Cat Tails is a wonderful place to visit. Just 1/2 hour north of Spokane, there are always some great cats on exhibit. This is not your typical park so there are no rides, eateries or entertainment that you would see at a zoo, but it is worth the trip. You get close up encounters with some wild and exotic animals. Be there at feeding time and you get quite the show. Though the year, they will often have events so call ahead or check them out online.
This place is far out there. The animals (lions, tigers, bears...seriously) are in ten or so cramped pens. We only spent twenty minutes there before the kids (and we) got bored and had to leave. It was $8 a person and a forty-five minute drive. I think they offer group discounts, and if you tack it on to something else you're doing in Mead, like apple-picking, it's possibly worth a drop by... The business is sustained by visitors and donations.