When visitors come to western North Carolina, there are a host of short-term rentals available that will make every trip unique. Some have stunning mountain views or access to trout streams. Some are converted barns nestled in secluded, idyllic coves. Some are tiny houses. Trailers. Tents. Yurts. Around here, there are even Airbnbs in the trees .
In Haywood County, there’s a destination where it’s not about Instagram scenery, fishing or glamping.
“It’s 100% cat related,” said Kim Dolan, a California native with the perfect blend of experience in disaster relief, hospitality and veterinary medicine.
Dolan’s rental is a simple, bright, colorful and clean room that is well maintained with modern furnishings and features a coffee corner, two-tier desk and full bathroom with shower.
It is booked about 50% of the year.
“Leaf lovers come in droves, because it’s so beautiful here. And it’s close to everything. The Blue Ridge Parkway, Waynesville is 10 minutes, Asheville is 30 minutes,” Dolan said.
As Dolan promised, there’s cat decor everywhere. They are on the walls, on the curtains, on the big comfortable bed. But it does not stop there.
With the twist of a dial on a small cat door near the main entrance, a steady stream of curious kittens begin to stream into the room.
First it’s chonky, grumbling Alfie , a 7-year-old blind child whose owner died recently. Then it’s 4-year-old Riley, who sneaks up to the bed and jumps on it in an instant. After them is sweet Bella, a 14-year-old girl who adores guests.
- Riley the cat sprawls on the bed of an Airbnb in Clyde. Cory Vaillancourt photo
Others come and go, meowing a brief hello and sniffing around indifferently until they lose interest.
Behind that little cat door is Dolan’s house, which doubles as a Sanctuary of love and purrs a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for at-risk cats and kittens and finding them forever homes.
“We’re located in a cat sanctuary, so all of our customers pretty much love cats and they want cat interactions,” Dolan said. “The cats will come into the room if they want, sleep with them and cuddle up to them. They think it’s a good cause because the money helps support the sanctuary cats here.
About four years ago, Dolan opened a cat shelter in Nashville, Tennessee.
“When I started, I had a lot of cats there and one of my adopters said, ‘You should do an Airbnb,'” Dolan laughed. “So I started it, and it flew out of the handle.”
Two years ago she moved near Clyde to be closer to her parents, daughter and grandson and brought her operation here.
“I work full time at the sanctuary and it is a 100% voluntary organization. Nobody gets paid so I had to think of other ways to support things because rescue is very expensive and we get all our money from donors and adopters and the vet bills are outrageous,” he said. she declared. “I’m a pet sitter, and I’m also doing this Airbnb to help support the over 50 cats and kittens in our care right now.”
Dolan’s house, which is off-limits to guests, is clean and tidy despite the presence of his furry friends. Automated litter boxes help keep it that way.
Throughout the sanctuary, cats have many options to sleep, hide, or play with others, which keeps them healthy and happy. They also embark on regular visits to the vet.
Sequestered in a small room next door are the smallest of the kittens. Another small room separates the miners. Adult and senior cats roam free, with access to the outside through another cat door, which in turn leads to an outside ‘catio’ where guests are welcome.
Cats are free to roam from the catio to the large shaded yard thanks to a semi-rigid plastic cat fence that bends inward about seven feet off the ground, keeping the most intrepid climbers safely confined .
Several sitting areas scattered around the courtyard offer guests the opportunity to take in the profound beauty of the nearby mountains, or simply engage in a lazy afternoon of old-fashioned cat-watching.
Guest reviews of Sanctuary on Airbnb are filled with superlatives and back up the rental’s stellar 4.96 rating.
“This was my second stay at the cat shelter, and I’ll be back next year as well,” says Lyle from New York, who stayed with Dolan in July. “The kittens are so incredibly sweet, loving and well-behaved! You’ll have visits from four or five or more people every night and you’ll hate to say goodbye. Kim is a kind and gracious hostess who has done an amazing job saving these cats and help them share their love and beauty with the world.
Dolan remembers the one guest who stayed the longest.
“He stayed for a week. He wrote his graduate thesis there. He said it was one of the best weeks he’s ever had,” Dolan said. “We get compliments all the time. They always say it’s so relaxing, how unique it is, there are cats everywhere and they’ve never seen anything like it.”
Not only does the rental support the sanctuary, but it also exposes guests to cats they may or may not have planned to adopt.
Indeed, an adoption contract is included in the welcome booklet for those who bond with one of the resident cats and cannot bear the idea of saying goodbye once their stay is over.
“Thanks to Airbnb visitors, we’ve had 10 guests adopt, just because they were guests,” said Dolan, who screens applicants and checks references before placing chats with guests.
If all goes well, chances are you’ll be able to show up without a cat, test out a few, and walk away loaded with cats.
“I stay in contact with all my adopters. Cats are like my grandchildren. One of my most special adoptions was from a woman who stayed at Airbnb in Nashville, where we started,” Dolan said. “She stayed for a week and she adopted a little kitten that no one wanted. Her name was Beauty the little kitten. She brought the kitten back with her to California and two years later moved from California to Nashville. I talk to them all the time and get updates. This kitten has come full circle.
According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, there are between 60 and 100 million feral cats living in the United States today. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says that 3.4 million cats enter shelters each year. More than 40% are euthanized.
It is not necessary to adopt to contribute to the mission of Love and Purrs Sanctuary. Donations are accepted on the sanctuary’s website. Likewise, you don’t have to stay at Dolan’s Airbnb to adopt — but it’s a smart move.
“It helps if you stay here,” Dolan said, “because I can meet you and see if the cats like you.”
Find Dolan’s rental on Airbnb , plus photos, reviews, ratings, and more. For more information on Love and Purrs Sanctuary, visit loveandpurrsanctuary.org .
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