Meet fellow volunteer, Katie Miller, who is in her second year with SICSA, making a difference in the lives of our pets. Recently having earned her doctorate degree, as a full time grad student and teacher, she needed a volunteer opportunity with lots of options suitable for her busy schedule. Lucky for us, she chose SICSA!
You may have met her while volunteering at any of the off-site events, or at Yoga with Cats where she is often found lending a helping hand. If you’ve ever been in Kitty City and noticed those helpful cat enrichment binders, you can thank Katie, because she is one of our volunteers who helps keep those current by updating our ever-changing pet information. Our cats know her well, as she can be found at any given moment spending time socializing with the cats in Feline Flat, Kitten Clubhouse, Meow House, or Cat Display.
Katie gives her time to SICSA because she knows that doing so makes a difference in helping to make our pets more sociable, thus more adoptable. She shares many stories of cats she has gotten to know during her tenure here.
Two cats in particular were Thackery and Dani, who would come out of hiding for cuddles (which, by the way, is Katie’s favorite part of the job!) And, not to be left out, Tuffington, another frisky feline, would, without fail, walk up to her and demand cuddles of his own. According to Katie, “He’d wrap his arms around your neck and then nudge your face…..and he was a drooler!”
Twizzler, looking beautiful for the camera
In addition to the cats she meets here, she cuddles and spoils her own kitties, Twizzler and Luke. These cats won her heart when she met them while volunteering. They came as a trio with the late Tortilla. Tortilla was shy, but enjoyed being with other cats and even livened up when she was with them. Whenever the three were not together, Tortilla would cry. What choice did Katie have other than to adopt all three so they could stay together? Tortilla’s memory reminds Katie every day just how very important it is for all of us to work to understand what each cat needs, and to try to match them with the best home possible.
With what little free time Katie has, she enjoys playing table games and World of Warcraft on the computer with her husband, and watching cooking shows. About the time she spends here she states,
“Volunteering at SICSA is mutually beneficial – the cats get someone to help socialize them, and I get a weekly reminder that there are more important things to life besides grad school.”
Thank you, Katie, for your time and dedication to the mission of SICSA. And congratulations on your recent graduation!
