As a 100% volunteer run animal rescue, AARF literally wouldn’t exist without our volunteers. We’re shining a light on what it takes to make a volunteer rescue work by spotlighting the people who make AARF happen!
Jenny Wilson with her foster fail kitten, Oriole.
It all started simply, over eight years ago. Jenny Wilson was invited to an AARF adoption event at Unleashed in Olney by AARF volunteer Lori Alperin, and from that point on, she was sold!
These days, Jenny serves as the foster lead for cat fosters in Montgomery County and Howard County, but that’s not all she does. No, in addition to supporting AARF’s more western fosters, Jenny works with Princess Speuter, Christine Myers, to ensure that all AARF cats are spayed or neutered before they go home. That’s a lot of paperwork and following up with people – scheduling surgeries, keeping a spreadsheet of cats and kittens and their medical info, filling out forms in advance of veterinary appointments, and more. On top of that, she is a cat foster herself!
On the left, see Kandy Kake in her current glory (complete with customized embroidered neckerchief!) – on the right, see the sad condition she was in when Jenny first brought her home.
In her time as a cat foster, Jenny has taken in about 50 cats and kittens. She prefers adult medical cases, and only takes one cat at a time, allowing her to devote significant care and attention to the foster in her care. Right now she has Kandy Kake, who has been with her since May 2025. Kandy Kake’s story is not for the faint of heart. Originally adopted from AARF as a kitten, her adopter pledged to love and care for her forever, and return her to AARF if they couldn’t – but just a few months after adopting her, Kandy Kake was turned in to a local shelter. At barely a year old, Kandy Kake was dealing with a severe bacterial skin infection, a flea infestation, ear infection, and “full to bursting” anal glands, and a large foreign body in her intestines. For 30 days after getting Kandy Kake, Jenny provided her with daily antibiotics, an oral anti fungal and a topical antimicrobial medication. The results were profound – just see for yourself!
The medical care and attention that AARF is able to dedicate to each foster is one of the reasons that Jenny has been a volunteer for so long: “I really feel spoiled fostering for AARF because I could not foster for any organization that would do medically less for their animals.” One of her past fosters, Coconut, is a prime example of that devotion to medical care.
Coconut, the good good boy he is.
Coconut, who Jenny describes as “one of the nicest, smartest, coolest cats ever,” had been found locked in a carrier, outside in the summer heat, with no food or water. His conditions when he was taken to BARCS were so bad that he could have easily died within a day or so had he not been found. Although he had the frame of a large cat, he was only 5lbs when he was first rescued. In addition, he was found to be FIV+. Jenny saw the plea for a rescue on Facebook and contacted the cat leads at AARF, who immediately said yes. Coconut was with Jenny for quite a while before he found his perfect forever home. While he was with her, Jenny nurtured him back to health, eventually reaching 12lbs before his adoption. Despite the ordeals he had been through, Coconut remained a kind and loving cat the entire time – perhaps he knew he was in good hands.
In addition to her one foster at a time, Jenny shares her home with three “hot mess foster fails from AARF” (she says lovingly). Cocoa, an FIV+ mama cat with an attitude who came to Jenny with her six kittens; Oriole, who has megaesophagus and requires special feeding; and his bonded step-brother, Falcon, the lone survivor of his litter who was bottle fed from 1 day old by Barbara Crawford, and who has asthma. In addition, the household includes Laney, a one-eyed tortie rescued from a Lancaster bed and breakfast, and Oreo, Flower, and Max, the feline companions of Jenny’s daughter who has moved back home while she gets her degree in accounting.
As an animal lover, what Jenny wants potential AARF volunteers to know is that “AARF is the best organization ever.” Really, she said that! “The medical care it outstanding, they really take care of their animals and make sure that they get what they need. I really feel spoiled fostering for AARF because I could not foster for any organization that would do medically less for their animals.”
Thank you for all you do to care for cats in need, Jenny!