Retired couple travels country to help cats

Meet the couple with a million cat stories. Milli Schaber and her husband have bragging rights over just about everybody when it comes to stories and memories of all things that meow.

Retired couple volunteers during Hurricane Katrina

A whole new life opened up for Milli and Lyle during and after Hurricane Katrina. They spent two months volunteering with Best Friends after the disaster. They helped out wherever they could in a variety of jobs and loved the whole experience. Loved it so much, in fact, that afterward they decided to keep on going. Lyle and Milli enjoy RVing, but they’re not your average tourists. While they do catch sights and visit friends as they ping pong around the country, they have a much bigger goal in mind — to hang out with as many cats as humanly possible!

Animal rescue and shelter volunteering

They volunteer at rescues and shelters all around the country. They’ve helped out at Best Friends many, many times (including one month with the cats rescued from Lebanon) and are now back for a few weeks to help the cats rescued from a failed shelter in Pahrump, Nevada. Other retired couples spend their days on golf courses or around the pool. These two would rather scoop poop and mix cat food. Now that’s getting your priorities straight!

Helping all the cats they can

Lyle and Milli have a cat story for everywhere they’ve been. And that’s saying something. Until recently, they didn’t even have a permanent home. They lived on the road, always rushing off to the next group of cats who needed their help.

Not long ago, they did finally pick a home base. Lyle and Milli now have a home in Long View, Washington. It sounds like any home of Lyle’s and Milli’s that doesn’t come equipped with a set of wheels, though, is going to be empty an awful lot! But, hey, they have a couple hundred thousand furry friends to keep up with, right?

Photos by Sarah Ause

To learn more about visiting or volunteering for Best Friends, please stop by our visitors’ page.