Katy has been volunteering for Last Hope for more than two years in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. She started volunteering when she saw a plea to help some kittens that had crawled up into a car engine and been discovered there – thankfully before anything bad happened to them. She agreed to foster the four kittens for Last Hope and her journey began! Two of the kittens really needed socializing and Katy and her family worked together to get them ready to live in a home setting. Her family was sad, but also very happy when those two kittens were adopted into the same home. It’s always a bittersweet time when fosters go to their forever homes. The other two kittens, Katy ended up adopting.

The work Katy does for Last Hope includes fostering (she especially likes the “tough cases” – cats that are a little wild and in need of socializing), processing applications, and cleaning at the Waterloo PetSmart where we have some adoptable cats, advocating for Last Hope by talking to people about our mission and what we do. She also stepped up to the plate and helped coordinate transports of animals when the usual coordinator needed assistance due to an injury.

Katy advises, “If you’ve ever thought about fostering, give it a chance.  It’ll be one of the most rewarding things you do!  If you have kiddos, it is a great way to show them responsibility, compassion, teamwork, and cooperation toward a common goal.  If you can’t foster, there are so many other ways you can be involved: Cleaning at PetSmart or the adoption center, processing applications, assisting at adoption events, helping to socialize the animals, etc.  If you volunteer, we can always find a way to use your talents!”

A hearty “Thank You” to Katy and her family for helping us fulfill our mission of helping homeless animals. It takes people like Katy on our team to get the work done!