Freya Fisher Volunteer Spotlight

“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 look after the cats in the med room and the office on Thursday mornings. I love welcoming the new intakes and helping them feel less fearful about their future. The biggest challenge for me, though, is when some of the cats are sick, and I have to be extremely careful so as not to spread it to the other cats.

“When I moved here, I, of course, brought my own cat with me, but she sadly crossed the Rainbow Bridge in April 2022. Shortly thereafter, I adopted Sammy (now Piranesi) and Scarlet (now Gideon) from Furry Friends. They were both rescued from a hoarding situation and had been community cats before that. Now, they’re the sweetest lap -- or close to my lap – cats, and they love watching TV with me.

“Outside of rescue, I volunteer three mornings a week at Clark College in the English as a Second Language classes and lead the English Conversation Hour on Mondays. I had been a high school English teacher in Ohio and had lived overseas when my husband was a Foreign Service Officer. Not only could I relate to being a foreigner and not knowing the language, I also feel very comfortable in an English classroom setting.

“During my free time, I enjoy reading, taking walks along Vancouver’s urban nature trails and Clark County’s forests, and visiting historic buildings, cafes and small towns. Nothing in Virginia could compare with the abundance of riches you have here!”

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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.