Love-birds: Rudolph & Salish

Rudolph & Salish in the garden - VL

Shortly before I came to volunteer at the Sanctuary, RAPS had a heavy-duty kitten year, and in order to make room at the Shelter on 5 Road, a large group of older cats was transferred across to the Sanctuary.  For some time the pen that is now Pen 5 was known as the Five Rd Pen, since they were all transferred together.  It was kept as a closed pen, with the hope that the inhabitants might eventually return to the Shelter for adoption, and that was a reality for some of them – Katie, Moe, Theo – all found their own homes in time.

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But a steady colony remained – cats who seemed to be comfortable with the space and with each other, and who didn’t appear to need a human in their lives. The core group consisted of two pairs and four singles, all very much in relationship with each other.  Rudolph and Salish, Adam and May, hissy feral Capilano, his calming buddy Walker, chubby Chinook and shy Hudson, all remained in the space even when the gate was opened and other cats came and went. We don’t know if the two pairs came in as bonded couples, and what their relationship is – mates or siblings. But it’s very evident that you don’t usually see either pair apart for long.

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Rudolph could easily be relegated to the “another black cat” status, but it’s evident that he’s one of the more beautiful individuals. His fur is always immaculate and glossy, and he has wonderful eyes.  He is very keen on Temptations treats, and vies with his buddy Adam to get the most. But he’s not a cuddly cat with humans – he will accept a little gentle petting, but he’s more comfortable at arm’s length.

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Salish is equally beautiful in another way. Seen alone, her magnificent coat makes her look enormous, and it’s only when you see her in company with the other cats that you acknowledge her smaller size, and also that there’s probably an even smaller body under all that fur.  We do need to keep an eye on her – she’s one of the cats that occasionally needs a little rear-end shave job!

MW

She’s also the shyest of the group; she’s wary of touch, and though she enjoys her share of treats, she’d much rather that the donor puts them down and retreats. Very often the others are clamouring for them, but she’s not so anxious that she’ll come out of her own volition.

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When she does emerge, it’s almost always in company with Rudolph – she seems to take courage when he’s around. She’s happiest in the Pen 5 area, but often in the evening the whole group emerges into the back courtyard and makes their way down towards the tea-room to see if supper’s being prepared.

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It’s very evident that she’s the active lover of the duo.

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Adam and May might just be adoptable as a pair – though there’s no knowing how they would transition to an indoor life after life in the pen. Rudolph and Salish would probably not be adoptable – Salish is too shy and wary of humans; she’s happiest where she is, living with good friends, and with her Rudolph always at hand.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Victoria Lo, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Hillie - and Yma

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Hillie was featured in a blog a couple of years ago, but her circumstances have changed, and I decided it was worth reintroducing her, since she’s now a very familiar figure to those of us working in the back courtyard

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Hillie shows her heritage clearly – she is one of the “cow cats”, rescued from a perilous life as a feral hanging round a nearby composting facility.  She is probably related to Mya  and Kirstie, in the SingleWide, and to relative newcomer Yma in the Double.

"Cow cats" - Mya, Kirstie, Hillie & Yma

For some time Hillie lived mainly in the DoubleWide deck area – an area popular with our shyer cats, like Ringo, Dazzle and several others. She and her buddy Brighton, also from the same source, hung out together, though Brighton became more social and enjoyed human interaction, whereas Hillie remained reserved, disdaining petting, though she allowed some interactive play. Sadly, we lost Brighton suddenly, to a stroke. Hillie made her way out of the DoubleWide, and has taken the whole back courtyard as her terrain.

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She’s still not keen on much in the way of contact with humans, but she is more relaxed as she encounters us in her travels; she will sit in her characteristic tail-over-the-toes pose and listen to you talk, though she doesn’t really care to be petted.  She also doesn’t appear to interact much with other cats, although there’s no aggression there – she just prefers to be alone.

Yma - BC

Yma is one of the last cats we trapped from that same facility. She was named to belong to a “Y” litter before we knew just how unadoptable she would be. It’s likely she was sired by Pavarotti, the older male we never managed to trap, and the only “Y” singer I could think of was the extraordinary 1950s soprano Yma Sumac. Feline Yma came to us just over two years ago, and quickly joined the ferals on the DW deck – spending most of her time inside the big armchair, which is the preferred hiding place for scared cats.  Occasionally she would venture across the room to survey the area from under the shelf covering the cat-litter storage; perching on the jugs could hardly be comfortable, but she felt safer out of sight.

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BC

In appearance she is very like Hillie – slender, white, with black markings – so much so that you have to check markings (particularly the black nose) to see who you’re looking at.  She’s much less relaxed around us than Hillie, though, and most of the photos taken of her have to be done very surreptitiously.  At least while she’s this wary, she’s unlikely to make her way through the rest of the DW to the main door, and out into the courtyard; she’d rather stay in the area where she feels safe.

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An adult feral cat, born and brought up in the wild, is unlikely to become truly tame. We have a number of cats we refer to as “former ferals”, but in fact, there’s sometimes no way of knowing if you’re dealing with a feral or a stray. But cats like Autumn or Jamie, who have finally allowed themselves to be handled, are unlikely to relax to petting in the way that is possible for cats like Dell, who lives in a feral pen, but was in all likelihood a stray.  Both Hillie and Yma are a long way from allowing that contact. But at least they both have a place of safety to live, and time to decide if they might eventually allow humans into their lives.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Phaedra Hardman, Karen Nicholson, 

Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

July 1 update: In just the last week Yma has discovered the back courtyard, and has joined Hillie in explorations. Her latest hiding place: up the tree!

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Leonardo diCatprio

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This handsome boy was picked up as a stray in Richmond.  He was neutered, and friendly, so he’d obviously had a home at some stage, but nobody ever claimed him. Right from the start he demonstrated a strong personality, and someone decided he should be named Leonard diCatprio

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Life at the 5 Road Shelter did not suit our Leo. Several examples of aggression were enough to convince the staff there that he would probably do better at the Sanctuary, and he was transferred to our care and popped in the first cage in the DoubleWide.

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There he proceeded to charm volunteers and visitors alike. A warning note on his cage advised those who sat with him to allow him to make the decisions about petting, lap-time and the like, but we had very few outbursts like the ones at the shelter.  Leo’s far from the only cat for whom this is the case. The City of Richmond has approved the building of a new animal shelter; at the moment, the cats are largely in the forward area of the shelter and the dogs towards the back, but noise carries, and already-stressed cats are not made happy by barking dogs, small cages and limited space.

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We often talk with Sunday visitors about the fact that we transfer adoptable cats to the Shelter. What we sometimes need to point out is that traffic flowing the other way may give us cats that in other situations might be adoptable. They’re not cats that can be adopted by just anyone – they need a cat-wise owner, one who is willing to allow the cat to dictate some of the interaction. Beautiful Eli was twice returned to the Shelter for aggression; most of our volunteers know well enough to let Eli decide when to sit with you, or to be petted. Cat-savvy people know that felines usually have their own agenda, and being picked up and fussed when they don’t want that can produce an irritated reaction which too easily results in an “aggressive” label.

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Leo is one of those cats.  In his happy-space he will cuddle – wanting to be carried, leaping on to your lap and demanding head-bonks with paws on your chest.  When he’s not in the mood, he’s best left alone for a bit; he’ll come round sooner or later.

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He has quickly discovered the best places to be – the comfiest beds, the shelves where he will be admired, and the places where he can hide out of reach. He mostly ignores the other cats; he knows that HE’s the most important one, and he has no need to demonstrate his superiority – it’s evident. When in the right mood, he enjoys being worshipped; he drapes himself over the table at coffee-break or situates himself on the shelf at the entrance to the Double-Wide so that you have to pay attention to him.

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We love having Leo around – and we really hope that sometime he will find the person he will fall in love with so that he can go to having his own home again.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Tanisha Vincent,
Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Shaggy and Spicer

VL

These sweet older cats came to us a few months ago. One of our Sunday visitors asked if we could take cats from outside Richmond. An elderly relative on the Island had passed away, and her cats were owner-less – living in her home and being cat-sat by various people who were unable to become their new owners, they were not doing particularly well. The local shelter was unable to promise much – older cats, and especially older bonded cats, are not easy to find homes for.  After discussion with the staff, Shaggy (12) and Spicer (11) came to us.

Shaggy - MW

Spicer - MW

For the first while they were in the DoubleWide, in one of the quiet corner cages.  Both cats were obviously upset by the turn in their fortune; Shaggy in particular was wary of all these strange people. But quiet visits from the Kitty Comforters worked their magic, and the two gradually relaxed in their new surroundings. We hoped that without taking them to No 5 Road, we might be able to find them an adoptive or foster family here.  But then it turned out that Shaggy was diabetic, and the triple-whammy of age, health and a bonded pair told us that they would probably remain Sanctuary residents.

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We transferred them to the Moore House, to the “gericatric” building. The Moore has its share of cranky divas, and once their door was opened, it took a little while for them to venture out. Now the summer is here, Shaggy is happy to make his way to the deck and enjoy the sun; Spicer basks as well, but also enjoys visits from any humans around.

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The two of them, like Vesper and Fable, are often found together. Shaggy is very affectionate with his roommate;  in fact, sometimes his licking is a little too enthusiastic, and she gives him a smack! 

We’re monitoring him carefully; like humans, some cats remain diabetic all their lives, and with regular insulin, the condition can be managed. With other cats – especially when a previously overweight cat loses some of that weight, diabetes may go into remission. Weight control is always harder to manage in group living, of course – we’ll just have to see how Shaggy makes out.

VL

Cats living in the Moore House are not accessible to Sunday visitors, but they get a lot of attention from the daily Kitty Comforters, as well as from the volunteers who clean and feed in the area.  Readers who think they might give a home to this sweet pair should contact Sanctuary Manager Jill at jill[at]rapsbc.com. We talk about Sanctuary cats being non-adoptable, but with many of them it’s less that they are non-adoptable, than that they wouldn’t do particularly well at the 5 Road Shelter – there are several of our senior cats and FIV cats that would actually do well in a home, and I will hope to present some of those in upcoming blogs.
Thanks particularly to Vicky Lo, who loves and visits them regularly, and whose photos are such a big part of this week’s blog.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Victoria Lo and Michele Wright