It’s almost time for the Furry Friends cat shelter annual fall auction. The in-person auction will be a rock-and-roll theme, “HISS,” and will take place at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver on Saturday, Sept. 16.
Tickets are available for the event by visiting furryfriendswa.org/HISS.
“There will be a great selection of unique live auction items, and there will be a silent auction also,” a release by Furry Friends states. “Some of the items include a seven-night stay in Depoe Bay, a couple more vacations on the coast, a hand-crafted rocking horse, Laser Genesis package from Salmon Creek Plastic Surgery, a custom high-end cat scratcher by Royal Meow, lots of unique pieces of art and much more.”
Those interested can visit the website to look at some of the items.
Other festivities during the auction will include a wine-ring toss game, costume contest, dessert dash, raffle and much more.
Furry Friends announced that Matthew DiLoreto will be the event host for the event.
“He is such a creative and vibrant person that we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us at the auction. It certainly will be an event not to miss,” Furry Friends states.
For those who are unable to attend the Sept. 16 in-person auction, Furry Friends will also have an online auction in conjunction with the in-person auction. This event will start at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11 and end at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17.
To donate an item or gift card to the online auction, contact Furry Friends, auction@furryfriendswa.org.
“The in-person auction is our biggest fundraiser of the year. We are supported only by our sponsors, donors and some small grants,” Furry Friends states. “We get no funding from the city, state or other organizations. Our yearly budget is about $350,000. Our goal is to help as many cats as we can responsibly care for. We will do whatever we can for the cats that we take in to bring them to health.”
Recently, Furry Friends have rescued over 120 cats and kittens from hoarding situations. These cats are expensive to care for and sometimes need surgeries or other procedures to save their lives, according to the release.
Furry Friends adopted out 506 cats and kittens in 2022, which is a record. So far for 2023, the organization is on track to pass that benchmark. As of Aug. 10, Furry Friends has adopted out 376 cats and kittens, which brings the total number of adoptions from 1999 — the year they started — up to 4630. It currently has about 170 cats and kittens in its care for adoption.
Furry Friends is a nonprofit, no-kill 501(c)(3) cat rescue serving Clark County. It is the largest cat-only shelter in southwest Washington.
For more information on Furry Friends, visit furryfriendswa.org, email information@furryfriend swa.org or call 360-993-1097. For questions about the auction, email auction@furryfriendswa.org.
