Helping Our Cats Feel Safe Again
Samantha Ketelsen began volunteering at Animal League America during a time of uncertainty, and it quickly became something she couldn’t imagine giving up. “I was laid off in 2020, like a lot of people,” Samantha shared, “and I was just trying to find something meaningful to do. My mom volunteered here before and had a great experience, so I thought, why not? And I just fell in love with it and never stopped going.”
Now more than five years later, Samantha is a dedicated member of the feline behavior team in Bianca’s Furry Friends Feline Adoption Center, where she spends her Sundays helping some of our most sensitive and overlooked cats learn to trust again. “Socialization can be the smallest things,” she explained. “It might just be a cat settling near you or letting you pet them for the first time, but those moments feel huge.”
One cat in particular left a lasting impression. A survivor of the Happy Cat Sanctuary fire, Resilience arrived at the shelter deeply shut down. Over time, with patience and consistency, Samantha began to see her open up. “She’s been through so much,” Samantha said.
“You learn so much, not just from the training, but from the people around you. It’s really a team effort to help these cats feel safe and ready for a home.”
Her supervisor, Dorit Shevach-Shani, has observed Samantha’s way with felines firsthand: “She has a wonderful instinctual and calm energy with the cats and does simply magical work with socialization. The cats absolutely shine in her presence! She also does amazing work with adopters and matching families with the best fits for their homes and families. I am so grateful she is part of our behavior family!”
Samantha finds volunteering to be both a learning experience and a deeply rewarding one. “You learn so much, not just from the training, but from the people around you,” she said. “It’s really a team effort to help these cats feel safe and ready for a home.” And it’s those quiet breakthroughs, the small steps forward, and the happy endings that keep her coming back week after week.
Thank you, Samantha, for helping our cats feel safe, seen, and ready for the homes they deserve.