“I have been fostering with Furry Friends for the past year,” Michelle says. “When I worked at the Humane Society, I fostered hospice seniors. To say it was my thing is putting it mildly.

“Brittni and I have both had several cats in the past,” says Nolan. “We had our last one for 16 years before we sadly said goodbye last fall. After three months of mourning, we felt ready to welcome a new kitty into our home.

“Being cat lovers, my wife and I have always had cats,” says Mike. “After viewing the profiles of various kitties on the Furry Friends’ website, we attended an adoption event at PetSmart to meet some of them.

“I have had several cats in the past,” says Stan. “The only ones who lived very long were strictly indoors, either by my choice or theirs. My adopted cat’s original name was Tommy, but I changed it to Boris since it seemed more fitting (he’s a bruiser, jet black with bright yellow eyes -- almost panther-like). My younger sister Annie Kiely, who volunteers at Furry Friends, told me about him, and when I saw him at the shelter, I knew that he was the right cat for me: alert, friendly, confident and easygoing.

“I adopted Ziggy to hopefully bond with my other cat, a Siamese named Bella, whom I unfortunately and abruptly lost to kidney disease in October 2025,” Linda says. “Ziggy seemed lost, so I decided it was time for a new kitten.

“I’ve had cats in the past and my last cat, Ramone, died in October, 2025,” Victoria says. “He was sick for a long time with diabetes and failing organs. A feral tabby rescue on Maui, and a wonderful cat, he moved back with us to the mainland in 2021. He first helped my husband in his fight against cancer and then became my comfort companion when my husband passed away. It was very hard to lose him.

“Having always had cats in the past, I knew it was time to welcome another one into my home,” says Jenny. “I was looking for a black cat with a fluffy tail, and when I saw then named Coolio on the Furry Friends website, he seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

“I drove to Vancouver from Portland to meet him during Furry Friends’ adoption event at PetSmart. He came right up to me and started rubbing against my hand, and it was love at first sight. Scallywag seemed right at home pretty much immediately. He was and still is a very curious boy, so once he had a look around, he decided he was happy with his new home.

“While I came from a dog family, Nat came from a cat family,” Julianna says.

“Together we had an elderly cat, Charles, a former street cat, before deciding that he would do well with a friend. I had always wanted a black cat growing up, and when I found Lucretia on the Furry Friends website, I was enamored by how sweet and shy she looked in her photo. I especially loved her eyes and truly felt that she was ‘my’ cat. We met her at her foster home and promptly adopted her.

“We currently have three small dogs and one sassy cat named Misty, who’s three,” says Nicole.

“Mike volunteers at Furry Friends and we’ve fostered several cats,” says Jim. “The last two, however, never went back. Both cats had entropion correction surgery six months apart and we took care of them afterward, adopted them and named them Orion and Cassiopeia.

“In mid-October, I said goodbye to my 14.5-year-old cat, Dooly,” says Miranda. “She was an extremely clingy all black beauty.

“I used to be a dog person … until two orange cats emotionally manipulated me into switching teams,” laughs Renee.

“I’ve had cats for many years and work professionally with them through my pet sitting business,” Sarah says.

“After losing my 22-year-old orange female tabby, Chai, I found Junie through PetFinder while searching for another orange female tabby. When I arrived at Junie’s foster home, I did a double take because there was another orange female tabby, Juno. The moment I put Junie in the carrier, Juno jumped right on top trying to get in! I felt guilty only taking one but I was currently fostering another kitten that was ultimately re-homed because she did better as a single cat.

“We currently have a cat that was adopted from the Humane Society,” says Jonathan. “After looking at the photos of various kitties on the Furry Friends website, we decided to visit the shelter to meet some of them.

“Last December, I adopted George, originally named Morpheus, for our family,” says Molly. “We had recently lost our beloved orange tabby at the age of one to congenital kidney disease, and a few months earlier we lost my senior 14-year-old kitty I had rescued when she was 18 months old.

“As a cat person, I’ve always had cats in the past,” says Kayla. “When I saw a picture of Maple on the Furry Friends website, I thought she was adorable and so my mom attended an adoption event at PetSmart and brought her home to us.

“I’ve had numerous cats in the past and currently have three,” Virgie says. “I met Mocha, then known as Harley, through a co-worker who had connections to a Furry Friends foster home.

“I have always had cats in the past,” Aaron says. “After viewing various kitties on the Furry Friends website, we went to the shelter, and everyone was truly wonderful to us.

“I grew up in a cat loving family, and going back to my earliest memories, we always had multiple cats,” Lorien says. “After marrying my husband who wasn’t sure how he felt about them, he became the best cat daddy ever to my two fluffy Siamese girls. At some point, we decided that going forward we would always adopt senior or special needs cats.

“I have had cats since childhood,” says Lynne. “Two of them lived in an RV with my husband and me as we worked and travelled through various national parks. They had their own netted ‘cat tunnel’ outside when we parked, and they were extremely popular.with everyone around.