History Of Puffy Paws Kitty Haven
Englewood, Florida’s “World’s Greatest Cathouse,“ Puffy Paws Kitty Haven is a non-profit, no-kill cat hospice and rescue specializing in providing quality and loving care to special needs cats, and finding homes for the adoptable kitties under their care.
The Haven is a cage-less, free roaming, loving foster home for special needs and unwanted kitties.
The Kingston's provide their loving home for the kitties, A.K.A. The Haven, and it is huge and beautiful.
Puffy Paws cares for kitties with feline leukemia, FIV, feral cats, unadoptable kitties, one eye cats, senior kitties, kitties that do not use their litter box, cats with neurological disorders, abused kitties and more - basically unwanted and unadoptable kitties that would be euthanized elsewhere.
Puffy Paws Kitty Haven (PPKH) unofficially began 28 years ago in the loving home of Chris & Rick Kingston.
( Note: Since then, all official business with Puffy Paws Kitty Haven has moved outside the Kingston's home. The only thing that was left behind in the big business move-out in the Fall of 2009 was all those pesky little kitties.)
PPKH never even had an official name until the Fall of 2006. Prior to that, it existed only as the founders of Puffy Paws, Chrissy & Rick Kingston, taking in another unwanted kitty or a whole family of kitties into their home.
Over those 11 years, (1997 -2006) Chrissy Kingston has estimated that she has worked thousands of hours taking care of the kitties. Throughout the early years, the Kingston's have spent well over $100,000.00 on these loving, unwanted kitties (many of which are now a permanent part of their family.
In order to serve the kitties better, the Kingston's decided that it would be a great idea to form a Not-for-Profit Corporation, for the direct benefit of the kitties.
Puffy Paws Kitty Haven was named after a small sickly little kitten that was part of the Kingston's family for only a year. The Kitty's name was Poo-Puffy Paws ,or Poo Puff for short; he was such a happy little kitten. Sadly enough, he passed away during Hurricane Charlie.
Naming the Haven after him represented to us something we hoped other folks would know: that one kitty at a time can change the heart of one person at a time.
In the Fall of 2006, Puffy Paws Kitty Haven started the process of officially forming as a Not-For-Profit Corporation in the state of Florida. PPKH hired the law firm of Spiegel & Utrera, P.A., from Tampa, Florida to accomplish this task.
On November 20th, 2006, the dream became a reality: Puffy Paws Kitty Haven became a Not-For-Profit Corporation. Forming as a non-profit allows PPKH to raise funds for these loving kitties and all the future kitties that will need our help.
On February 16, 2009 Puffy Paws Kitty Haven completed the necessary paperwork for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, thanks to the Ralph and Virginia Mullen Foundation.
The IRS must love kitties. The reason being the kitties lawyers sent out their application for 501(c)(3) tax exempt statues with the IRS on Feb 20th.
On Monday March 23rd,we received the official designation letter from the IRS.
It only took 31 days for the IRS to approve our application ! That is a record amount of time !
Over here at Puffy Paws we never heard of an application getting approved in that short of time.
In 2024 Puffy Paws Kitty Haven 501(C)(3) was revoked due to our accounting firm we hired did not file our taxes for three years.
We are at fault here for not double checking their work in sending in our taxes.
We messed up by trusting them.
We are currently working on getting our 501(C)(3) reinstated.
We are still a Non-Profit with all the kitties only without the 501(3) (C) statues from the IRS which shall be reinstated shortly
