Jackson is 13 years old and part of a bonded pair with his brother, Boise. The duo are lovey, laid back boys that would do best working with older kids used to cats and no dogs. Jackson and Boise are up to date on vaccinations and are neutered. Adoption fee $110 for the duo.
Boise is 13 years old and part of a bonded pair with his brother, Jackson. The duo are lovey, laid back boys that would do best working with older kids used to cats and no dogs. Jackson and Boise are up to date on vaccinations and are neutered. Adoption fee $110 for the duo.
Two-year-old Boo is looking for his forever home. The black domestic medium hair will take a while to warm up to you, but once he is comfortable, is a sweet boy. Boo would do best with older kids and would need a slow introduction to other pets. Someone who is experienced with cats and cat language would help Boo come out of his shell faster. Boo is up to date on vaccinations and neutered. Adoption fee $100.
Rodeo is a brand-new kitten up for adoption on Dec. 28. Born in October, Rodeo is looking for his forever home and loves to play with toys. Rodeo is neutered and up to date on vaccinations. Adoption fee $130.
Reginald is a brand-new kitten up for adoption on Dec. 28. Born in October, Reginald is looking for his forever home and loves to play with toys. Reginald is neutered and up to date on vaccinations. Adoption fee $130.
Five-year-old Milo is a domestic tuxedo cat looking for his forever indoors home. After spending most of his life outside, Milo is looking for a comfortable indoor environment to live in. Milo is up to date on his vaccinations and is neutered. Adoption fee $75.
The year 2020 has been a record-breaking year for pet adoptions. With more people at home due to COVID-19 restrictions, many are looking for companion pets to spend time with, and local no-kill cat and kitten shelter Furry Friends has adopted out more pets than ever before. Furry Friends Marketing Director Diane Stevens said the shelter had adopted out around 360 cats by Dec. 18 and may hit 400 adoptions by the end of 2020.
Stevens said this year was a blowout for adoptions as in years past the shelter had not adopted out more than 200 cats and kittens for the entire year. This year, Furry Friends hit the 200 adoptions mark in September. According to Stevens, the shelter was able to take in more cats and kittens than usual this year. In previous years, Furry Friends was only able to take on around 40 cats at a time. However, due to increased medical help and more foster parents working with the shelter this year, the nonprofit can take in about 85 animals at a time.
“This year was a boom year for kittens because spay and neuters were shut down for a couple of months and we had even more kittens flooding the area,” Stevens said.
Even the “harder to adopt” cats at the shelter are finding homes in 2020. Because the shelter is no-kill, many of the animals in its care have chronic medical issues and require extra care from its owners.
“They’re finding homes, and we are amazed by it,” Stevens said. “It is not unusual for those harder cases to be with us for a year to two years.”
Stevens was quick to mention that the shelter hasn’t “cut any corners” to adopt out the record number of cats and is still a no-kill shelter that takes care of all medical issues before sending the animals to their new homes. Despite losing a few volunteers due to the pandemic, Stevens said the shelter picked up a few more and was able to take care of the increased load of adoptions and kittens in the area.
Along with adopting out record numbers in 2020, Furry Friends had a few changes in its leadership and bolstered its relationship with other local pet rescues and shelters. Early on in 2020, the Humane Society of Southwest Washington was unable to adopt and house 25 cats due to coronavirus restrictions, so Furry Friends took the animals and adopted them in the community.
“(Working with these organizations) contributes to our all-around goal of helping cats in the community,” Stevens said, mentioning she was excited to continue building relationships with other shelters.
Saving money has also been a goal for the shelter in 2020. With new efficiencies in place, the shelter hasn’t spent as much money on medical care on average in comparison with years past. According to Stevens, Furry Friends has spent around $100,000 (it spent around $125,000 in 2019) this year with twice as many cats to care for.
“We are also able to handle more of the expensive cases,” Stevens said, mentioning the case of “Pepper,” a cat with two broken hind legs. “It’s just wonderful to be able to help some of these cats that would’ve been euthanized in any other shelter.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Furry Friends held its annual auction online this year. The auction is the largest fundraiser for the shelter, and 100 percent of the funds raised go to caring for the cats and their medical needs. Stevens said she was “very happy” with the results of the online auction as the shelter was able to bring in $62,000 between sponsorships and auction items. While the number is lower than 2019’s record breaking auction, Stevens said $62,000 is more than any year before 2019.
“It was fantastic for an online auction,” she said. “We had to learn how to put one of these together, much like other nonprofits, and $62,000 is awesome for us.”
For the rest of 2020, Stevens said the shelter is “always looking for supplies” to be donated. Items such as litter, food, toys and gift cards can be dropped off at Woodin’ You Pampered Paws, 13305 NE Highway 99 102, Vancouver.
As for next year’s auction, Stevens said “the jury is still out” on whether or not it will be online as the shelter starts planning the auction around April. Stevens said she and other volunteers at the shelter are “excited” for things to get back to normal and participate in events at Esther Short Park and help even more cats in the community.
