Sandy discovered SAFe Rescue while looking for places to donate cat food after her cat Molly passed away last year. Not only was our Pet Pantry in her neighborhood–we were just down the street.
“SAFe was sign-less at the time, so I had no clue they were so close,” Sandy says. “I brought my donation and immediately asked if they had a volunteer program.”
We’ve been lucky to have her ever since!
Why + How She Volunteers
“My favorite thing about SAFe is that the cats always come first,” says Sandy. “They go above and beyond to make the cats as calm and happy as they can.”
“I’ve seen how they treat the cats that come in, and I feel the cats are very lucky to have landed there,” she adds.
Like many of our volunteers, Sandy started out on Clean Team. After a few months of weekly shifts there, she added in a Cat Care shift. Now, Sandy can be seen twice a week at the Rescue, alternating between Cat Care and Enrichment.
But Sandy’s support for Rescue kitties doesn’t stop when her volunteer shift ends. In her spare time, Sandy also makes blankets to keep our residents cozy in their enclosures. As of this writing, she’s made 25 blankets total!
“It is fun to see the cats and kittens curled up in one of my blankets while they wait to be adopted,” Sandy says. “And it’s a bonus to know that they go to their new homes with my blankets as a form of comfort during the transition.”
Favorite Memory
Sandy reflects fondly on all her encounters with cats at the Rescue, from the instant purr-ers to the ones who need time to come out of their shell. But her all-time favorite memory involves a litter of rowdy kittens.
“I was on Cat Care toward the end of my shift,” she remembers. “All of the cats and kittens had been fed and kennels cleaned. It was almost time to open the doors for adoption. I noticed that a kennel I had earlier cleaned, with three rambunctious kittens, was all messed up.”
One glance at the kibble strewn across the floor, the spilled water and tipped-over litter box, and Sandy knew she had to tidy up before potential adopters arrived. The kittens were happily playing in their litter box when she approached to straighten out their mess.
“Like a bullet, [one of them] climbed on my back as I was reaching in to clean and shot right out,” Sandy says. “While I put him back in, another one tried to get out. It happened three more times…I felt like the chocolate candy conveyor belt scene in I Love Lucy!”
Fortunately, Sandy has acquired serious kitten wrangling skills during her time volunteering. She managed to finish cleaning their space with all three cats inside, just in time for adoption doors to open! Of course, all three of the attempted escape artists found homes that day. (Maybe they were just trying to get a head start?)
“I laughed so hard at them,” Sandy recalls.
Thank you to Sandy and all of our wonderful volunteers for showing up for cats in need on a regular basis. Your compassion has a remarkable impact, and we appreciate you finding joy and humor even in the challenges!
