Our "Best Friend" Honored Volunteer: Heather Ramsey

Heather, tell us..... 

What programs and projects do you volunteer with at Best Friends LA? 

I am a Blue Paw cat volunteer, a cat volunteer mentor, Kitten Nursery volunteer, and I foster for kittens, adult cats, and hospice kitties.  I also volunteer as a cat caregiver/adoption Counselor at Super Adoptions.

Why do you choose to volunteer with Best Friends LA? 

I was introduced to BFLA through a Gwen Cooper book signing that took place here. I was looking for a volunteer opportunity and BFLA seemed like a good fit. (Side note: I saw her at CatCon this year and told her she was responsible for not only my volunteering with Best Friends but also for three cats being adopted, one by my best friend and two by me.) I started volunteering and loved it.

I volunteer in each area for different reasons:

The nursery because it is relaxing.

As a kitten foster because it's fun to have kittens in the house.

As an adult cat foster because it is nice to just give them a break from the shelter.

A hospice foster because no one should be sick and/or old in a shelter. They should have a soft, warm home.

With the big cats because they are awesome animals.

At Super Adoptions because I love seeing the cats find their humans.

How long have you been a Best Friends LA volunteer? 

Since January 10, 2015 – 3.5 years J

What type of fun stuff do you do when you're not volunteering?

I am a Marketing Specialist for an accounting firm in downtown Los Angeles. 

Do you have a favorite story to share about an experience volunteering with Best Friends LA?

There are so many great stories about adoptions that happen but probably my favorite is Huey. Huey was the sweetest, big FIV+ boy ever but his ears were permanently flat which made him look a bit angry. During the time her was with us I started an Instagram account for him where he posted pictures of himself and his friends at BFLA. He would also post when someone was adopted.

Huey finally found his human at Super Adoption in November 2015. He now lives the good life with his humans and bird brother!

Do you have any pets? 

I currently have four kitties:

Hallie, my old lady Calico. She turned 18 in July and I have had her since she was 1.5 yrs old. She has lived with me in seven places in two different states.

Cedric is an 8 yr old black cat and is a jerk. I adopted him at just over 2 mo old from the Castaic Shelter.

Usnavi is a chocolate point Siamese and is the baby. He was fostered with his mom and sister by Christy (a fellow Best Friends foster volunteer). He just turned a year old and is a champion curtain ninja.

Becket is my foster boy. He is a seal point Siamese that is somewhere between 8-12 years old. He and Usnavi make sure that the house is never too quiet.

What others are saying about Heather....

Heather is amazing!! She covers all the bases and fosters special kids, gets great information on our cats via cat playgroups, feeds all the babies in the nursery, and is one of our greatest event all stars! Heather is such an important volunteer for the cat department, we love her dearly and cannot thank her enough!!  - Janette, Cat Care Manager                                                          

Heather is a dedicated volunteer who really goes above and beyond to help our cats. She's fostered several cats for us, including behavior and medical cases. We really appreciate having her as part of our organization! - Liz P, Volunteer Engagement Manager     

Heather is truly a rockstar volunteer! She helps us with our cats in so many ways! From cat playgroups, to fostering medical cats, behavior cats, and neonate kittens, to feeding in the nursery, to helping our cats find homes at events, Heather does it all with so much heart. We are so grateful for her love for our cats! - Samantha B., Cat Behavior and Enrichment Lead