|
Dear Friends,
Our March ONLINE auction was a huge success. See the post below for more details. Thank you to everyone that participated in this fundraiser.
We continue to adopt out a record number of cats and kittens. We have had 204 adoptions as of March 22. We are so thrilled to find homes for all these kitties.
| | |
April 26: Furry Friends will have a garage sale on Saturday, April 26, to raise funds for the cats and kittens in our care. The huge sale will be held at the American Legion at 4607 NE St James Road, Vancouver, WA 98663. We ask that you hold onto any donation and bring it to the Legion on April 25, the day before the sale.
We also ask for minimal glass-type items, no dirty or excessively used items, no items that have been around excess cigarette smoke, no super old items unless they are sought after, no broken items, no used litter pans, excessively used cat trees/cat beds. We ask that clothes be washed, etc.
| | |
April 20-26 is Volunteer Appreciation Week!
To all our Volunteers: THANK YOU!
April 20-26 is a very special time designated to thank volunteers. There are not enough words to describe how amazed and grateful we are for the dedication, compassion and generosity of the over 200 individuals who have given their time, love and skills to Furry Friends.
Furry Friends would not be possible without the donation of funds, talent and time from you, who have seen the plight of the cats and kittens in our care. You, our dedicated and compassionate volunteers, have decided to not only “talk the talk” but to “walk the walk” and give of yourselves in a most precious way, your time.
We would not exist without your support. Because of you, we have been able to save the almost 6.000 cats and kittens we have taken in since 1999. Without you, none of the work we do would be possible!
Whether you have given 20 hours or 2,000 hours for the year, it is all appreciated. Each person gives what they can manage for their lives. And the kitties are not the only ones to benefit from the time given; the kindness that the volunteers show to one another and those interested in our kitties has been heartwarming. We truly have a loving, compassionate, caring group of volunteers. We will never be able to fully express our gratitude to you, but please know from the bottom of our hearts how much we appreciate and respect each and every one of you.
| | |
Mike Stasio Volunteer Spotlight
“I started volunteering with Furry Friends in the summer of 2024. I was looking for a volunteer opportunity in the area that allowed me to give back, and since I love cats, the decision was easy. A Google search introduced me to Furry Friends, and once I saw it was a no-kill shelter, I sent them an email asking how to volunteer. A few weeks later, I was at the Halfway House!”
Read More Here
Jessica Liedtke Volunteer Spotlight
“I began volunteering for Furry Friends in July of 2024. I work the Friday PM shift for two hours a week at the Halfway House, usually deep cleaning the green section and helping with the dishes and laundry.
“We adopted our cat Felicity (formerly Coraline) at a Furry Friends adoption event, and because I love cats and was very impressed with the organization, I signed on as a volunteer. I love spending time with all the cats. It’s so much fun playing with them and watching them blossom. I also get to work with a great group of people.”
Read More Here
Jaden Hanken Volunteer Spotlight
“I began volunteering with Furry Friends on May 30, 2024, I come in weekly on Tuesdays and Sundays to sweep out the catios, help organize and stock the kitties’ dry and wet food, clean the cat trees, mop and sweep the hallways, and wash and fold the laundry. I also help with medicals whenever needed.”
Read More Here
Connie Roberts Volunteer Spotlight
“I’ve been a volunteer with Furry Friends for about 15 months. I got involved when I visited a Furry Friends booth in Camas and learned all about volunteering.
“At the shelter, where I volunteer every Sunday morning with the best crew ever, I work in the blue and green rooms, and help take care of the kitties there, cleaning the rooms and so on. My favorite part of volunteering, besides my work crew, is seeing cats who have been at the facility for a long time finally get adopted: like Caspian, for example.”
Read More Here
| | Our morning and evening shelter crews do a pretty good job of keeping the shelter clean, but every now and then we need to do a deep cleaning. We would like to thank these five ladies for spending their Saturday doing work for the kitties instead of being outside enjoying a rare sunny day. Thank you, Jaden Hanken, Kathleen McCormick, Karen Grafmyre, Amy Hoover and Cynthia Johnson. | | |
Celebrating 10 Years of Cat Tale Stories
One of Furry Friends’ missions is to educate the public about all things cat. We have been writing Cat Tale education stories for 10 years, starting in 2015 when the stories were written by Diane Stevens and Marci Koski. After a couple of years Nomi Berger found us and started writing the stories for Furry Friends.
Hundreds of stories have been written about cats and their behaviors. You can find these stories on the Furry Friends website which links to the Columbian’s Blog where the stories are kept.
A special thank you to Nomi for her volunteer service not only writing the Cat Tale stories, but the volunteer spotlights, VIP spotlights and adoption stories for Furry Friends. Nomi Berger is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles.
Diane and Marci continue to volunteer with Furry Friends. Diane is a board member and the marketing director, Marci is a board member, feline behaviorist, sponsor and owner of Feline Behavior Solutions."
| | |
Thank you to all who donated items
and participated in our Spring ONLINE auction
Furry Friends held its fifth annual spring online auction fundraiser titled "Whiskers & Wishes" from March 19-23, and we had many great items that were auctioned off. You can see the auction items on the website, but the auction is closed. View the auction here
Thank you so much for supporting us at our Whiskers & Whishes Spring Auction! We raised approx. $20,000! This will go directly to spaying & neutering the kitties that come into our care. 200 cats & kittens will be able to get spayed & neutered essentially saving THOUSANDS of cat lives from unnecessary suffering. Together we can make a difference! ❤️
| | |
Come on out to Claus Paws Animal Hospital,
5819 NE 162nd Ave, Vancouver, WA 98682, on April 13th
from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm for a Furry Friends adoption event.
| | |
· Every Saturday & Sunday 130 SE 192nd Ave, Vancouver. PetSmart 11:00-3:00 cat and kitten adoption events
· April 25: Garage sale item drop off April 25, 9am-4pm at the American Legion.
· April 13: Adoption event at Claus Paws Animal Hospital, 5819 NE 162nd Ave, Vancouver, WA 98682, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
· April 26: Garage Sale April 26, 9am-4pm. The huge sale will be held at the American Legion at 4607 NE St James Road, Vancouver, WA 98663. April 25 to drop of donations for the sale.
· May 6-7 Give Big, Furry Friends will be raising funds for unexpected, extraordinary medical expenses of cats in our care during this upcoming 48-hour fundraiser
· June: Kitten Palooza weeklong adoption event. Date to be announced.
· September 20: Peace & Justice Fair at Esther Short Park in Vancouver
· October 18: Fall Dinner and Auction "Nightmeow before Catmas" to be held at the Royal Oaks Country Club.
· November: Sea-Meow Con in Seattle. We will have a booth at this event
· December 2: Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving that encourages individuals, communities, and organizations to come together and support the causes that matter most. https://www.furryfriendswa.org/giving-tuesday
· Dec 10-21: 12 Meows of Catmas. A different giving opportunity for the 12 days of this event to replenish supplies that we use at the shelter and foster homes. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2K3S2T9UBZCKH?ref_=wl_share
· December to January 2: Giving Trees. The Giving Tree is a community-driven fundraiser where local businesses display a tree filled with our most-needed items. https://www.furryfriendswa.org/the-giving-trees
| |
| | |
Did you get to see The Messenger Magazine’s feature story on Furry Friends in their March edition?
Thank you, Diane Stevens, for writing this article and thank you to the Messenger for being such a great supporter of the kitties.
You can view the article here
| | | | |
The Medical Building
Whose backyard is this? It is our backyard, and it is the site of the new medical building. Our first task is to prepare the area for construction. We need to move our two storage sheds and take down a couple of trees. The city also requires us to install a fire hydrant--a major task. We are getting close to breaking ground. Our goal is to have the building complete by September 2025 and have a ribbon cutting ceremony.
| | |
Why This Medical Building Matters
The new medical building isn’t just a space for veterinary care—it’s a vital part of our mission to help reduce the number of homeless cats in our community and provide them with the highest standard of care. Here's how it will benefit our shelter and the larger community:
For more information about our Medical Building, please visit
There are a couple of ways to donate to the medical building:
- PayPal to information@furryfriendswa.org
-
furryfriendswa.org/donate
- Mail a check to 6715 NE 63rd Street Suite 450 Vancouver WA 98661
We are so close to making this dream come true for the cats in this area! Thank you for your continued support!
| | |
“GO ORANGE FOR ANIMALS” IN APRIL
By Nomi Berger for Furry Friends
Statistics show that in America, an animal is abused every 10 seconds.
As a result, April has been designated “Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” Month. A month during which everyone is urged to “Go Orange for Animals” to increase public awareness about these unconscionable, and usually unreported, incidents.
How YOU can help:
RAISE FUNDS
Using your personal Facebook account, create a fundraising page for a specific rescue group or shelter to celebrate an important occasion (birthday, graduation, anniversary, pet’s birthday, etc.), then share it with family and friends. Instead of gifts, you may ask them to make a donation in your name to the rescue or shelter of your choice.
ORANGE, ORANGE EVERYWHERE
Show your support by wearing something orange all month. For young and old. Female and male. For her: barrettes and bows, scarves and shoelaces, brooches and bracelets, tank tops and teddies, necklaces and nail polish. For him: ties, tie tacks and tee shirts, bow ties and baseball caps, socks, suspenders and sneakers, pocket scarves and pins on lapels. Or go BIG! Tie a broad orange ribbon around a tree in your yard for everyone to see – and hopefully imitate.
READ MORE HERE
| | |
Furry Friends is a volunteer run organization. We have over 200 volunteers that make us successful. These folks are very important to us, and we would like to let you know a little more about them. You can visit their stories on our website
If you are a volunteer and we have not done a story about you yet, please contact diane.stevens@furryfriendswa.org.
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 volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.
| | | | |
