Thomas

Sometimes I sits and thinks...   (KN)

We’ve had only two feline Toms at the Sanctuary in the last 12 years – which is sort of interesting, given the “tomcat” label given to unneutered males, of whom we have dealt with many (until neutered). And the Tom in Tom and Jerry has to be one of the best-known cartoon cats ever. 

That anxious face sums him up  (BC)

Previous Toms here were TomCat, who came to us as one of a group of ten bequeathed by an ailing owner going into care, and breakout-Tom, who was trapped and brought to us by volunteer Elizabeth, and loved to be on the other side of a gate.  Both were big black boys.  

Thomas, flirting from his cage  (LBF)

Our orange Thomas Cat came to us this past summer – labelled, sadly, as a pee-er, though there’s been no evidence of this behaviour at the sanctuary. He is a really beautiful ginger boy, with a long plume of a tail. His fine fur mats easily, and we need to give him a little grooming assistance from time to time.

Thomas, the helper   (KN)

He was caged in the DoubleWide initially, and had a steady procession of visitors to sit with him in his cage, to all of whom he showed his friendly side, allowing lap-time and much petting. Now that he is out, he’s decided to stay in the same area – he doesn’t appear to be much of an explorer, and is only rarely found outside. His favourite place appears to be on the shelving by the door to the Deck, and he will occasionally poke his head through and visit briefly.

New sheriff in town?  (LBF)

Sadly, Thomas has turned out to be one of those cats that doesn’t much like other cats. Even friendly boys like Huey get the hissing treatment, and as for the alphas like Eli, Thomas stays well out of the way.  I had expected that he would go out and find more alone-ness, but he’s obviously an indoor boy, and not comfortable with the outside world.  What I’m seeing is mainly fear, masked with aggression; he’s not a nasty boy, but he doesn’t much like other cats in his space. He likes human attention, even cooperating in costume sessions - but he is constantly watching that there is no feline competition.

Letting us know that he is ,,,   (LBF)

Though labelled as a pee-er, I suspect that, as with many cats, it’s a stress-reaction. Thomas really needs a calm, loving one-cat home where he no longer feels pressured by the presence of other cats, and can relax into a relationship with his humans. Even though he now knows his way around, I notice that he is not as comfortable with me as he was when in his cage – he’s constantly on the lookout for whichever cat might be the next threat to his peace of mind.  It’s a risk to take on a cat who might stress-pee, but I think with the right person, Thomas might be the simply purrfect companion.

See how pretty I am!  (LBF)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, & Karen Nicholson

Shy Chai

Chai  (MW)

Some of our Sanctuary cats come directly to us – either by arrangement with a former owner, or through another shelter.  Cats that are adoptable go, if there is room, to the Adoption Centre. This summer and fall it has been very full of youngsters who were fostered by the many wonderful people who take on pregnant moms and see them through their last litters.  However, we still have cats coming in as local strays.  A group of these, this past summer, included pretty Chai and her buddies Dominique and Kahlua;  all spent a bit of time in the Adoption Centre but were obviously ferals, rather than just scared, shy cats, and were eventually transferred to us at the Sanctuary.

Chai (LBF)

They had an initial cooling-off period in cages before they were let out.  Many of our visitors know about the feral cat pens in the back, but what is not so obvious is that there are a lot of ferals in the front courtyard as well. Visitors rarely see them – there are a lot of places to hide – but those of us who volunteer know that most ferals prefer dawn and dusk to emerge and explore.  I need to spend some more front courtyard time to try and sort out who’s who – there’s a trio of little tabbies (Kahlua and Dominique are two of them) that I’m still trying to tell apart, and there are a whole lot more black cats – and nobody can hide like a black cat!

a favourite spot for watching through the fence... (KN)

The three of them split up;  Kahlua hangs out between the Hill House and the feral area known as the Old Rabbit Area;  Dominique can be found around the gazebo – and wherever chicken is on offer!  Chai preferred to stay in the vicinity of the Connor House. Dominique likes the Connor too, but she and Chai don't seem particularly close. As you can see, it’s very hard for Chai to be anonymous; we rarely have such a pretty girl as this and she stands out (when she’s not hiding).

on guard at the Connor  (KN)

My first instinct was to label her as a silver tabby – she has the clear tabby M on her head, and her darker markings are characteristic tabby.  But those blue eyes say something else, and she’s defined in our records as a lynx-point Siamese – a tabby/Siamese combination. Female cats can give birth to kittens sired by more than one male, so we don’t know whether Chai has her looks from the genetics of her ancestry, or whether a local Siamese male got lucky at the right time.

what iz?...

ewww....

do I have to?...  (KN)

She will go into the Connor building – especially if the door remains open and there is food on offer – but she’s wary about being confined, and her favourite places to hang out are on the various shelves on the porch. She likes to sit by the fence and watch for birds and rodents; she's obviously a would-be hunter!  I’ve not managed to pet her yet, but I’m told that when she is backed into a corner, she will (reluctantly) accept touch. She’s not as food-motivated as Dominique, and watching her eat, you get the feeling she’s a little picky, so finding her tame-the-feral button may not be easy.  But we have a lot of patient people – staff and volunteers – who will spend time to coax her out of hiding, and teach her that life at the Sanctuary is pretty good.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Tuggy & Plum

Plum & Tugboat  (LBF)

The Sanctuary cats come to us from many different places and for different reasons – but the most common label on the cage of a newcomer is “inappropriate urination”. Sometimes there is a medical reason for it, sometimes it’s a stress reaction, but when cats come to us with that label, it’s generally because their owner has decided they can’t handle it any more. And a cat who is labelled as a pee-er is not going to last long at a shelter unless it’s a “no-kill” one – which is why we spend so much time mopping up pee!

Tugboat   (MW)

Tugboat came to us with that label more than 10 years ago, already a mature cat. He’s now very much an elder statesman around the Sanctuary, dividing his time between the Tea Room, and the Double-Wide – currently he’s spending more time in the latter because it’s warmer. He’s a cat who has always been very needy of human attention; he loves to visit in the med-cage, and to receive cuddles. 

Tugboat   (JC)

He’s probably getting a little deaf, because the tone of his vocal demands has changed, as is characteristic in older cats. He's no longer the dapper gentleman in a tuxedo; these days his shirtfront is a little stained and he needs a little valeting.  Many of us make a point of visiting with Tuggy and sharing cuddles, or sitting with him on the couch when he’s feeling too comfy to move.

Plum  (MW)

Plum is also a pee-er – but it’s totally not her fault! She’s been with us about four years, one of a series of Manx-Syndrome cats, whose physical makeup causes them to be incontinent. This sweet dilute calico seems to have an always-dirty bum, and is one of the cats who receives a daily bath – a ritual she does not enjoy, but has learned to tolerate. She has the characteristic rotund shape of a true manx, and bounces around like a little rabbit. She is wary (after all, you might pick her up and bathe her!) but friendly and affectionate when she feels safe.

Plum  (KN)

Plum just adores Tugboat. Mostly he is tolerant of being adored – adoration by Plum comes with some pretty smelly consequences, after all.  But if he tucks himself up on a Double-Wide shelf, sooner or later, Plum will find him and settle in.  She’s less inclined to follow him out to the Tea Room, so he has to balance the advantages of staying warm with a smelly bed-buddy against a trek outside and a climb up to his basket on the countertop.

Plum LOOOVES Tugboat  (KN)

Recently Tugboat was found having a conversation on the couch with Colin – Colin is very much a couch cat, and one who seems to have a radar for other cats who need comforting.  Closer examination revealed that this was not a private conversation, but that a little lump of Plum could be found tucked under Tuggy.

Tugboat on a Plum cushion
visiting with Colin  (KN)

Sometimes he lies on her, more often she can be found lying on him. Heads snuggled close, there is obviously great affection between the two of them. Photographer Lisa caught them together, and offered a little bridal touch. 

Loving kisses....  (LBF)

As cats and people age, it’s comforting to have someone there for you, to keep you in touch with the world and to let you know that you continue to be loved.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Jackie Chapple, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Pen 3 - Part 3

 

Finneas   (KN)

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve had an introduction to the teenagers in Pen 3, and started to identify the ones who may end up in their own forever-homes, and those who are people-wary and may never make that progression.  

Reinhardt & Lucius   (KN)

Part 1 introduced the Shakespearean crew:  William Shakespurr, Mewlius Caesar, Mercutio (who went straight to adoption) and Cornelius.  Part 2 offered the dark cats for Halloween: Shimmer, Sherbet, Gemini, Jason, Jenkins, Baker, Lucius and Holly. 

Reinhardt   (LBF)

Six more are presented this week – mostly tending on the shy side, but starting to make real progress in their comfort with being around humans.  The most wary of them is dark tabby Reinhardt;  he is cat-social but people-averse;  he is very good at finding hiding places and staying out of the way – and yet, he’s curious, and wants to see what’s going on.  On Sunday afternoon when I visited, there was a lot of scurrying around the pen – and Reinhardt had taken himself up on the roof of the cabin, and was soaking in the fall sun, and keeping an eye on things.

Golden   (KN)

The other two males are Golden (orange with strong tabby markings) and tabby and white Finneas.  Golden was obviously named by the same person who named his buddy Baker  as well as Banff and Creston, who are leukemia cats – there are lots of places that would make good cat-names!  Obviously, it’s a wonderful name for him!  Both Golden and Finneas are wary of contact, but interested in activity.

Baby & Beans  (LBF)

The three females are torbie Scarlett, calico Baby and tortie Beans. All three are on the shy end of the spectrum, allowing some touch, but not really comfortable with it yet.  Baby is active and curious, and endlessly interested in what’s outside the pen.  She is often one of the first to the gate when a visitor arrives, and she listens and watches for exciting movement. 

I know there's a mouse out there!  (BC)

Pen 3 backs on to the exterior of the sanctuary and stupidly brave mice are known to regret their bravery around these cats – one of the occasional penalties of being on a morning shift is to find and remove the victims.

Beans  (KN)

Beans is delightful – torties have a reputation for cattitude (or tortietude), but Beans has it only in the nicest way. She hovers around where the action is, and occasionally ventures close enough for contact; she likes treats but is not as food-motivated as the guys are!

Miz Scarlett, posing   (BC)

Sweet Scarlett (named for the actor or the character?) holds herself slightly aloof.  She doesn’t seem to be part of the crowd, but she can stand up to cats like Jason who get in her space, and send them away with a smart smack!  She’s a beautiful girl – and it feels like she knows it; watch her pose!

Scarlett & Baby   (BC)

It will be interesting to see how the dynamic of this pen changes when the most human-social cats go to the Adoption Centre – will the shyer ones relax when there is more space?  We will look forward to coaxing them into more contact with us.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson