Nomi Berger Volunteer Spotlight

I’m unique in that I volunteer my writing skills to this amazing rescue in Vancouver, WA from my home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! As for the journey that brought me here?

 Words are my passion and were my profession. A journalism graduate from The American University in Washington, D.C., I’m the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. I’ve also been an advertising copywriter, industrial editor and the Public Relations director of a major hospital.

Having grown up in an “allergic” household, we had no pets (I was and still am highly allergic to cats … how ironic is that!), and owning one never occurred to me. Then, in 2011, I fell in love with Uggie, a Jack Russell terrier in the Academy Award winning film “The Artist.” Don’t ask me why. Writers can’t explain their obsessions, and Uggie, a rescue dog, became mine, followed swiftly by a second one: the world of animal rescue.

 In 2013, I began volunteering my writing skills to dog and cat rescue groups in Canada and the US. One year later, I adopted Mini, a 6-year-old Maltese, and experienced, for the first time, the exquisite intensity of unconditional love. My beloved Mini passed away peacefully at the age of 15 on April 23, 2023, and yet she resides in my heart where she will live on, forever loved and forever missed.

 I joined the Furry Friends family in 2016 because I so firmly supported and believed in your mission: to both help homeless and abused cats find loving adoptive homes and to educate the community in responsible pet ownership and care.

 I promptly started writing educational articles entitled “Cat Tales” and compiling and writing adoption stories entitled “Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories.” They’re posted on alternate Sundays, with “Cat Tales” appearing in The Columbian as well, and “Classic Cat Tales,” selections from previously posted articles, being posted on Facebook every Wednesday.

 Nothing gives me greater pleasure than writing each, what I famously term, my “FFF Tails” and viewing the photos accompanying the information sent to me by each adoring adopter. Why? Because with each tail posted, our followers can view for themselves another successful adoption, another kitten or cat rescued, rehomed, and enjoying the most loving, most loved of lives. And hopefully, encouraging them to consider adopting a furry friend of their own.

 I derive the same satisfaction out of researching and writing each “Cat Tale” and not only learning more than I ever thought paws-ible about “all things cat,” but helping cat owners be the best pet parents they can be. I’m deeply honored to be a part of this awesome organization, to have met, albeit solely online, so many passionate, creative and committed individuals who prove, day after day, that feline fairytales can indeed come true.