Monthly Volunteer Profile: Miina Piir

It’s probably safe to assume that, on Monday nights anyway, Miina Piir is the cats’ favourite person at the Winnipeg Humane Society. After all, she feeds them and, time permitting, gives them some pets and scritches.

Miina might even get a chance to renew acquaintances with familiar faces. Just over a year ago she began fostering, and, of this writing, she’s fostered 17 cats and kittens – and most of them were bottle babies or mamas and babies, requiring feeding every few hours.

After retiring from a 37-year military career, Miina started volunteering with the Winnipeg Humane Society in the fall of 2021. “There had been a period when they weren’t taking volunteers because of COVID, and because I’d just retired, I was keeping an eye on the website,” she explained. “I saw they were looking for evening care providers. I was originally hoping to work in feline enrichment. I told them I really like cat cuddling but was told that job doesn’t exist anymore.”

She applied for the evening care openings and a couple of weeks later got an email and was set up for an interview. Then, it was just a matter of the orientation, completing a few online courses and in-person training with a “seasoned volunteer” currently in the position.

Miina must be a quick learner. Since then, she has mentored three evening care volunteers herself. In a short time, Miina became the seasoned volunteer.

Her duties include noting how much food the cats have eaten since the last feeding and making sure the cats have enough food to keep them until their next feeding is scheduled. Time permitting, she’ll also give them a bit of attention.

The Winnipeg Humane Society Volunteer and Foster newsletter is responsible for Miina getting into fostering. “I had won a cat tower from the WHS in a draw where anyone who volunteered in 2022 was entered,” she said. “I regularly saw animals that required fostering listed in the newsletter so when I went in to pick up my prize, I asked Amy Brake (formerly of Volunteer Services and Fostering) ‘What does it take to foster?’”

Amy said, “Miina, you’d be perfect as a fosterer.” So, Miina filled out and signed the foster paperwork. After finishing her evening shift, she walked out with her tower. And a cat. “I was supposed to go home with a prize,” she laughed. “Instead, I went home with that and a foster cat.”

“The moral of the story is if you’re volunteering here and you’re interested in fostering, it’s easy to do because you’ve already taken most of the necessary courses. There are a few more that are required.”

Miina fosters cats because she is ‘not a dog person.’ She grew up with cats, fondly remembering a Siamese she had who was a ‘great mouser.’ However, the moving around required with a military career made it difficult to have a pet.

Currently, she has two cats of her own, the younger of which was adopted from the WHS in 2019. They have a mixed reaction to the parade of foster cats being brought home. “The older one does not care as long as he gets fed,” Miina pointed out. “The younger one will hiss initially, but with a slow introduction she slowly warms up.”

“I find that when I have a foster(s) for a longer period it’s more conducive to providing conditions in which to properly introduce the cats.” She also noted that when she returns a cat she always checks to see if the cat is ready for adoption or if it could be fostered a little longer. If it needs more fostering, Miina will take it back home because the cat is familiar with the conditions and her home is set up to accommodate it.

One of the great things about fostering cats with the Winnipeg Humane Society, Miina said, is the support you receive. “Working with the staff here is great, and you can reach out to them if you have a question or concern. With my first bottle babies, I was provided with a mentor, an experienced foster, whom I could contact, and they provided me with some tips and tricks. You never feel left out on your own.”