Furry Friends to launch online spring auction

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Furry Friends will host an online auction on March 25 to March 27 to raise funds to aid its mission in providing care to cats in need throughout Clark County. 

Although it’s not the main fundraiser the organization runs, Marketing Director Diane Stevens said it’s important nonetheless.  

“We are trying to raise money for the kittens and for the medical expenses,” said Stevens. “Every spring, we begin kitten season, so all the shelters start to be overrun with mommy kitties and baby kitties, and that sort of thing. It’s a lot of work and it’s a big expense.”

Stevens said the auction also raises awareness of the importance of spaying and neutering cats, since there is an “overpopulation of kitties in our area.” Stevens accomplishes this by being transparent on the auction website, while detailing how people can fund a spay or neuter for a cat. A lot of the promotional materials Furry Friends releases also talk about the importance of the practice, according to Stevens. 

“Hopefully it brings attention to the need for people to spay and neuter their cats and that there is this overabundance of kittens around this time of the year,” she said.

The auction will include a deluxe spa basket, which is valued at $1,000. It was donated by Virginia Huang, who is a surgeon at Salmon Creek Plastic Surgery in Vancouver. Stevens said Huang has been a sponsor for Furry Friends for 14 years. The basket contains a gift certificate for three laser genesis treatments for the face from Salmon Creek Plastic Surgery, plus skin care items.

Besides that, the auction will include a lot of cat-related items like cat beds and toy bundles. The auction goes beyond material items, as there are also opportunities to fund neuter operations, pain medication injections, microchips, and rabies vaccinations for cats.

This will be Furry Friends’ third spring auction, Stevens said.

“We’re hoping to raise $10,000 for this one,” she said. “The last one raised about $7,000. We have two auctions a year. The spring auction has more affordable items, while in the fall we’ll have our main auction, South PAWcific, which will be held at the Heathman Lodge.”



The money raised during the auction will help cover some of the organization’s spay and neuter costs. Furry Friends also pays for medical expenses that can be as high as $150,000 a year, Stevens said. 

“Since we’re a no-kill organization, we can also have dental operations that can cost anywhere from $300 to $3,000,” she said.

Stevens said the online nature of the auction has garnered more participation from the public and has helped spread awareness about Furry Friends. 

The organization’s other fundraiser, the South PAWcific, will be held on Sept. 17. More information on that event will be released at a later time. 

Stevens said that auction will be held in an in-person format for the first time since 2020. 

The spring auction can be found online at 32auctions.com/organizations/63636/auc tions/118609.