Throughout all the challenges that 2020 and 2021 have brought, the undeniable sense of caring from our community has kept the Rescue’s work going strong. Our passionate volunteers donate many hours of their time to support SAFe, and our July Volunteer of the Month is no exception! With a total of over 200 volunteer hours and counting, Paul Croft has continued to uphold the Rescue’s values and commitment to homeless cats throughout all of the twists and turns of the previous year.
Paul has been fulfilling his PM Cat Care shift since early 2019, and after almost three years of litter box scooping, he still can’t get enough! He explains that the best part about the position is working with other amazing animal lovers. “When I first started Cat Care, I worked with a volunteer who had no cats of her own but would still show up each week and impress me with how much she could accomplish in two hours. The staff is also unbelievably dedicated, they are hard-working, upbeat, friendly and prudent. After working in a corporate office, it is inspiring to see people volunteer and the dedicated staff continue to work so diligently.”
PM Cat Care is no easy feat: the kitties take their dinner pretty seriously! Despite the hard work he completes every week, Paul always finds the light even in the little things. For Paul, one of the parts of his position he enjoys the most is “always having fresh pictures on my phone of four kittens pooled up in a cat-cube. I like watching the cats’ reactions to basic comforts like fresh canned food or a pipe cleaner.”
200 volunteer hours ago, Paul first heard about SAFe through a neighbor recommending a location to donate spare cat food. Upon arriving at the Rescue, Paul explains that he “saw how professional and clean the shelter was and wanted to be a part of it.” Paul has been located in Washington almost his entire life and in the local Seattle/Shoreline area since 2017. “When I first moved into my house, this big hairy guy was in my yard and told me it was his yard, that I was just taking care of it. He would show up when I got home from work, dig around in the garden and chase off other stray cats. Eventually he started demanding meals and fresh water. After a few weeks we became fast friends and he would enjoy riding around on my shoulders. His name was Mugsy.”
When Paul first started volunteering, as a fellow lover of cats, he entered the Rescue with the same worry we all have: how will I adopt all of these cute cats?! But similar to many of us, he soon discovered that our wonderful community acts swiftly when it comes to adopting the kitties. “When I first started volunteering I was worried that I would be taking home a new cat each week, but I was amazed by how little time the cats spend at the shelter. If there was ever a cat I was worried about, I knew it would be adopted to a good home in a matter of days. Despite having only 20 enclosures in the adoption area, in 2019 the Rescue placed more than 2,000 cats and kittens in loving homes.”
When Paul isn’t busy being July’s Volunteer of the Month, you can find him caring for his own animals and local cats! “When I am not helping homeless cats, I am tending to my backyard chickens or attempting to lure neighborhood cats into my yard by leaving treats and toys out for them. Then I take their picture”.
Here’s to the next 200 hours with Paul and another 2,000 adoptions! Thanks to all the dedicated volunteers who make this life-saving work possible.
