I have been with Furry Friends for 5 years. I had looked online for volunteer opportunities when I got close to full retirement and Furry Friends looked like a good fit. Although I had been volunteering at the Humane Society, I wanted to focus more on cats.

I always volunteer on Friday mornings — cleaning, feeding and socializing our kittens and cats. The biggest challenge for me is overcoming my fear of anxious and/or hostile cats, and I derive the greatest sense of satisfaction when those cats calm down and begin accepting all of the love we have to give them.

After suffering a severe wrist injury in 2017, I rediscovered my love of cats, and I retired as a Registered Nurse in 2018. I had previously been a German Shepherd mom but realized that I needed a smaller pet to care for.

Enter my current dog: an adorable 11-pound Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Not to mention the three cats that I adopted from the Humane Society. (I started adopting and couldn’t stop)!

When I’m not volunteering at Furry Friends or caring for my four pets, I enjoy taking Zumba and yoga classes at Firstenburg Community Center. I love Sudoku, Mahjong and reading both fiction and non-fiction. I also knit and crochet and donate those items either to Goodwill or Furry Friends.

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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.