Have you met Jaimie Garver? If not, chances are you will if you drop by the Halfway House even occasionally. This powerhouse, despite having only been a volunteer for less than two years, has taken on the demanding position of Furry Friends president. What’s more, she’s not just president, but is currently lead of park events, the grant team, the fundraising team, medical team, and Halfway House coordinator. That’s a mouthful to say and even more to do. So, how did she get to dedicating so many hours a week to Furry Friends?

Introducing Brooke, the multi-talented, Japanese speaking, cat volunteering college student of the Monday halfway house shift! She has been volunteering since the summer of 2017 when she was debating what type of service to do for her high school’s National Honor Society. “I was most interested in working more with animals,” she said. “I have four cats of my own and feel more comfortable around them. So, a cat shelter seemed like the best fit for me!”

Like almost every kid at the Recycled Arts Festival, Tina Starks saw the booth with cats and immediately dragged my parents over so I could see. When her father made it clear that none of those cats were going to come home with Tina’s family, she did the next best thing: sign up to be a volunteer. So, at the age of thirteen, Tina began her journey with Furry Friends.

Crazy about cats? Not enough hair on your clothes already? If you are a veterinary technician wanting to give back to your community, then Furry Friends would like to talk to you. The cats, kittens and good folks at Furry Friends are looking for a qualified volunteer veterinary technician to help with the medical duties.

Abi has been volunteering with Furry Friends since October of 2018. She jumped in with both feet and we are amazed at all she does for the kitties. She has a heart of gold. When you email us at the information@furryfriendswa.org email address, she is the one on the other end receiving it. We treasure this girl and are so happy that she is with us. Here is what Abi has to say about herself.

“I had four other cats in the past,” explains Summer, “but Milk and Cookies are my only kitties now. “How could I change such cute names when Milk and Cookies suit them so perfectly? “I chose them for several reasons. It was important to me that they’re sisters since I sometimes work 16 or 18 hours a day. Then, when I met them, they seemed so friendly and so cuddly that I simply couldn’t resist them.

Familiar with the old axiom: never judge a book by its cover? The same holds true for cats deemed less desirable than other cats. These less than “purr-fect” kitties may have medical conditions, physical limitations or behavioral issues but we at Furry Friends believe that cats with special needs deserve special owners who are dedicated to both loving them and providing them with the care and support they deserve.

“Franky (short for Frankenstein) is the first cat I’ve had on my own,” says Jordan. “I grew up with cats — as many as four at once — and while I called one of them mine, when I left for college, they all became my mom’s cats. “I may jokingly call myself a cat lady, but it’s true. I even tried unsuccessfully to talk my college roommates into allowing a cat, then resigned myself to waiting until I graduated to get one.

“Jasper, formerly Rascal (we wanted a name with a similar sound), is the most recent in a long line of kitties in our lives,” Mary says. “My kitty soul mate, Kisa,
passed away a few years ago. She was a beautiful Russian Blue, and my husband, Eric, also had gray cats he’d loved in the past. So when we saw Jasper at PetSmart and he immediately started purring and rubbing on the glass, we knew that he was the one.

Furry Friends offers low cost micro-chipping at their Esther Short Park events in Vancouver, WA. Visit their booth at the Recycled Arts Festival in June and the Peace and Justice Fair in September. The cost for micro-chipping your cat or dog through Furry Friends is only $20 (a $60 value). Millions of pets go missing each year. Unfortunately, very few of them are ever reunited with their owners. Many of them become and remain strays. Others are taken to pounds or shelters, where they are all too often, euthanized. The luckier ones are saved by rescue organizations and ultimately placed in adoptive homes.

You may know Nomi from the Cat Tale stories and the Furry Friends Fur-Ever stories she does for us. However there is much more to this lady. See what she has to say about herself!

Early in her rescue career, Jennifer Hart learned street cats are not always what they seem. The president of Furry Friends, a no-kill shelter in Vancouver, Washington, once trapped a lot of homeless kitties, assuming they were feral. She quickly discovered that many of these cats were not feral at all.