Meet Shawn! RASKC is super happy to honor Shawn Lee, who serves on four RASKC volunteer teams. Shawn started as a foster in 2014. Since then he has stepped up to work weekly shifts on RASKC cat-care teams at Reber Ranch and Tukwila Petco. He also volunteers on weekly shift on the Early Morning Cat Crew at the shelter in Kent. So far Shawn has contributed over 1,400 hours (Thank you, Shawn!)

Q: How did you hear about RASKC?

My mom suggested that we foster from RASKC.

Q: What made you want to volunteer, especially to work with animals?

I’ve always loved animals, especially cats. I wanted to spend time with kittens. They’re so cute and playful. Before I started on multiple teams at RASKC, I wasn’t going to school and didn’t have a job. So it was nice to get out and help out.

Q: What do you do when you aren’t volunteering at RASKC?

Now I’m a student at Bellevue College and hope to start tutoring there too. I study computer science and a number of prerequisite courses. I also like to play video games. One of my favorite ones recently is Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I also enjoy going to conventions like PAX and Sakura-Con. It’s a fun way to spend time with friends and feel a sense of community. Of course, I love taking care of my four cats.

Q: Tell us about your cats.

My older cat is Fortune. She’s very vocal and has the best expressions. My other three are siblings from RASKC- Samson, Rocket, and Radar. Samson stares down at Fortune and then runs away when she gets annoyed with a “big and tough” attitude. He’s more comfortable around other cats but not humans as much except me. He often hides when he hears people approaching. He has a habit of wanting to hang out in the bathroom and cries to get me to come with him. Rocket is my cat who almost always wants more food, and gets nervous when she’s out of food. She always wakes me up in the morning too. While she is not a lap cat, she likes to sleep on my desk and rest her head on my hand. Radar is the odd kitty who likes attention but tends to be just outside of reaching distance. She’s very sweet and likes to snuggle with the other kitties, even though she sometimes sits on them. Sometimes, she cries when I’m downstairs and wants me to come back upstairs.

Q: What’s important to you in life?

To help take care of people and animals.

Q: Describe some memorable moments with an animal.

Two of my previous cats were Stripes and Maylee. One time Stripes was relaxing on a cat tree, then Maylee suddenly jumped up and scared Stripes who leapt off and landed right on my face. Stripes scratched and gave me a scar, not deep but very visible, that ran down my face from near my eye to my lower lip!

Another memorable time was when my Samson was a kitten and got out of the house when it was snowy. I tried to catch him. I even hopped over a fence in pursuit, but then I couldn’t find him. I spent an entire day looking and looking and feeling so stressed. I kept at, however, and ultimately found Samson under a neighbor’s porch. I was so relieved!

Interested in volunteering? We’d love to have you join our team! Simply sign up for New Volunteer Orientation to learn all the ways you can help make a difference!