Misty Ray: Volunteer Spotlight
“I’ve been a Furry Friends foster for the last year, and have cared for 24 kittens and two mamas so far,” says Misty Ray (also known as Misty Rae O’Sunshine on FB).
“I had a beautiful 21-year career in the Air Force, and after a few random jobs, I was struggling to find a purpose that satisfied me as much as serving my country. After pondering the idea of starting my own rescue, it became more about how I could assist local rescues with the issue of cat overpopulation. I subsequently reached out to Furry Friends to see how I could help, and I’m so happy I did.
“I have three cats of my own, Dharma, Greg and Mango, and since I knew they wouldn’t like the idea of having other cats in the house, I thought I’d win them over by only fostering kittens. Who doesn’t love kittens? And surprisingly, for the most part, they’ve been excellent ‘hosts.’
“My greatest joy as a foster is knowing that I’m helping to keep these sweet fur babies off the street, out of the cold, and oh-so-spoiled while I have them. And my most memorable experience by far involved Mama Marble and her two 12-hour-old babies. Sadly, she had lost four others to the weather, but Tang and Lady Licorice survived. It was a blessing to watch Mama follow her maternal instincts and care for them so tenderly and so lovingly. I was such a proud foster mama and grandma, and ‘only’ cried a handful of times.
“My biggest challenge as a foster is doing it alone. I don’t have a spouse or children to help. Whenever I have more than a few kittens at once, plus my own three cats, it becomes quite hectic. There are only so many hours in a day, so many litter boxes to clean, and of course, my desire to spend as much time as possible socializing them. Honestly, it wouldn’t bother me to be locked away in a room full of kittens all day long, but …
“In whatever free time I have, I like to spend it with friends and family, shoot archery, read a good book, and believe it or not, cuddle with my fur babies.
“I think my favorite responsibility ever has been this one, and I would encourage anyone who loves animals to become a foster or volunteer in another capacity. It’s so rewarding and so so good for the heart. I feel incredibly blessed to work with Furry Friends. They have a remarkable team of volunteers, fosters, those running the shelter and those sitting on the Board.”
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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.
