Meet Amanda! She started volunteering with Furry Friends back when she was in high school, in order to complete community service hours for graduation. She took a break from volunteering after that, but started back up last fall after adopting one of our kitties, Leia. Unfortunately, her senior kitty wasn’t able to accept a new cat in the household, so Amanda and her family had to make the hard decision to relinquish Leia back to Furry Friends. Even though this meant she couldn’t adopt any more cats herself, she started volunteering in order to help the many other rescue kitties in need of forever homes!

She spends about 3 hours a week at the Halfway House with her Saturday morning team looking after all the cats. Amanda always has a positive attitude and a smile on her face when working her Halfway House shift! When asked what her favorite part of volunteering for Furry Friends is, she said, “My favorite part is definitely when we get a cat that’s in real rough shape, and seeing the cats progression as they get the love and care they need, as they are nurtured back to how a cat should be; happy and healthy!”

Amanda has one senior kitty of her own. His name is Stewey, but he has lots of nicknames! “My mom and I call him ‘Gooey’ or ‘Stinky Monkey’. He has hyperthyroidism and is my best friend. He only eats wet food since he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism earlier this year. His favorite treats are the Sheba sticks, he devours them in less than a minute! Beef is his current favorite flavor of wet food. He is the best boy I could ever ask for!”

The reason Amanda gives back is because she loves feeling like she’s making a difference in helping. She loves coming to the Halfway House and seeing all the different cats’ personalities, and seeing the cats who have been at the shelter for a while finally get the loving homes they deserve! She also loves giving extra TLC to the cats who need it most, and spending time with kitties who prefer someone to sit with them while they eat.

Not only is she passionate about helping cats in need of forever homes, Amanda is also very passionate about spreading awareness within her community about why you should never declaw your cats. She has seen what negative effects declawing has on cats, and how harmful it is to their health and well being.

Aside from her love for cats, Amanda also loves music by a band called Chase Atlantic! “They are my favorite band who I have spent so much money on, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Their music is my happy place!”. She has seen them perform live in concert 5 times!

Thank you Amanda for everything you do for the kitties in our community!

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We would like to thank Jazmynn Hoffman for writing this spotlight. She has been with Furry Friends since 2020 and has been an amazing contribution to our team. She is our Halfway House Manager and she has fostered several cats and kittens for Furry Friends. Jazmynn is also our Volunteer Coordinator.