Nothing gives Betsy Sanford more joy than getting to know the cats who live at the Furry Friends house and giving them “cuddles and a little fun.”

“They are each so unique,” she said. “I really enjoy trying to help a cat adjust to human touch and maybe relax a little if they are stressed.”

Betsy has always been an animal lover and she said she was “excited to find such a wonderful organization….” She has been a volunteer for a bit less than a year, and she credits her initial interest in Furry Friends to her pal, Robbie Bertram, also a volunteer.

In addition to volunteering about two evening hours a week and occasionally substituting, Betsy has adopted a 10-year-old cat, Hobbs, from Furry Friends. She said Hobbs is “quite the love bug, but still spicy at times.” After adopting Hobbs, Betsy decided to adopt only older cats—those who often are hard to place.

In addition to Hobbs, Betsy and her husband, Larry, have two additional rescues in their home: Sadie, a small 11-pound dog, almost 6 years old, and Addie, a tabby, 4. “She (Addie) and Hobbs are still working things out, but they are O.K. with each other most of the time,” Betsy said.

A retired health educator, Betsy was a health counselor for students at the University of Georgia for almost 20 years. There, she ran a program for anonymous HIV counseling and testing. She and Larry have two grown sons who live in California. When she’s not taking care of kitties, she enjoys gardening, walking, reading and history.

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We would like to thank Alice Perry Linker for writing this spotlight. Alice is a retired newspaper reporter and editor who last worked for The Reflector in Battle Ground, WA.

Earlier, she worked for the La Grande (OR) Observer, and she and husband Ray owned the Creswell (OR) Chronicle for eight years. Alice, who now lives in Gresham, OR, has two sons and one grandson. She enjoys hiking, gardening and playing (badly) the piano. Alice has volunteered her writing and proof reading skills to Furry Friends for several years.

Furry Friends is a nonprofit cat adoption organization. Its mission is to help homeless, relinquished and abused cats by providing spaying and neutering, medical care, and foster shelter for as long as it takes to find their forever home. Copyright © 2013 – 2020 Furry Friends. All rights reserved. Website design and development by Christina Roberts.