Our Vision

Our Story

In 2004, a handful of local, animal-loving volunteers came together to address a truly heartbreaking situation involving an overwhelming number of homeless and unwanted cats in the Salem area. With very limited resources in the community for those cats to be able to be rescued, spayed or neutered and then adopted into loving homes, the group decided to take a stand and devote their time and efforts to the cause. The primary goal was to reduce the overpopulation of cats in Salem, and with that in mind, the newly formed team knew they had their work cut out for them.

First on the agenda was educating the community on the importance of spaying or neutering their cats, along with establishing a reliable community resource for access to affordable feline spay and neuter surgeries. Friends of Felines was not only committed to helping the cats but also to people in the community; recognizing that when we work together, greater successes can be achieved.

From our humble beginnings in 2004, we started with less than a dozen foster homes and no brick-and-mortar facility. We moved into our first building in Salem before moving to our currently home in Keizer in February 2021.  Our facility includes 1,300 square feet of adoption center space, a hospital ward with a neonatal incubator and IV fluid pump, and a fully-equipped feline surgery suite.

Our organization has grown from just five volunteers to over 200 and 10 paid staff. As we look to the future, our goal is to expand our programs and services to provide increased access to veterinary care for all the cats, as well as the people living in our wonderful community.