“I have just started volunteering with Furry Friends,” Amanda says. “I got involved thanks to the recommendation I received from a teacher at my high school.

“I currently volunteer for two hours each week at the shelter, and my duties include cleaning, doing laundry, feeding the cats and doing an inventory for them. My favorite part of volunteering is knowing that whatever I do, large or small, has a positive effect on both the cats and my fellow volunteers. I love giving my time to help make others’ lives a bit nicer and easier.

“I was a foster mom for Furry Friends several years ago,” says Elliott. “Then about four months ago, I started working at the shelter as a volunteer. I had fostered Linus and Trixie, a bonded pair with medical issues (a feeding tube), and fell in love with the organization!

“I’ve volunteered with Furry Friends for about seven months,” says Joalene. “I was volunteering part-time for another organization and learned about you through an acquaintance of mine who fosters for Furry Friends. When I met Jenn Hutchman at the shelter, I felt at home right away. In fact, people like Jenn, Jessica Horton and Tanika Campbell inspire me in ways too numerous to mention. They make me strive to be the best possible version of myself: more generous, more empathetic and more tolerant.

“I have only been volunteering with Furry Friends for one week,” Abigail says. “I got involved with you because I wanted to foster cats and googled the nearest shelter.”

“I’ve been volunteering with Furry Friends since January 2026,” Amy says. “The reason I got involved with you was because I had volunteered at Feline Friends in Olympia and loved it (I’m still their volunteer coordinator), so that when I moved to Vancouver, I looked for similar opportunities and found Furry Friends.

This is an autobiographical volunteer spotlight by one of our wonderful Furry Friends volunteers. She also creates some of the coolest 3D printed items and sells them as a fundraiser for Furry Friends.

My name is Gloria, but I also go by G. I have been a volunteer at Furry Friends since May 14th, 2025, on the Wednesday PM shift. We all have a story about why we’re here. This is part of mine.

This is my love letter to Furry Friends.

A lot can happen in 365 days.

In 2025, Furry Friends helped 1,000 cats find their forever home.

“I have been volunteering with Furry Friends for the past three years,” Catrice says. “When I moved from Oregon, the shelter where I then volunteered recommended that I volunteer for you.”

“After moving to Vancouver in June of 2024 and getting established, I learned about Furry Friends,” says Dawn. “I picked up a foster kitty from them on October 5, 2025 for a month, then decided that my time would be better spent at the Halfway House.

“I have been volunteering with Furry Friends since September of 2024,” Shelly says.
“I saw a post asking for Sunday morning volunteers. I don’t usually have any plans at that time and because I love cats, I responded to the post. The happy result: I spend two hours every Sunday helping clean the cat rooms, provide the cats with fresh food and water and then cuddle with them. Without question, my favorite part about volunteering is cuddling with the kitties!

“I have been fostering kitties for Furry Friends since January of 2025,” says Kris. “Prior to that, I had been a foster for 6 months with the Cowlitz County Humane Society until they were taken over, moving all of the cats to Vancouver while they remodeled the shelter. I had heard wonderful things about Furry Friends and wanted to come onboard.

“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 have been with Furry Friends since November 2023,” says Teresa. “I had been volunteering at the local animal shelter and decided it wasn’t very personable -- cleaning, caring and socialization were rushed. Looking for an organization that had a meaningful mission and purpose, I found Furry Friends whose wonderful, caring people fulfill their mission. 

“I have been volunteering with Furry Friends for more than a year now,” says Jon. “In fact, a good friend of mine actually recommended Furry Friends to me. 

“I have been volunteering with Furry Friends for about a year and a half, and my daughter Ingrid has been volunteering for close to one year,” Soren says. “We both remember the first cats who made impressions on us when we started: Wrangler for me and Tobi for Ingrid!

“I have been volunteering as a foster with Furry Friends since December 2025,” Jess says. “I got involved because I wanted to be a foster for a small organization, and I thought all of the cats at Furry Friends were ADORABLE!

“I have been volunteering as a kitten foster for Furry Friends since September of 2022,” says Robin.

“To say it’s a 24/7 paws-ition is truly an understatement … lol. My favorite part about being a foster is experiencing all of the different kitten personalities and just simply having fun with them. My biggest challenge is when I have litters of three or more. I really have my hands full then!

“I started volunteering at Furry Friends in December of 2024,” Amanda says. “In fact, my first shift was the Tuesday PM shift on Christmas Eve. I had unexpectedly lost most of my possessions as well as my job, money was tight, and my partner and I couldn’t afford to visit family for the holidays. My senior cat’s health was rapidly declining and I needed something positive to occupy my mind and my time.   

“I just started volunteering with Furry Friends in January 2026,” Alina says. “I was looking for cat rescues to volunteer for in my area and this was one of the first I found.

“I began volunteering with Furry Friends in March 2025,” says Jen. “After the Presidential election, I was feeling down and I wanted to do something that would potentially make me feel better, while allowing me to make a positive contribution. Because I love cats, I started looking for local volunteer opportunities and found Furry Friends. I was drawn to their mission and impressed that the rescue’s been so successful for so long and powered by so many volunteers. 

“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.