Chad Peterson

Jefferson Middle School eighth-grader Chad Peterson loves cats. So much so, that he and his mom, Chris, foster litters of kittens for the Chautauqua County Humane Society.

“My grandma inspired me to foster kittens. She always fostered and we both love cats a lot,” Chad said. “I loved going to her house and there would be kittens running all over the place. I wanted to do that too.”

Chad has fostered about seven litters of kittens in the past year, often with five kittens at one time. He plays with them, lets them run around the house once they get a bit older and socializes the kittens so that when they go back to the Chautauqua County Humane Society, they are ready to be adopted into their forever families.

“I think volunteering is so good because it helps the Humane Society,” Chad said. “We take the kittens when they are too little to be adopted and that makes room in the shelter for more cats to find homes. Volunteering now will help me later in life because it will make me a better person and find a job.”

The Chautauqua County Humane Society always needs foster families for its animals. Because pets at CCHS aren’t eligible to be adopted until they reach two months of age, this causes a need for “foster care volunteers” like Chad and his mom. In particular, they need volunteers to foster kittens between one month and two months of age.

“It is great to see a student like Chad who is already so active in school and the community, take time to foster cats for the Chautauqua County Humane Society!” said Rachel Johnson, CCHS volunteer coordinator. “We thank Chad for what he does, and hope that he will inspire more kids to volunteer their time here at CCHS.”

Chad’s love for animals has spurred a career goal – to be a veterinarian. It helps that he loves science and math and hopes to take biology at Jamestown High School and other science courses to help meet his goals. Chad is also a percussionist with the Jefferson Middle School band and attended Rogers and Fletcher Elementary Schools. We think Chad is special by taking his love of cats and putting it to great use by helping his community.