ARLINGTON — Kathy Centala’s feline residents were scared out of their lives after wind blew a large tree into the Arlington resident’s feline shelter.

“The cats from my room leaped about five feet in the air and ran to hide,” said Centala, owner of Purrfect Pals, a cat shelter located south of 172nd Street NE in the Lakewood area.

No cats or people were hurt on Friday, Oct. 23, when an 80-foot cottonwood tree fell on the shelter, badly damaging the building’s roof and gutter.

The tree’s trunk narrowly missed colliding into the house, but a number of branches tore holes in the roof and completely ripped down its gutter.

“If it would have come down two or three more feet toward the house it would have taken out a wall,” Centala said.

Centala said she was in the home at about 9 p.m. when the tree fell.

The power also went out during the windstorm, so Centala said she was unable to inspect the damages until the next day.

She said the building’s roof will eventually have to be replaced, but in the meantime workers have been patching holes in the roof to minimize water seeping into the shelter.

Centala said she had no idea how much the damages were, and was waiting to hear back from her insurance company on Monday, Oct. 28.