My First Day Helping at Just Animals Shelter in Seneca, Illinois

I don't know what took me so long to think of helping at our local animal shelter. I love cats; I have always wanted to work at a pet shelter; there are several of them here in the area, and I've got some time on my hands - yet, for years it hadn't occurred to me to put all these together and volunteer. I suppose a part of the reason and my only valid excuse is the fact that I don't drive, which, as we all know, here in America equals to being under house arrest. An introvert and a bookworm, I don't mind it most of the time, but once in a while even I get frustrated and vow to get rich and hire myself a chauffeur (yeah, right).

Anyway, when I finally made up my mind to try it I had contacted the Just Animals Shelter (Seneca, IL) and asked whether they needed volunteers to help with cats. They promptly replied that they did, very much. So there I was on a Friday morning, around 9:00 a.m., ready to give my love to the kitties. It was a blessing from the beginning and to the end, so much so that I decided to write it all down and share it with other animal lovers.

The shelter is small but very efficient, with everyone knowing their work and all the necessary supplies ready at hand. I was warmly greeted by other volunteers (it is a volunteer-based shelter with no paid employees), explained how to clean the cages, and within minutes I was already busy, doing the job of my dreams.

The process is simple. Each cat has an individual cage where they spend the night, with their own food & water bowls, bedding, a litter box and maybe some toys. You open the cage and take everything out, then you vacuum the cage floor. After that you wipe the floor with a sponge with disinfectant. The litter box gets cleaned next and put back into the cage. Then food and water bowls are refilled and put back in, and then the bed, if it's clean enough; soiled bedding goes into the laundry pile and is replaced by a clean one. Fascinating, isn't it?!