Monthly Volunteer Profile: Jenna Caron

Winnipeg Humane Society volunteer Jenna Caron should find an Olympic sport to take part in. If she did, she’d likely win gold.

Perhaps an endurance sport like the marathon or triathlon?

Jenna must have near-boundless energy. At the time this writer met with Jenna, she was fostering eight cats and kittens. Of those eight, there’s one bottle baby (that requires feeding every four hours or so). Three of the other kittens just ‘graduated’ from bottle baby status. They no longer require feeding as frequently but must be watched over, lest they get into trouble with one another.

And just to make things interesting, Jenna’s family have their own pet menagerie – four cats, three dogs and a kitten that her mom recently found and rescued.

A recent high school graduate, Jenna has been volunteering with the WHS since 2023. But her family has been fostering since 2019. In that time Jenna and her family have fostered more than 100 animals, mostly kittens. Jenna is responsible for all the foster care of animals in the house. Earlier this year, she had 10 kittens staying with her at once.

“Fostering is something I wanted to do to help out the animals,” Jenna says. “They have always been my responsibility.”

She started volunteering at the WHS in Adoptions, working with the rabbits. She eventually switched over to Animal Care, cleaning cat cages and other odd jobs. Now she comes to the foster department one or two days a week to organize the foster closet, work with supplies and help send animals to foster homes. She loves meeting the animals and talking shop with the fosterers who come in. She also assists in Animal Care when required.

“I help out with whatever is necessary,” she says. “I love being here, so that makes it fun and enjoyable. When I come in here, it’s probably the best part of my week. But sometimes I do ask myself what I’m going to take home at the end of my shift today. What animal will it be?”

Jenna explained that a room in the basement has been converted to be used to house the foster animals. They are now kept separate from the house pets to prevent viruses from spreading. But one of her pet cats (a foster fail, not surprisingly) wants to mother the kittens and will yowl outside Jenna’s room if she has no access to kittens.

Fostering animals is a lot of daily care but is worth it, according to Jenna. The bottle babies are the most work because of their feeding schedule but as the cats get older their needs change. Kittens “keep you on your toes,” she jokes, and you eventually get a better idea of what needs to be done. Talking with other fosters also helps Jenna learn what to do in different situations that may arise.

How does the family feel about feline short-term guests? “My mom may or may not like me for it,” she admits, with a bit of a chuckle. “She loves the animals, especially the baby animals, but I think she doesn’t like me bringing them home quite so often.”

Jenna praises the work of the staff and volunteers at the WHS. “Everyone here is great. The staff is amazing – they’ll pair you with the right fit for where to volunteer. The foster department will give you the right animals to foster and will support you if you have questions or concerns.”