Volunteering at a cat shelter if you're a cat lover might seem like heaven. And it is, but it definitely has some hell mixed in. Before I tell you how an average day goes at the shelter, let me tell you the cast of characters:

Hallie & Stella: TOTAL sweethearts. Hallie will chatter away at you and Stella will use you as a human washcloths.

Benson: Ginger. Kitten. Absolutely insane.

Fred: The definition of a 'fraidy cat.

Charlie: A big baby who loves to eat.

Oliver: A cage dweller who loves scratches.

Tux: Does not like me, you, the world, or anything in it.

A Day in the Life of a Cat Shelter Volunteer

10:00AM: You drive to the shelter, it's your day to do the kitties in the AM. You check in at the front desk and head to the back

10:05AM: You head to the supply closet to gear up for battle; your weapons: a gigantic garbage bag, Clorox wipes, a dustpan, a litter scoop, and cat urine odor removal spray (that last one is important)

10:10AM: You go in to Hallie and Stella's room and are greeted with the overpowering smell of cat pee and a chirp from Hallie

10:40AM: You finish cleaning the room. You scrubbed dried pee off the floor (one of the cats never likes to use the litter box, but you can't figure out which one), scooped the litter box, swept kitty litter off the floor, and replaced the cats' old food and water. Oh, and you did all of this squatting on the floor while people stared at you through the viewing glass, since Hallie & Stella are up for adoption

11:00AM: After putting away the upstairs cat supplies and washing your hands (don't spread cat diseases from upstairs to down!), you go to the purr project room downstairs where the rest of the cats live

11:05AM: After suiting up once again (this time with gloves, so you can change them between cats. No roundworm spreading today!). The smell of cat pee and poop now greets you! More kitties = more smell

11:10AM: You let Benson and Charlie out because they were meowing at you for freedom. Fred meows too, but he just wants attention and has NO interest in exiting his cage. Tux growls every time you pass in front of his cage (or under it, or to the side of it, or pretty much anywhere he can vaguely see you)

11:15AM: The cage cleaning begins. You start with the worst, Benson. There is poop hidden under his blankets, paw prints on the walls, and litter absolutely everywhere; so, nothing new. You take everything out, wipe the cage down with disinfectant, put in new blankets, change the litter in his box, and put it back in

11:30AM: Rinse and repeat with Charlie, with way less litter and all the poop in the litter box. Thank heavens for small favors

11:45AM: Much the same with Oliver, but he grabs at the blankets when you pull them out and bats at the dustpan when you sweep his litter away. He doesn't really appreciate being displaced when you have to spray down his cage, but he gives you a nice nuzzle when you plop him back in. PS, he shed all over your clothes #longhairedcatproblems

12:00PM: Fred's turn! He meows in fear when you come at him with cleaning supplies. He is of course huddled in his litter box, which you have to unceremoniously dump him out of so you can sift through it. He cowers in the corner while you do. Since the spray for the walls is a bit caustic, you have to peel Fred out from his cage and pop him in a different one while you clean (cage free he'll climb up to the top of all the cages where only a ladder and determination will get him down). As thanks for cleaning his cage, he howls and howls the entire duration of your cleaning, up until he is finally back in his box

12:25PM: Now to do the only cage you actually dread: Tux. You suit up with your kevlar gloves (no, I am not kidding). Tux's growls rev up and he swats at you when you sweep near him. You know the kevlar gloves are fully protective, but he's terrifying, so to get him out of his litter box you take the grabber pole and poke him gently until he relents, kicking and screaming (literally). You replace his food and water now, so you don't have to open his cage again later

12:45PM: You put all the kitties back in their respective cages (with some resistance from the cats) and give them all food. Benson, of course, takes a colossal poo as soon as he's back in his cage and kicks his litter around the whole cage again while burying it. Your swear he does this on purpose. He gets five more minutes of Bennie Crazy Time while you re-clean his cage

1:00PM: After sweeping the cat room floor, you say goodbye to the kitties, amidst little whiny trills from Benson and Charlie, who still want to be out. You thank God that there are many more kitties like Stella than kitties like Tux in the world (he's just scared after all, he will get sweeter, but it takes time. Stella was once Tux, and look at her now!). You head home daydreaming about the hour long shower you're going to take to get the smell of cat poo and cleaner off of your body. And finally, you thank your lucky stars that you have seven wonderful cats to love while you're away from home :)

*NOTE: The Purr Project is a real place in North Haven CT! To adopt Benson, Hallie, or Stella, go to http://fpm.petfinder.com/petlist/petlist.cgi?shelt... ! Check out https://www.purrproject.org/volunteer to become a volunteer yourself!*