page_title: Goathouse Refuge
section_title: Founding
hierarchical_section_title: Goathouse Refuge / Founding
caption_attribution_description: English: Main building
context_page_description: The Goathouse Refuge in Pittsboro, North Carolina, is a nonprofit no-kill animal sanctuary for cats that is run on a volunteer-basis. The refuge is cage-free with the cats roaming around within the boundaries of the property. Founded in 2007 by Italian-born artist Siglinda Scarpa, the refuge can hold up to 300 cats on a 16-acre farm. There is an art gallery located on the first floor of the house where Scarpa sells her handmade art such as pottery, sculptures, and cookware to help support the refuge.
context_section_description: Siglinda Scarpa says she had issues with communication as a child, stating that “people were not seeing me, that they were talking, but never to me.” Her father gave her a stray kitten, but when it was a year old it became very ill and died. After his death, Scarpa decided to take in as many cats as possible, with the hopes of eventually creating a safe haven for cats. Scarpa created the Goathouse Refuge in 2007, naming it after an old goat who came with the plantation house and the 16 acre property. Originally, the land was just intended for her pottery studio. After the house and studio burned down Scarpa rebuilt it with plans that included a sanctuary for cats, using personal resources and proceeds from her pottery sales to make it possible.
caption: Goathouse Refuge main building
exif: {"Image ExifOffset": "26", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "594", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "480"}