What began as a simple desire to help stray cats grew into something much more significant for sisters Payton and Brittany Coleman. It kickstarted a journey toward a sanctuary and a shared vision that would ultimately become one sister’s way of carrying the other forward.
In 2021, the Colemans opened Kat Pawz Sanctuary, a cage-free, no-kill shelter and rescue dedicated to giving cats a safe place to heal and, whenever possible, find their forever homes. Built in the backyard of their Georgia home, the sanctuary was born from a love of animals that had been passed down through generations of their family.
“Our grandmother grew up rescuing cats, then our mother did, so it was never out of nowhere. It was how we grew up,” Payton said. “Then, it really became our dream that we’d have a space so that every cat we came across, like in a fast-food restaurant, we wouldn’t have to cry anymore about not being able to take them home with us.”
For years, that dream seemed unlikely to become reality. However, the sisters moved from North Carolina to Georgia in 2019. They bought land and began settling into a new life with the vision of the sanctuary still in mind. When the coronavirus pandemic brought an unexpected pause to the world in 2020, Payton and Brittany found themselves with the time to begin building the dream they had talked about for years.
"I wish people could change their mindset about animals and see how loving they are." — Payton Coleman
“During the pandemic, when we had time to really start our social media and stuff, we bought what we call ‘The Cat House,’ which is a separate building behind our house, and that’s when we really started the nonprofit,” Payton said, “and we slowly started building from there.”
The home they found together became the sanctuary’s home, too. What once might have been an ordinary backyard became a refuge for cats who had nowhere else to go. The sisters opened their lives, their property and their hearts to animals in need, officially opening Kat Pawz Sanctuary in 2021.
“It was so much fun,” Payton said. “Like I said, it was something I think every little kid [thinks about]. ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have every stray come home.’ It’s hard to put it into words, but seeing it happen and donations coming in and all the support on social media and stuff, it was just like we were living a dream every day.”
For Payton and Brittany, the sanctuary was never simply about rescuing cats. They wanted to create a place where overlooked animals could finally be seen as deserving of necessary care and a loving home. Today, Kat Pawz is home to around 80 cats. Tragically, in January 2025, the sanctuary changed forever when Brittany lost her life in a car accident. The place the sisters had built together, a place meant to offer peace and refuge to animals, suddenly became the place where Payton was left to carry a shared dream on her own.
“The grief has been crippling,” Payton said. “It makes you want to stop everything, but the cats never stop needing you, so that really drives me every day. Now, it is just so rewarding because Brittany and I were so close that I never have to wonder what she would do in this situation because I know, so every injured cat, every sick cat that [doesn’t] have any help that I can step in and change their lives, that keeps me going.”
In the months since Brittany’s death, Payton has found a different kind of purpose in the work. Every cat that arrives needing help becomes another opportunity to live out the compassion the sisters shared. Kat Pawz once adopted out roughly 150 cats each year. For now, however, the sanctuary has temporarily closed public intake to concentrate on the long-term residents already in its care. One of Payton’s current focuses involves a new section of the sanctuary called “Purrasic Park,” created specifically for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus-positive cats.
“I have a good relationship with the county shelters, and if they have a cat test positive for FIV, they know to call me [and] that I’ll take them,” Payton said. “People on Facebook will always be tagging me if there’s like an injured cat, a cat needing rehab [or] a special-needs cat.”
Sometimes cats are brought directly to the sanctuary. Others are discovered in public places or referred by people who know they need somewhere safe to go. Many come from county pounds, where cats requiring specialized care have very few options. The work is demanding, but Payton has not carried it alone. After Brittany’s death, the sisters’ parents moved from North Carolina to Georgia to be closer to Payton and help with the sanctuary. Friends and members of the community have also stepped forward, volunteering and donating when Payton needed support most.
“[The community] really rallied last year and donated to our GoFundMe,” she said. “Everyone showed up to volunteer and get me through when I was really down and couldn’t take care of the cats, so I am really grateful to my friends in the community for that.”
The sanctuary is sustained in part through donations and an Airbnb suite located on the property, which includes a private entrance, bedroom, bathroom, theater and exclusive access to the cat room. The rescue’s doors are also always open to people who want to visit, give the cats love and attention or donate supplies. For Payton, keeping Kat Pawz alive is about preserving what she and her sister believed in and maintaining what they built.
“I hope it stays sustainable,” Payton said. “I think me and Brittany built it to a point that we were so proud of and really content with it. Maybe in the future I’ll be able to branch out and start adopting out again, but right now, I just want to sustain it and be able to keep on taking in the most needy cats. That’s my goal.” At the heart of that goal is a simple belief: Animals are not disposable. “Our sanctuary is a place where cats can heal and feel safe and have a forever home,” Payton said. “I wish people could change their mindset about animals and see how loving they are.”
That is a legacy Payton is determined to protect, not only for the cats but for the sister who dared to dream beside her. There are still cats who need a place to sleep, injured cats who need someone to notice them and frightened cats who need to learn that people can be kind. A unique sanctuary in an Oxford backyard carries on the vision of two sisters who once hoped that someday they could save every stray they encountered.
“Going forward, I’m just trying to continue Brittany’s legacy,” Payton said. “I want her compassion and empathy to carry forward.”
For information on Kat Pawz Sanctuary, visit www.katpawzsanctuary.com.
