Featured Volunteer Opportunity – Spend time with the Sanctuary Cats!

Luanne Dunstan started volunteering with the cats back in 2016. Her friend Lisa Gilmour is a volunteer as well, and that’s what drew her in. “I had never heard about Our Companions before and I wanted to something that was a little different in my retirement. I love cats and have two of my own, Working with these guys is a lot of fun,” says Luanne. In addition to being a part of the cats’ journeys to their forever homes, it’s a great way to make connections in the community. “One of the favorite parts for me is getting to interact and meet other people – cat lovers!”

One of her first big accomplishments was sitting with Timothy, a very sweet and blind kitty, when we moved him to a new room. As you can imagine, a cat who can’t see might have some trouble adjusting to a whole new layout. Luanne was there to help him get acclimated. “I love to work with the cats that are a bit more challenged and help them make small steps – whether that’s getting a pet or a cuddle or a play session.” Her advice to new volunteer is to take things slow: “spend time with a particular cat, don’t rush, get to know them. Enjoy the rewards of helping those cats with whatever physical or emotional situation they have been in.”

Here’s Luanne with her favorite sanctuary cat, Tabby. “Tabby reminds me of the first cat I ever had as a little girl,” says Luanne, “so there’s an attraction there. She’s my girl.”