Greg Church : Volunteer Spotlight

“I started volunteering with Furry Friends in March of 2025,” says Greg. “I had lost my beloved Siamese kitty Levon in December of 2024 (I say ‘mine’ because no one else could touch him), and my wife said, ‘no more cats.’

“I decided to approach Margie at ‘Cats Play’ in the hopes of volunteering there. She told me about Furry Friends and said that they would be a far better fit for me. Following her advice, I contacted Furry Friends … and the happy result was my becoming part of the Tuesday morning cleaning crew. I also like coming in several afternoons a week to socialize with any kitty who’s awake and wants some attention.

“Quite naturally, my favorite part about volunteering at the shelter is getting to spend quality time with the kitties, especially those who end up on your shoulders. I never put a cat on my shoulder, but some simply jump up on their own, and I love it! My biggest challenges are those kitties who are scared and hide away. Having gone through that with Levon, I try to build some trust between us in small steps if possible. My proudest moment was getting a cat named Nay Nay to eat. My funniest moment was taking a picture of kitties Kevin and Toby sitting side by side. I still can’t believe it happened.

“The diversity of all of these kitties’ personalities is something I continue to find utterly amazing. And being ‘cat-less’ now, their companionship fills a lingering need in me. I’m therefore particularly passionate that we make the time of every new kitty arriving at Furry Friends, however briefly, the best we can.

“When we lived in California, we had a tiger kitty, Squeakers, and a Siamese, Simon. We acquired Squeakers from the next door neighbor when they moved. Since Squeaks was a ‘hunter’, we had zero living rodents in our backyard! After Squeaks died, I got Levon.

“I’m retired now after spending 41 years working for a railroad. In fact, model railroading has always been my favorite hobby. Not only do I belong to a club here in Vancouver, I’m currently building a small layout at home.” 
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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.