Volunteers are the backbone of the Shelter, and are needed throughout
the year for a variety of daily activities, programs, and events,
including the following:
Cat Socializing: Visiting with, grooming and
playing with adoptable cats to ensure their socialization and to help
new arrivals overcome relinquishment anxiety or depression. This helps
keep kitties active, used to being handled, and aware that they are
loved.
Cat Bathing/Grooming: This position
involves bathing and grooming the cats so that they feel good, look
good and are ready to go home. Note: This position requires proof of
experience, and placement is at the discretion of our medical staff.
Grounds and Building Maintenance:
Helping with on-site building maintenance and groundskeeping projects
(planting, weeding, cleanup, painting, construction and repairs as
needed).
Public Events, Publicity, and Fundraising:
Donating time or special skills to assist with special-events
fundraising, publicity, our newsletter or updating our website, and/or
public outreach and educational activities at numerous community events
both on- and off-site, such as cat shows, public adoption events,
including helping with set-up and tear-down of booths and equipment and
cat transport. We especially need help with website maintenance of our
page at www.adoptapet.com
Daily Shelter Housekeeping Tasks:
Help maintain cats' health and welfare by laundering and folding
blankets, towels, and linens used to provide comfortable bedding for
the cats, or keeping kennels and litter boxes clean and sanitized.
Greeting Visitors:
Represent the Shelter by helping visitors tour the facility, find a new
kitty, or assist with relinquishing a cat. Also inform visitors of our
available volunteer opportunities.
To be assigned to one of above positions, volunteers must commit to a specified number of days per week.
Volunteering is rewarding for both you and the cats. Please call the
Shelter at (619) 561-0361 EXT 101 if you can help, or return the
attached form indicating your volunteer interest. You may also
e-mail the Volunteer Coordinator, Janet Bianchini, at jbianchini@friendsofcats.org
Youth Volunteering
Youth Volunteerism and Service Learning is a way for Friends of Cats to
reach out to today's youth—the future backbone of animal welfare.
Friends of Cats has a new Youth Volunteer Coordinator, Nicole Kovacs, who
has volunteered at Friends of Cats for some time. Nicole is a high school
student who will be able to help other teens, tweens, and young adults
to decide how their volunteer hours should be best spent. Nicole will
direct towards offsite event volunteering, in-shelter volunteering,
outreach, and a variety of other areas. She will hold a monthly youth
volunteer orientation for 12 to18 years old, which outlines volunteer
opportunities, volunteer rules, and offers a welcome to the
organization.
A Note From The Alicat (Former Youth Volunteer Coordinator):
In the last few years I have discovered how crucial volunteering is to
all of our communities and how without having dedicated volunteers to
rely on, millions of organizations could not function. This is why I
decided that I needed to do my part and become involved with an
organization that has devoted itself to helping animals. I chose
Friends of Cats because animals have always been a huge part of my life
and being an aspiring Zookeeper, it is my hope that they always will
be. Another reason was because I wanted to help an organization that
really needed it and also gain valuable experience in taking care of a
large number of animals while doing so. With time I got to know the
staff, gained more experience and eventually was asked to fill the
position of their Youth Volunteer Coordinator. I hope to encourage many
kids like me to get more involved and help this unique organization. My
experience here has been nothing less than amazing, and I know that
anyone that has been here and had the opportunity to volunteer here
feels the same!
Volunteer hours can be performed at your leisure, and also for school
hours. To qualify for school hours at Friends of Cats, you must present
2 letters of recommendation, one letter from a school official, and one
from a personal reference from an adult who is not a family member.
When volunteering at Friends of Cats, the most important thing is a
love of cats. The cats enjoy being petted, receiving affection, and
being played with.
PLEASE NOTE: FRIENDS OF CATS ACCEPTS VOLUNTEERS WHO NEED TO PERFORM
HOURS FOR COURT ORDERED COMMUNITY SERVICE ON A SPACE AVAILABLE BASIS,
AND DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. IF YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS POLICY, PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE AT 619-561-0361
EXT 102.
Calling All Volunteers!
The
Shelter always needs volunteers, for everything from visiting and
grooming the resident cats to groundskeeping, painting and general
maintenance. Interested parties will be asked to fill out the
questionnaire below. If you are interested in applying, please fill out
and return to Friends of Cats, 15587 Olde Hwy 80, El Cajon, CA 92021.
Volunteer Hours are Tuesday–Sunday 10 am to 3:30 pm.
Click here to read our Volunteer Guidelines Click here for the Friends of Cats Volunteer form
Wish List
We are always in need of items at the Shelter. Here is our current Wish List:
GENTLY USED LINENS, BLANKETS, TOWELS, SHEETS, MATTRESS PADS, ETC.
LAUNDRY ITEMS: Bleach, liquid laundry soap, clothespins, antibacterial hand soap
TOILET PAPER
WINDEX
CAT FOOD: Canned (any kind) or Dry (Iams, Science Diet, Eukanuba, other premium foods), Cat treats
Volunteers are the backbone of the Shelter, and are needed throughout
the year for a variety of daily activities, programs, and events,
including the following: 
Youth Volunteerism and Service Learning is a way for Friends of Cats to
reach out to today's youth—the future backbone of animal welfare.
Friends of Cats has a new Youth Volunteer Coordinator, Nicole Kovacs, who
has volunteered at Friends of Cats for some time. Nicole is a high school
student who will be able to help other teens, tweens, and young adults
to decide how their volunteer hours should be best spent. Nicole will
direct towards offsite event volunteering, in-shelter volunteering,
outreach, and a variety of other areas. She will hold a monthly youth
volunteer orientation for 12 to18 years old, which outlines volunteer
opportunities, volunteer rules, and offers a welcome to the
organization. 
In the last few years I have discovered how crucial volunteering is to
all of our communities and how without having dedicated volunteers to
rely on, millions of organizations could not function. This is why I
decided that I needed to do my part and become involved with an
organization that has devoted itself to helping animals. I chose
Friends of Cats because animals have always been a huge part of my life
and being an aspiring Zookeeper, it is my hope that they always will
be. Another reason was because I wanted to help an organization that
really needed it and also gain valuable experience in taking care of a
large number of animals while doing so. With time I got to know the
staff, gained more experience and eventually was asked to fill the
position of their Youth Volunteer Coordinator. I hope to encourage many
kids like me to get more involved and help this unique organization. My
experience here has been nothing less than amazing, and I know that
anyone that has been here and had the opportunity to volunteer here
feels the same! 
