Author: Webmaster
New Home

Big News:
We’ve Found Our Future Home
Big News:
We’ve Found Our Future Home
After a long search, we are excited to share with you that MEOW has secured a new place to call home in the future.
We will be staying right here in Kirkland and continuing to serve our local community.
We have not yet scheduled a move date, as there is a lot of work ahead of us, but our future address will be: 525 Kirkland Way, Kirkland, WA 98033.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
About MEOW’s New Home
About MEOW’s New Home
MEOW has called Houghton Village home for 22 years, but in 2022, the City of Kirkland purchased the Houghton Village Shopping Center to redevelop the property. For both our cats and our community we want to be settled in a secure, long-term space.
525 Kirkland Way, Kirkland, WA 98033. Less than a mile from our current space.
It is important for us to remain in the community who has supported us over the last 2 decades. The building has parking, a street presence and neighborhood amenities.
We anticipate moving towards the end of 2026. We will stay in our current location while building out the new space.
We are working with an architect, a contractor and have previously consulted with the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program to create a facility designed to prioritize the health of the cats while supporting the vital work of those who care for them every day.
It is still early in the process, and we are working though permits and applications.
This should be a seamless process without a break in operations. We are prioritizing the well-being of the cats in our care.
We maintain our commitment to compassion and a high quality of care. That will always be the reason MEOW exists. Additionally, we will:
* Provide reconfigured housing spaces and locations to prioritize infection control and minimize stress for the residents.
* Create a better work environment for staff, volunteers.
* Provide an even more tranquil environment for cats.
* Provide more tailored spaces for cats and people.
* Continue to serve the greater Kirkland community.
The budget will include costs to transform the space and move current operations. Currently, we are working with our contractor to determine costs.
MEOW is in a good financial position to maintain our current operations but will be seeking financial help to make this big transition.
The rescue world has changed a lot in the past 20 years, and this move gives us the opportunity to update our facility.
Initially our operations will look very similar to how they are now. In the new building, however, several of these spaces are larger than what we currently have, and the floor plan will be a more purposeful layout, designed for comfort.
The additional space in each area will provide more breathing room for the resident cats, enhance their environment, and provide for more behavioral monitoring and therapy, which will minimize their stress levels and reduce the likelihood of illness transfer.
The number of cats we can rescue is tied to the number of cats we can place. Given the current state of cats in need throughout the northwest and beyond (overrun shelters), the demand for adoption isn’t as great as the cats in need.
Our plan and vision over time is to “expand” and help more cats in ways that don’t involve a larger brick and mortar footprint. These include supporting community spay and neuter, working with our independent rescue partners, and enriching our outreach and educational programs.
Spread the word. We want everyone in Kirkland to know about MEOW’s good work and commitment to this community. If you have connections or would like to be involved, please get in touch (we’re making a list!)
Do you know anyone in the local government, philanthropic foundations, or business community who would want to learn more or be involved? Questions? Please contact us.
Contact Us About the Move
Contact Us About the Move
Contact us if you would like to be involved or have connections or questions about the move!
Prior Updates About the Move
Prior Updates About the Move
MEOW Has Found Our New Home
MEOW Has Found Our New Home
Posted on February 13, 2026
This just in! After a long search and working through several required processes, we are excited to share with you that MEOW has secured a new place to call home. We have signed a lease.
We are staying right here in Kirkland and continuing to serve our local community: The animals who need us, the people who come to us for help, and the volunteers, independent rescuers and veterinarians who have come together with us to improve the lives of animals over the last 30 years.
This announcement is just the beginning. There is a lot of work ahead of us, and 2026 is going to be a major year for our small but mighty organization.
Each and every day we recommit ourselves to something we truly believe in, the motto we adopted at our inception, “all nine lives are precious” – and the next several months will prove to be no different.
We want to thank the City of Kirkland, our new landlords, our realty team, the veterinarians from the UC DAVIS Shelter Medicine Program and everyone else who helped make this first step possible.
We will be in touch with more updates on our timeline and information about how you can get involved. Please keep an eye on our website and social media, and keep an eye out for email updates.
Please update your communication preferences to “Sign Me Up” under “General Emails” to make sure you stay in the loop.
Our future address will be: 525 Kirkland Way, Kirkland, WA 98033
MEOW’s Prospective Relocation, Mid-Year Update
MEOW’s Prospective Relocation, Mid-Year Update
Posted on August 11, 2025
Although there still isn’t much to report yet, we want to keep you in the loop and give you an update since it’s been a while. We continue to explore our relocation options, and one property in particular, but things always take longer than expected.
We are working with the owners, our realtor, and local building consultants to determine if the space will work for everyone. If this takes shape, we will be excited to share a timeline and details about MEOW’s new home.
MEOW is secure in our space for the next several months, and possibly beyond. We are committed to continuing to serve our Eastside community and staying close to our volunteers, supporters, community partners, adopters, and local companion animals.
Future of the Houghton Village Property
with Respect to Our Shelter
Future of the Houghton Village Property
with Respect to Our Shelter
Posted on January 15, 2025
In 2022, the City of Kirkland purchased the Houghton Village Shopping Center, where MEOW has been a tenant for 20 years, to redevelop the property.
The City is still in the phase of seeking input on how to best develop the space, and the future uses of the property. A timeline for development has not yet been communicated.
What does this mean for MEOW? We are secure in our space for the time being, though while waiting to hear more, we are being proactive about identifying all of our options. There may be a place for us in the redevelopment, or we will find a new location that allows us to continue to care for each precious life.
We are committed to continuing to serve our Eastside community and staying close to our volunteers, supporters, community partners, adopters, and local companion animals.
Vienna (aka Loretta)
Hi there!
Update on Vienna (shelter name Loretta). Believe it or not, this is the same cat! She has had quite the glow up and seriously fluffed out from her first day home until now!
She is the sweetest girl and has so much personality. She loves to play and snuggle, as well as take many naps in her various bowls, perches, and any sunny spot.
We are so grateful to MEOW for pairing us up with this darling girl, she could not be a better fit for our family!
Here’s some pictures! She was also very cooperative posing in her costume for Halloween, going as a “Vienna Sausage” of course.
Best,
Megan, Kyle, & Vienna




Ignite Kirkland
Home & Healthy
MEOW partnered with the Kirkland Community Foundation for the Ignite Kirkland 2025 Campaign to support seniors and animals in our community.
THANK YOU to all who supported this effort and MEOW’s Home & Healthy program in 2025.
Show your support for seniors in our community who don’t have anyone else to lean on. Help MEOW ensure that there won’t be an animal in our shelter whose senior is at home wanting to care for them. Donate today to keep pets and their people together.
Magpie & Stellar’s Jay (aka Stelly Jelly)
I adopted Magpie and her brother Stellar’s Jay (aka Stelly Jelly) from MEOW a year and a week ago and they have been the sweetest babies since then.
The volunteers at MEOW wanted to set realistic expectations and told me that it may take several weeks or even months before they warm up to me, and, well, it took Magpie about two hours after getting home before getting on my lap and using me as a staircase to explore the bookshelves, and SJ followed her lead a few days later.
Fast toward to a year later, we just moved to the back of a bookstore and at night they have get to come out to the store to explore their new domain full of shelves and passageway and places to dart and hide, before getting tired and curling up in their beds (or mine, which is also theirs now I guess). We couldn’t be happier. 🙂
Wing



Milo the king!
Milo the king!
In 2022, our precious Milo entered our lives and hearts, and in no time became the fair ruler of this city castle.
With a tap of his magic paw, he demands his “crunchies” and warm blankies. When he talks, we are his enamored followers. He greets each day with a little song, as if announcing that his kingdom is once again open for business.
Milo has a way of making everything feel softer, sweeter, and perfectly his. Thank you to MEOW for helping Milo find his way to us.
Scott and Kim
Randy & Ringo
I will always be grateful to MEOW and Janis Newman for trapping the small feral colony developing in the Bellevue office park where I worked, many years ago.
I had fallen in love with one of the kittens, a Turkish Van beauty, and promised him if he ever let me pick him up he was going home with me. I contacted MEOW’s spay and release program, and Janis captured the moms and kittens. MEOW spayed and returned the moms, and put the kittens up for adoption.
Since I already had 2 cats, 2 rabbits, and a dog, I really only wanted the white kitten I had fallen for, but Janis said he had bonded with one of his siblings. When Janis couldn’t find someone to take them both, she said I could come and get just the white kitten.
When I arrived, she said she had paperwork to complete while I visited with the kittens. By the time she returned I was in tears, because I knew I could not separate the two brothers who were clinging to each other (and I’m certain that’s what Janis was hoping for).
So, I brought home both kittens, who I named Randy and Ringo. They blessed my life for 16 years, and I was always grateful that I had not separated these two brothers, who were inseparable. They passed on within six weeks of each other.
Patty




Callie and Marie (aka Bear)
Me and my partner were looking to make a big leap in our lives fresh out of college back in 2021, and we knew the very first thing we wanted to do with that newfound desire, to find some feline friends to share it with!
We both had our preferences for what we wanted in a cat so we were absolutely shocked to find the perfect posting of 2 adorable bonded kittens that fit both of our criteria so well. We, probably a little impulsively, picked them up right on the spot since we saw it as a sign – a decision we haven’t regretted for a single moment! Callie and Marie have been absolute joy to experience life with, even if they get up to mischief sometimes.
Callie is very energetic and occasionally skittish – she loves to stare out window sills, leap high into the air for a feather, and zip about the room at 2am. She doesn’t purr very loudly but she will lick your hand down to the bone if you let her (affectionately, of course)! Her comfort zones are behind the shower curtain or under a stool.
Marie is much more cool-headed and spends much more time lounging about, but when she wants something she won’t let you hear the end of it. The number of important work meetings blocked by Marie leaping in front of the screen to tell me “it’s time to play toys now” is unfathomable. Her favorite pastime is pretending not to be that interested in the wand toy, until you run into the other room with it, then she will chase you to the ends of the earth to get that feather.
We couldn’t be happier to have found these lovely girls and we can’t wait to see the places we’ll go together next!
Blaise




Ace
Hello,
My name is Sierra, and a year ago today I adopted my sweet baby Ace from your shelter. I simultaneously can’t believe it’s been a full year, and that I’ve only had Ace in my life for a year.
Like a truly insufferable pet parent, I made a little collage commemorating the last year together and wanted to share his progress and cuteness with you all.
Hope you all enjoy!
Sierra and Ace
Chessie
Chessie’s Story
When the car window rolled down at the drive-through coffee stand, the barista expected to hear an order. Instead, a young tabby cat jumped out as the car drove away.
Just seven months old when abandoned, Chessie was brought to MEOW by a kind bystander. Soon adopted, it seemed her happy ending had come. But two years later, when Chessie’s adopter’s circumstances changed, she was returned to us. Once a MEOW cat, always a MEOW cat, we welcomed our friend back with loving arms.
A quirky girl, not fond of other cats, we knew it might take time for Chessie to find her perfect match. We would be there for as long as it took, gently caring for her on her own terms. Settled into our Summer suite, Chessie loved playing with staff and volunteers, settling into laps and always letting us know when she’d had enough.
Winter passed, then Spring, then Summer. By Fall, Chessie had become our longest-term resident. It’s not always easy for cats to spend long periods in the shelter, so we ensure they receive plenty of love, attention, and enrichment. Chessie especially enjoys her CatTV tablet kindly donated by our supporters.
Even a wonderful feature on KING 5 News didn’t find Chessie’s new home, although she was much admired. We’re hoping Chessie will be chosen soon by that special person, but until then, she is welcome right here with us.
Please consider a gift to MEOW on #GivingTuesday, December 2nd.







