Alli Miller Volunteer Spotlight
Alli Miller who goes by “Alli Cat” has been volunteering with Furry Friends for three months.
Working at East Padden Animal Hospital as a veterinarian nurse, assisting vets, handling and performing treatments on in/out patients, she heard about us through her job. “Sometimes Furry Friends brings sick kittens in to be seen,” she explains. “At other times, we’ve contacted them in situations where a kitten or cat either needs help or is being surrendered.
“I foster kittens, providing them with basic daily care and socializing them in preparation for their forever homes. I delight in raising them to be wonderful, affectionate and well adjusted, and then rejoice when they blossom in those perfect homes.
“I started my career in animal welfare at my local shelter (Humane Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, IN) in 2015 as a volunteer/intern. I worked in the kennels next, moved up to adoptions and enrichment, then started restructuring and running the kitten foster program. In 2020, I moved over to the high-volume spay/neuter and low-cost wellness clinic side of the organization.
“While living in Texas, I worked with Austin Pet Alive! Austin was one of the first no-kill cities in the country and I was the dog foster matchmaker lead and worked with our challenging behavioral and medical cases to find them foster homes. I learned how important it was to have quality foster homes for the many kittens and cats, puppies and dogs out there. Now, with my current position, I have the opportunity to offer my own home and be a great foster and source for Furry Friends.
“My last litter consisted of two males and one female. Bruschetta, the female, was the runt, very shy/introverted and didn’t enjoy cuddling or being picked up. The males warmed up quickly and loved affection. Once they were adopted, Bruschetta THRIVED. She’s now a purr monster, shoulder cat and enjoys lying under the covers!
“I’m passionate about spay/neutering and never declawing! I recently lost my soul dog, Wrigley, a 12-year-old golden retriever who traveled through 26 states with me. He was also very passionate about animal welfare, raised many kittens, visited shelters to socialize with other dogs, and was a truly a best friend to everyone. I still have his toy bin and my foster kittens like to lie in it, so he’s still helping. (My roommates have two kitties, Roofus the Doofus/Roofy Doofy and Nomad Bane the Chunk Johnson).”
Multi-faceted and multi-talented, Alli Cat LOVES cat nail trims, chasing waterfalls, paddle boarding and swimming. She enjoys going to live shows and music festivals, while for the last few years she’s been working on farms through a program called WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic 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.
