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.

She spends between four and eight hours a week volunteering and is one of the shift leads at the shelter on alternating Saturday nights. Not only does she look after her team, ensuring that all is running smoothly, that everything is clean, and that food and medications are being distributed, she also helps train new volunteers.

Her biggest challenge is maintaining her composure when a cat arrives in terrible shape. While it’s difficult to witness one who was either mistreated or is in poor health, she’s so grateful that they can now receive the attention they need. Her favorite part is being physically present to assist in this process and in, ultimately, changing their lives. As much as she enjoys being around them, her proudest moments are those when she helps these kitties come out of their shells and feel comfortable, and when she helps restore them to good health.

Blessed with four beautiful female cats of her own — Delaney, 4, Lila, 2, Meave, 1.5 and Evie, 1 – Caitlin has always tried her best to help out cats in need. She keeps a little bin of cat food, water, treats and disposable bowls in her car trunk, and if she’s out and sees a stray cat, she stops and gives them food and water.

She worked as a baker part time, and not only loves baking, creating beautiful and tasty treats, she enjoys doing nail art, crafts/diys, and making things out of clay. She also collects crystals, visits local crystal/metaphysical shops, and is in the process of opening a small online business with her best friend: a crystal shop called Wicked Moon Crystals in the fall.

While Caitlin gives back to assist those in need, she admits that it gives her a sense of purpose in return. She also finds it a wonderful way of getting to know the community around her and meeting new like-minded people. Passionate about the issue of cat hoarding, she aches both for the cats and the hoarders who clearly aren’t getting the help they need, and she would love to see the issue resolved one day.

On Sundays, she volunteers at West Columbia Gorge Humane Society’s spay and neuter clinic as one of the recovery team members. They help the cats wake up from anesthesia, administer vaccines, put in microchips, clean ears and trim nails, all of which she finds exhilarating!

Forever grateful for the work we do, Caitlin loves and appreciates us, and is proud to be a part of our organization. And because she’s met so many wonderful people here, she hopes to remain and grow with us for a very long time.

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Furry Friends Volunteer Spotlights are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.