“I have volunteered with Furry Friends for 4 1/2 years,” Freya says.
“When I lived in Virginia, I volunteered at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter and the Humane Society of Fairfax County.  After moving here in September of 2020, however, I knew that I wanted to volunteer at cat rescues in the area. For a while, I volunteered at the Humane Society of Southwest Washington in the cattery and the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society doing the Monday evening Tuck-In. But now, I volunteer exclusively with Furry Friends.

“I decided to volunteer as a foster for Furry Friends after losing my precious cat to illness in 2023,” says Jill. “She was a stray, and it took me years to gain her trust. Everyone asked me why I even bothered. Truthfully, I had no answer other than it brought me untold joy!

“I have volunteered with Furry Friends since December 2024,” Kate says. 
“I worked as an Animal Care Technician at Oregon Humane Society, and continued there as an Animal Care volunteer for some time after I changed careers. Eventually, though, I wanted to contribute to the welfare of pets in my community as a Vancouver native. I knew of Furry Friends through the relationship Oregon Humane Society had with them, and so I inquired about volunteer opportunities here.

“I’ve volunteered with Furry Friends since January 2025,” says Amanda, “and got involved thanks to referrals from multiple rescue friends.
“I’m a kitten/cat foster and it involves tending them and transporting them to vet visits and adoption events. I love taking care of my fosters and watching them grow and thrive and become loving pets. I always wish I had more time to snuggle them since the hardest part is taking them to adoption events and knowing it might be the last time I see them. While I hope beyond hope that they find loving homes, I will always welcome them back if it doesn’t work out.

“I have been volunteering with Furry Friends since November 2024,” Adara says.
“I am taking a gap year before I go to college and wanted to volunteer at a shelter. When I found Furry Friends, I thought that they would be a great place to do so. Before I started volunteering, I was attending high school, and after I graduated, I took a month-long trip across the country in a camper van, which was amazing! I am an aspiring artist and will be attending CWU in the fall for their arts program.

“I began volunteering in early December of 2023,” Gloria says. “I got involved because I’d decided that I wanted to work with cats in need, and a Google search led me to Furry Friends. I was subsequently connected with Gail Bauhs, Supervisor of Socializers.

“I have been volunteering with Furry Friends for five years now,” Pam says.

As to the reason she got involved? “I had moved to Arizona to live with my sister and her kids. My health was getting worse, and between the warmer weather and family help, I was hoping to feel better. We were living on 40 acres of land and were going to be homesteaders, but six months after I moved there, we had a house fire and lost nearly everything -- including the best animal I will ever know.

“I have been fostering kitties for Furry Friends since June 2013,” Roni says. “To date, I’ve fostered a total of 23 litters which included 18 mama cats and 115 kittens. I’ve even done a round of ‘bottle babies.’

“When I looked up agencies on the Internet, I was extremely impressed with Furry Friends’ mission. I promptly called and spoke to Linda Rader who not only brought me my first litter but proved to be a source of great information and help during her tenure with Furry Friends.

“I must point out that this is a family affair,” Tina says proudly. “While my partner, Trevor, and I do most of the day-to-day work, my children (7, 11 and 14) play a big part in making sure all of the cats and kittens we foster become accustomed to living with children. They have learned to be quiet and move slowly when we have new fosters who are adjusting or a new mama who has just given birth. We’ve been told that our family raises the sweetest kittens, and that’s something we’re really proud of. It’s a direct reflection of the love and respect we accord all of the cats in our care.

A retired teacher and housewife, I have volunteered as a foster with Furry Friends for 3 years.

Three years ago, my daughter brought home a senior cat she had adopted in college. When she moved out, her idea of giving that cat a happy home for its last years motivated me to become a foster. I started searching for shelters in need of fosters and Furry Friends was the first one that contacted me. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with every kitten and cat I’ve ever fostered.

“I’ve volunteered with Furry Friends since July of 2024,” Natalie says, “and I got involved through following their Facebook page.

“As a stay-at-home mom, I’ve been fostering kittens since the end of July. I love socializing them and learning all about their quirks. I also love getting to have them while they’re little and then I move onto a new batch. It’s the best! Goodbyes are a little hard sometimes, but it’s worth it.  

“I started volunteering with Furry Friends in September of 2024,” Nicole says. “My introduction to them was shortly after a sweet little stray kitten started showing up at my back porch. Furry Friends responded when I was looking to local pet rescues for assistance. Visiting the Halfway House to hand him off left quite the impression, and I reached back out shortly thereafter to ask about volunteer opportunities.

Tamara may have only started volunteering with Furry Friends in September of 2024, but she’s wanted to do so for several years. Why? Quite simply, she waited until she had retired.

“I learned about Furry Friends from my friend, Angela Reid, who’s a volunteer,” Tamara explains. “I retired at the end of May after working for 16 years in the Medical Records department of a pediatric office, and now spend my time quilting, gardening, taking care of my bird feeders and being with my grandchildren. I’m also busy this time of year with my husband who is a professional Santa Claus, playing the part of Mrs. Kringle!

I began volunteering as a foster for Furry Friends after retiring several years ago from my longtime position as a Medical Director with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

 I have loved several darling moms who nursed and taught their beautiful babies the way of the world, which brought me tremendous joy and endless laughter. Then there was Sweet Potato, an obese 12-year-old orange cat with food allergies who shed constantly, followed by Nori, a petite, elegant, curious and utterly adorable black kitty with the most beautiful eyes, who endlessly ran after a red laser pointer on the floor. Although I cry every time they’re adopted, I know there will always be other ones for me to foster and to love

“I started volunteering in April of 2024, and I’ve loved being involved!” exclaims Morgan.

“I first heard of Furry Friends when I was looking to adopt a cat. I had just moved into my own apartment and my current cat seemed so lonely. Since he was alone in the apartment, I started looking at shelters for a friend and new member of my family. I found FF through an adoption website, where I saw so many adorable kitties. When I visited the Halfway House I fell in love with a black cat named Rascal (now Sirius).

Simply called Libby, I began volunteering with Furry Friends after finishing high school five years ago. I work from three to four hours at the Halfway House on the Monday PM shift.

 I became involved because I was looking for something constructive to do, and since I love cats, it was a perfect fit. Besides my assigned work, I’m also the go-to person for administering medications and handling the “feistier” cats that others are less comfortable being around. This is what I enjoy most: interacting with them because I understand them.

Kathy, who has been volunteering with Furry Friends for the past year saw us in Petsmart on 192nd Avenue and read the literature about us.  

“I had been feeding some feral cats in a field near an apartment complex in which I once lived,” Kathy says, “and although I moved several blocks away, I still feed them. When one of the pregnant kitties was found having her babies, she was trapped and taken to Furry Friends. (I had already emailed them about her). They contacted me and asked if I would be willing to foster her. I agreed and she came to me with kittens in tow. Every kitten got adopted and I kept the mother who fits in perfectly with the cats I’d rescued myself and kept from that field.”

I have volunteered with Furry Friends for nearly a year. The reason I did was because my co-worker and friend is the volunteer coordinator, and she was always talking about the cats. It made me want to get involved too!

 I volunteer every Sunday for about two hours, depending on how much there is to do. What I love most, beside cat cuddles, is seeing cats get more comfortable, friendly and confident over time. It breaks my heart to hear about the sad circumstances they sometimes come from. But, on the flip side, seeing their resilience and their willingness to open themselves up to new people touches my heart.

“I started volunteering with Furry Friends in the summer of 2024. I was looking for a volunteer opportunity in the area that allowed me to give back, and since I love cats, the decision was easy. A Google search introduced me to Furry Friends, and once I saw it was a no-kill shelter, I sent them an email asking how to volunteer, and a few weeks later, I was at the Halfway House!

“I began volunteering for Furry Friends in July of 2024,” Jessica says. “I work the Friday PM shift for two hours a week at the Halfway House, usually deep cleaning the green section and helping out with the dishes and laundry. 

“We adopted our cat Felicity (formerly Coraline) at a Furry Friends adoption event, and because I love cats and was very impressed with the organization, I signed on as a volunteer. I love spending time with all of the cats. It’s so much fun playing with them and watching them blossom. I also get to work with a great group of people.