Monthly Volunteer Profile: Ava Almdal

Cat Condo Assistant Ava Almdal is getting a school credit for volunteering at the Winnipeg Humane Society, but after having the opportunity to meet hundreds of cats and experience the WHS community of animal lovers she says she’d do it anyway, credit or not.

A grade 12 student at Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg, Ava began volunteering in January 2023. Once a week, she can be found in the cat condos, playing with the cats and giving them the attention or affection they need. This helps the cats get more used to people, which ultimately makes them more adoptable.

Her favourite part of her weekly shift is meeting the new cats every week. She also enjoys seeing the ones that were in the condos the week before but wishes they would be adopted. “But while they’re still with us, it feels good to give them extra care, especially when they’ve been here for so long,” she explained.

It’s especially nice to see one of the cats get adopted while you’re here on your shift, she added.

But volunteering at the WHS can lead to discussions and negotiations at home, Ava warned. “Sometimes I will take pictures of one,” she said. “And I’ll go home to my parents and say ‘Can we get this one?’ But we already have two cats, so my parents are not going to budge.”

Of all the cats she’s worked with this year, one is remembered especially fondly. “Oliver was here for a few months.” Ava recalled. “He was black and white, and he had FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) but both of our cats have FIV so I wasn’t worried. He was very sweet and special.”

Pets have always been a big part of Ava’s family life. She’s grown up with dogs and they got their first cat four years ago. Today the family has two dogs (Gracie and Stella) and two cats (Archie and Murphy). All are from the WHS and three are rescue animals while the fourth was born at the shelter to a rescue animal.

“When I came to the Humane Society I chose to work with cats because we have two cats at home and cats are definitely my favourite,” she said. “But we also have two dogs and I have also been interested in dog walking so, who knows, I might consider that as well.” Ava’s post-secondary education may take her out of Manitoba, but for now she’ll enjoy the experience at the WHS.

“The community here is very nice,” she explained. “Everyone has the same interest of loving animals, so I think that’s a big part of it.

“The other volunteers and staff have been very nice and supportive whenever I have questions. It’s a great place to be a part of.”

Written by: Brian Kozak, Volunteer MVP Writer
Photo by: Jim Harvey, Volunteer MVP Photographer