Opportunities From: Humane Society of Greater Niagara

The volunteer opportunity is for our under socialized / fearful cats. Cat socializers wishing to become an UFR socializer must receive training before working as an UFR volunteer. Please contact cats@hsgn.ca for information

Feline Fellowship - Cat Socialization at the Humane Society of Greater Niagara

Before you can start volunteering you will need to attend an Orientation Course. Currently there is a wait list for Volunteer Orientations. Applicants will be contacted in cronological order by Email Invitations. Thank you in advance for your patience!!

Program Description:

Welcome to Feline Fellowship, a unique and enriching cat socialization program at the Humane Society of Greater Niagara. Our program aims to create a positive and stimulating environment for our feline residents, enhancing their overall well-being and increasing their chances of successful adoption. Through the dedicated efforts of our compassionate volunteers, we strive to support the behavioral development of our cats, ensuring they are happy, confident, and ready for their forever homes.

Benefits to Cats:

Stress Reduction: Cats in shelter environments often experience stress and anxiety. Feline Fellowship provides a calm and interactive space, helping cats to relax and feel more at ease.

Socialization Skills: The program fosters positive interactions between cats and volunteers, promoting socialization. This is particularly beneficial for shy or timid cats, helping them build confidence and trust in humans.

Physical and Mental Stimulation: Through play sessions and enrichment activities, cats engage in physical exercise and mental stimulation, preventing boredom and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Behavioral Rehabilitation: Cats with behavioral issues or past trauma can benefit from the consistent and patient interactions provided by our volunteers. Feline Fellowship aims to address and improve challenging behaviors, making cats more adoptable.

Volunteer Involvement:

Interactive Playtime: Volunteers engage in interactive play sessions with cats, using toys and activities that encourage movement, agility, and mental stimulation.

Gentle Handling and Affection: Volunteers spend time gently handling and providing affection to cats, helping them build trust and positive associations with human contact.

Observation and Reporting: Volunteers play a crucial role in observing and reporting any changes in a cat's behavior. This information is valuable for our staff to tailor individualized care plans.

Enrichment Activities: Volunteers create and implement enrichment activities, such as puzzle toys, scratching posts, and climbing structures, to keep cats entertained and engaged.

Documentation: Volunteers maintain records of their interactions, noting the preferences, progress, and any concerns related to each cat. This information aids in providing insights to each cats personality.

By participating in the Feline Fellowship program, volunteers contribute significantly to the well-being and adoptability of our feline residents. Together, we create a positive and nurturing environment that prepares our cats for loving homes, ensuring they find their forever families.

Join us in making a difference in the lives of these wonderful feline companions!

We ask volunteers to be 12 years or older with a parent, or 18 years + for this program.

Inside volunteer positions are often filled by cooperative education students and those looking to complete community service hours.  Any person is welcome as we always have the need a helping hand for routine cleaning duties.  

This opportunity mainly consists of keeping the shelter and animals clean. With generally over 100 animals in the shelter at any given time, cleaning is a priority and HSGN truly relies on dedicated volunteers to assist with keeping the shelter looking great and the animals clean.

We ask volunteers to be 15 years or older for this program.

Thank you,

HSGN

**Before you can start volunteering you will need to attend an Orientation Course, please reach out to dogs@hsgn.ca to sign up for an upcoming orientation.

**Please remember to respond to the program you are applying to by the respond button in to top right corner of the page. Soon after someone will let you know that we received your application

Volunteers in the Dog Socialization Program come three times a day, 7 days a week, to take the adoptable dogs outside to our dog runs. Volunteers commit to a set time weekly to interact with the dogs.

During this time, the volunteer plays, cuddles and socializes our dogs. This program helps dogs get adopted to loving families as it exposes our dogs to different types of people and helps our dogs learn how to interact with people.

The volunteers in this program also take HSGN dogs to many events throughout the year and fundraise to support enrichment activities for the adoptable dogs.

 We ask volunteers to be 19 years or older.

Thank you,

HSGN

As a foster parent you are opening up your home to those in need of some extra TLC.

Our UFR program benefits the small percentage of cats that enter the shelter that are so traumatized that they become feral-like and defensively aggressive. These former pets have had to revert to their natural instincts to survive their stray experience and have lost their trust in humans.

Our UFR group works with these cats to domesticate them so that the cats are able to eventually make their way up for adoption. Sometimes it takes days, but most times it takes weeks or even months. The success rate has been very high! Nearly 100 of our UFR cats have been adopted as pets in the last two years.

Our Queens and Kittens foster program is designed for the mamas and their kittens and often times kittens that come in to the shelter on their own a safe, quiet place to be able to destress and grow until they are ready to go up for adoption