While living in San Diego, he met Tess Calhoun at a furry convention. Over several years, he formed a close friendship with Calhoun and her husband, Rick Weiss. In 2005, Weiss' job with Boeing required the couple to move to Washington, and they asked Stalking Cat, then aged 47, to join them. The trio moved to Freeland, Washington, on Whidbey Island, where Stalking Cat helped fix up their house. He stood out in the small town, and the local newspapers occasionally ran articles on him. One article referred to him as a "cigarette-smoking, out-of-work, registered Republican who owns firearms and left California because he believes it's become a communist state". Calhoun said that he was "living in a family for really the first time" and that "it takes some adjusting".