James, who has now been volunteering with Furry Friends for a year, got involved when both of his cats sadly passed away within months of each other. Uncertain as to whether or not he was ready for any new cats, he missed that special cat energy and became a volunteer instead. Although most of his chores involve cleaning when he’s at the shelter several hours a week, he combines it with a satisfying splash of socialization. He’s usually in the medroom, which he enjoys because he can see the cats come out of their shells from start to finish before they’re moved out into the big rooms. His biggest challenge is not adopting whichever cat looks saddest that day, while his proudest moment as a volunteer is whenever cats go from hiding to confidently throwing their entire body into his lap!
Not only does he derive the greatest satisfaction out of petting so many sweet kitties, he finds every person he’s met here friendly and pleasant to work with. A handyman by trade, he spent most of his time working on the house he and his girlfriend bought and moved into before he started volunteering, and they now have two sister cats, Frankie and Charlie, at home.
Asked why he gives back, James says that he feels better walking out of the shelter after cleaning a half dozen litter boxes than he does after meditating. When he lived in Charlotte, NC, he used to volunteer at the Humane Society of Charlotte and at TreesCharlotte. A man of many talents and varied interests, James enjoys baking, cooking, camping and gardening, and has been converting their yard into garden beds. He and his girlfriend also have a community plot at Heritage Farms.
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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.