VIDEO: WHAT IT’S LIKE TO VOLUNTEER AT A CAT SHELTER

I was welcomed into the “Tuesday Night Team” at Forgotten Felines Cat Shelter in Westbrook, Connecticut to experience and document what it’s like to volunteer at a cat shelter! (Click here or the video to watch my mini-documentary of the undertaking.)

The Giving Back Society Volunteers at a Cat Shelter

I’ve volunteered at cat shelters before, but never on the cleaning crew so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Seriously, I struggle to keep up with all the cleaning at home, so why was I volunteering to do more? What I hadn’t understood was the camaraderie on the team — we weren’t going through the motions before diving into a Netflix binge, we were all together making jokes, laughing, having fun! It was a really light-hearted atmosphere that was wonderful to be a part of. Plus, the work wasn’t that bad at all — they split it up between everyone so it didn’t take that long to complete our part. Finally, THERE WERE KITTIES EVERYWHERE! Sorry to go all caps on you, but it really makes a difference to see the adorable furry friends whom you’re helping wandering around the room. The purpose of the shelter is to keep the kitties safe healthy until they can be adopted into a forever home and by simply showing up to clean for two hours once a week you’re helping that cause in a big way!

A HUGE thank you to Forgotten Felines for letting me use their shelter for the first of what will hopefully be a series of videos volunteering at various non-profits. Considering I had never tried to film and volunteer at the same time, this could have been a disaster! But, the kitties were a convenient distraction from my poor selfie-style filming abilities. However, practice makes perfect (or purrfect!) so I can’t wait to make the next one!

In the meantime, please reach out to your local cat shelter (or any animal shelter) and volunteer a couple hours a week to make a difference for them. You can check PetFinder.com for local shelters near you. And if you’d like to help Forgotten Felines directly, they have a wonderful page on their website called “Take Action” with the various ways you can support them!