Jim Grafmyre: New Board Member
Furry Friends is delighted to extend a warm welcome to volunteer Jim Grafmyre, who has joined our Executive Board. Jim holds the role of Facility Maintenance, Information Technology, and Security.
Furry Friends is delighted to extend a warm welcome to volunteer Jim Grafmyre, who has joined our Executive Board. Jim holds the role of Facility Maintenance, Information Technology, and Security.
As a Monday evening shift worker, Megan has been volunteering for Furry Friends since March 2023, and although she generally spends two to three hours a week at the shelter, she subs regularly and is often here multiple times a week.
“In August 2022, we adopted Pancho (formerly Pony Boy), the newest member of our young family,” Zane says. “He’s our second kitty, and almost a year younger than our first kitty, Kuzco. An indomitable duo, they became best friends instantly. Not only do they love to wrestle and cuddle and cause mischief equally, Kuzco also loves licking Pancho attentively, and it’s no secret that they adore each other.
Emily has volunteered with Furry Friends since July of 2022. She had wanted to volunteer for a cat rescue ever since adopting her kitty from a cat rescue in Portland. When she and her husband moved to the Vancouver area, she was determined to find somewhere to both volunteer and photograph kitties to help get them adopte
“When we adopted Cherry, we changed her name to Carmina,” Emily explains. “We are a cat family and always have two or three or four cats at one time. Carmina was adopted to be a friend for our other young cat, Neptune, and they are besties! They chase each other from one end of the house to the other every night.
“My fiancé and I adopted Salem from Furry Friends in August 2022,” says Holly. “And while we liked her original name well enough, we decided to re-name her Mango. Not only that, we fell head over heels in love with her instantly.
Caitlin has played an active and satisfying role in Furry Friends for nearly two years. She joined us after one of her sweet kitties passed away. To help grieve, she thought the ideal solution would be to volunteer with cats. When she discovered us, she found that, together, we were a perfect fit.
“Gigi, her sibling and her mom were found living on someone’s property,” explains Tanika. “Mama cat was deemed feral and the family was worried about their grandchildren being scratched, and so she was trapped and euthanized.
A longtime feline fancier, Bill translated his love of cats into helping cats by volunteering for Furry Friends beginning in 2021.
“I adopted Darry, now Juniper, in September 2022,” explains Padon. “The previous year, my dad had passed away, and I’m still struggling with that grief.
“When we adopted Wanda, she joined our other cat named Toby and a dog named Luna,” explains Sarah. “And the reason we chose her was because she was so cute. We liked her long fur and she seemed really sweet.
Dr. Marci Koski is a certified feline behavior and training consultant in Vancouver, Washington but works with cat guardians all over the world. She earned specialized and advanced certificates in Feline Training and Behavior from the Animal Behavior Institute, and established her business, Feline Behavior Solutions, in 2014. She also has a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Fishery and Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University and had a career as a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for over ten years, where she worked toward the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered species.
Gunther, formerly named Tabian, may not have been Jordan’s first choice, but Jordan was clearly Gunther’s! Having originally come for his brother who showed no interest in him, Jordan was paw-leasantly surprised when Gunther crawled into his hands and fell asleep just moments after they met.
“Jager has been nothing short of a treasure in my life since I adopted him,” says Erin. “I have never met a more loving, social, easygoing and delightful cat, and nearly everyone he meets says the same thing!
Kate Goudschaal has become an expert in caring for newborns—newborn kittens, that is. In her 15 years of fostering, she has volunteered for various animal rescue organizations, including Furry Friends, which she joined more than two years ago.
National holidays, while celebrated by people, aren’t always cause for celebration by our cats. For them, a holiday like the Fourth of July means one thing: fireworks. Or simply put: NOISES, LOUD and SUDDEN noises.
“I’ve adopted three kittens from Furry Friends over the years and fortunately they, along with my two other kitties have bonded into one happy feline family,” says Claire. “While I adopted Gumdrop (now Shazam and the one with the SOFTEST fur) in 2019, last year I adopted Snoodle (now Suki) and Sebastian (now Sokka).
“We adopted Aster the day she was born and it was love at first sight,” Wendy says. “When she was little, she would chase me around all day, so determined was she to ‘nurse.’
Heather Steinmann has a rich history with Furry Friends.
She and her husband Jon joined the cat rescue organization about nine years ago after they adopted a kitten and its Mamma from the non-profit. When the couple learned that Furry Friends had a shelter, Heather said, “Oh there’s somewhere I can volunteer, and I started.”
I know it seems really contradictory to say not all rescuing is responsible rescuing. Rescuing, by definition, means “to save,” so how can anyone rescuing an animal not be doing what is right?
“Emmy isn’t our first kitty,” says Lloyd. “We’ve had several cats over the years.”
“We chose her because she’s a bit older — as are we. We weren’t certain if we could keep up with a frisky kitten. After having spent a few months at the shelter, she was understandably wary at first, and her adjustment to living in our home was gradual. But once she adapted, she quickly ruled the house!
“I kept his name because it was just too perfect,” says Bea. “He’s definitely an Aries, and so is Soup (short for Supreme Josh), his little partner-in-crime.
“I grew up around cats and dogs,” Lovi says. “My family has had four cats and three dogs over 24 years, but because Sylvester is the first pet I’m personally responsible for and invested in, I consider him my first cat.
I’m unique in that I volunteer my writing skills to this amazing rescue in Vancouver, WA from my home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! As for the journey that brought me here? Words are my passion and were my profession. A journalism graduate from The American University in Washington, D.C., I’m the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles.