 

I asked the attendant to unlock her cage.

He grabbed his keys and said,

 "You don't want this cat. There are plenty of cats here with two eyes."

I had not noticed she only had one eye until he said that.

It didn't matter to me that she was missing an eye. 

If anything, it made me want her even more.

I held her close and she leaned into me. 
 

She was all skin and bones, I could hear an upper respiratory infection rattling in her lungs as she tried to purr. 

"I'll take her."

That moment, the first domino was activated for a lifelong dream to open a sanctuary for companion animals.

I began saving the pets no one else wanted. Dogs, cats, parrots, or horses, it didn't matter that they were missing limbs, blind, deaf, or elderly. 

There was Toby and Monroe, two black and white kittens left to die of starvation. Jake and Elwood were sickly black kittens with severe upper respiratory infection. Kimber, a Rottweiler/Lab mix I saved from a neglectful owner when I was a deputy sheriff in Colorado and many more followed.

I started a TNR program (Trap, neuter, return) for feral cat colonies and established a spay and neuter program bringing more than 300 new clients to local veterinarians.

We have rescued over 300 animals...

Natalie, the kitty who started it all, grew into an active, loving girl. She enjoyed a full and happy life with the other animals for another eleven years. Sadly, she lost her battle with cancer on a cold February morning in 2001 but her legacy lives on.

In 2021, the Painted Rain Ranch Animal Sanctuary was officially launched. The property is located on 30 beautiful acres in Eastern Washington with giant evergreens, open pasture land, fruit orchards, gardens and a year-round spring. 

We are family-operated, just my me and my husband, Danny, with no employees. 

We rely on private donations to continue our mission to save the pets overlooked at shelters or abandoned by their heartless humans. 

We are their last home, a final refuge. These animals have suffered enough. There is no more rehoming or adoptions. A true forever home. We only take in new rescues when a space opens up. 

Most of our residents have severe medical issues from painful mouth ulcers ( stomatitis ), diabetes, blindness, or mobility issues. 

I frequent local shelters and save the pets with no adoption applications. The pets no one else wants. We provide ongoing veterinary care and medication so they enjoy a full and comfortable life. 

This opens space for shelters to accept more adoptable pets. 

Proceeds from my books, courses, and events benefit the animals we save. We do not have cages or kennels here on the ranch. The animals live with us as part of our family. 

We can't help them all so we help those we can. 

Thank you for your support and telling others about our sanctuary

Karen Anderson 

CEO & Founder

KarenAnderson.net