I had no idea that randomly google searching "volunteer opportunities near me," and clicking on the link, "Cat Lovers Needed," would have the the impact on me that it did. Being a college student and hour and a half away from my pets at home, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity for me to get my animal fix. The process was pretty simple, and I was only asked to work a few hours once a week. Before I knew it, I was arriving for my first shift.
The specific foundation I work at is called Safe the Animals Foundation, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. This no-kill, cat and dog shelter is currently at full capacity by housing over 600 animals. Run entirely by volunteers, the main goal of this organization is to not only find loving families for homeless animals, but also to bring sick and injured animals back to full health. Even the animals who suffer from serious, life-threatening conditions, the veterinarian volunteers do whatever they can to save a life. Animals who are too sick to be adopted are kept at the shelter, and given the best possible quality of life.
As of right now, I am only trained to work with cats, though I am working towards going through the dog training. Every Monday morning around 8 a.m. I walk into work and start preparing for my day. Before I go into my assigned rooms, I get the correct amount of clean litter boxes, jugs of water to refill the bowls, cleaner, disinfectant, and any other cleaning materials I might need. I load it all up on my tray, and then I head into the cat zone of the building.
I can't begin to describe my feelings when I walk into my rooms. I am responsible for three rooms and one area called the "roamer zone," where the cats who are too sick to be adopted are able to walk around the vet room and the main hallway freely. I feel so many different emotions when cats are running toward me, so excited to get some love and attention. One cat, Danica, has no use of her lower body, and when she sees me, she begins crawling across the floor to get her daily dose of love. I am so happy because I know I am helping these homeless cats realize that they are loved, and reminding the abused and abandoned cats how much they are wanted. I, being a "crazy cat lady," as my friends call me, love being able to provide so much affection for all of them. It can also make me sad, however, because I see first hand the true pain and cruelty these animals have endured, and it breaks my heart hearing some of the stories of how the animals end up here.
Every animal in that building has it's own personality. It is amazing to see the progress one can make, compared to when they first came to STAF. A perfect example of a cat on the road to recovery is Scotch. Scotch is in one of my rooms, containing one to three-ish year old cats. I'm not sure of his exact breed, but he is an orange, long hair cat with the fluffiest tail I have ever seen. When I first started, Scotch was in this room in a- very spacious- cage, because there is a method to putting an animal in a room with many other animals. STAF has specialists who are trained to come in and work with each specific one, helping them transition to being at STAF, and getting along with their potential "roommates." Scotch was still working on being in such a large room, so he stayed in his mini home, left in the room. At first, he would not come near me. I would put my hand up next to the door and try to coax him over, but he was just too scared. I'm not sure exactly what Scotch went through, because honestly I can't handle hearing all of the sad stories all at once. But he was scared.
Now, when I walk into that room, Scotch is one of the first cats greeting me at the door. Granted, they all swarm at the door when they hear my voice, but Scotch is always right at the front. While his cage is still in the room, the doors are open, giving him the option to go back to his safe place, but also to roam around. And while he still has some work to do at getting along with his roomies, his progress so far is incredible. He would be so content with just sitting directly in front of someone and be pet from head-to-tail for hours. He's such a sweet, well-behaved boy who has had a rough life, but I know someone is going to meet him and fall in love, and give him the life he deserves.
Another one of my rooms is called Wonderland. Wonderland isn't actually a room, rather, it is a GIANT cage- and I really do mean giant, I am 5'10'' and I can walk in it- housing four blind cats. Honeybun, Gwen, Binky, and Valentina might not be able to see, and Honeybun doesn't even have eyes, but that doesn't stop them from having fun. They get around surprisingly well, for whenever they hear me coming, Honeybun is always waiting for me at the door, followed by Gwen and Binky. They absolutely love attention, and sometimes if they bump into my knee, they will basically pet themselves by rubbing their faces on it until it is there turn to be petted. Honeybun is definitely the most energetic of the bunch- she loves to play. Sometimes I will grab a string and bump it up against her, and she goes insane, batting at the air trying to find it. She has a mouse that squeaks every time it is touched, and she really gives that poor mouse a beating. Binky and Gwen are more down to earth, and just want all the attention in the world. Valentina is a little more distant, but once she warms up to you, she enjoys attention, until she is over it. I love all of them so much, and I hope there are people out there who would look past their flaws and learn to love them for the great animals they are.
I think the biggest take away I have from working at STAF is the fact that I will NEVER buy an animal from a breeder, and I will ALWAYS adopt. I understand that different breeds are good for different kinds of activities and lifestyles, and depending on the situation an animal needs to be a certain way. However, there are so many homeless animals in the world right now, a lot of which who have suffered horrible experiences. The greatest favor anyone can do for homeless animals is to adopt, and show them that they are loved, no matter what. It breaks my heart seeing all of these pets, knowing they deserve so much more than what they have. Save the Animals Foundation does a truly fantastic job at giving all 600 dogs and cats the best life they an offer, and that is why I love working there.
