Visiting the Shut-Ins

Plum - caged for bath-time   (MW)

One of the things that so many of our visitors adore is the freedom that the Sanctuary cats have to roam. There are limits, of course – leukemia and FIV cats have separate areas, the Single-Wide cats never go out of their building, and some of the back pens are kept closed to give the cats inside a better sense of their own territory.  But people often come, expecting cages, and are surprised to find that they are the exception rather than the rule.

Rico, when he first came to us; now he roams the back pens freely   (BC)

So why do we have cages at all? Well, any new cat needs an acclimatization period, during which they become aware of other cats around, with whom they don’t yet have to interact.  They may have vaccinations due, or be recovering from spay/neuter surgery. And they need to get to know the people who will be working with them.  Perhaps they’re a cat that someone has identified as “off colour” and they are caged so that the med staff can assess if they’re eating/drinking enough, if they’re using the litter-box – perhaps a visit from the vet or a trip to the hospital is in the cards.  We’ve recently had a group of cats from one pen, with upset stomachs – they’ve been on a special diet, and it’s taken having the whole colony of that pen on dietary restriction to get it under control (they’re all back together now, and very happy about it).  

Poor Taylor has dental problems, and many teeth pulled;
hence the tongue-tip showing   (KN)

Perhaps a cat has been diagnosed with a condition like diabetes or hyperthyroidism, and they need to have cage time to get used to being medicated – and to allow the staff to assess how that medication will be most effectively administered. Or perhaps (and this is very common) they’ve had dental surgery, and are on a no-kibble restriction (which means extra wet-food treats!)

Winston getting cage-time snuggles  (MRJ)

A cat who is caged may only see the med staff when being medicated, or a volunteer when food is being offered or the cage cleaned.  The work of the Kitty Comforters is very important with these cats, encouraging contact with the shy ones, and making sure that the social ones don’t feel abandoned.  Many of the volunteers will spend extra time with the caged cats once a shift is “finished” – because for many of us, it’s not finished until we’ve shared cuddle time with our charges.

Quinn is not happy about being caged  (BC)

My Saturday evening place is with the Double-Wide cats, and last week, having fed everyone and checked on water and kibble, I went back to spend more quality time than just simply putting a plate down.  Two of our shyest cats were tucked away in different corners:  all I got from black Michonne (pen 4) was an unfriendly hiss, but handsome tabby Quinn, though hiding in a corner, gave me his best owlish stare.  Quinn is a buddy of my sponsor cat, grey Sylar, and is usually very keen on the prospect of chicken tidbits; he rarely allows himself to be touched and I was not about to force it on him, but with this visit he was not much in a mood for eating, either.   He will be watched carefully, and force-fed if necessary.

Oscar has to be tempted to eat a little of his special food   (BC)

Our Haida Gwaii teddy-bear-cat, Oscar, liked the cage he first came to so much that he has refused to vacate it. Right now he is confined so we can see just why he’s a bit off-colour, and just what he’s eating.  The med-staff are finding little tasty plates for him, and he will sometimes eat while there is someone there to admire, and talk with him. Sadly, he is not fond of the company of other cats, so a closed cage suits him well. 

Hillie enjoying visiting time  (BC)

Cow-cat Hillie has been caged for a while with a cold;  when a cat gets congested, not only is the breathing impaired but sometimes so is the appetite, because they may not be able to smell the food. Hillie seems to be doing well, but she’s less active than usual. She was very pleased to have a visitor, and emerged from behind her drape to sniff me over and accept attention. 

KeKe is not happy about necessary medical attention  (BC)

A temporary resident in the cage opposite is cranky KeKe. She is one of our diabetic cats, and more importantly, she’s one whose blood sugar fluctuates a lot, so she needs regular glucose checks. She is not happy about this – not because it’s particularly painful (the prick of a glucometer or of an insulin needle is negligible) but because she resents being handled on someone else’s agenda. She makes her feelings known very vocally, and by changing her mind frequently about what she will eat. The med-staff offer her a regular buffet of gourmet cat-food, and she will often make it quite clear that none of it is good enough.  It can become a real battle of wills to get her to eat before she gets her insulin and is released from the cage for the rest of the evening.

Rodan is happy to be caged and fussed; the more visitors, the better!  (BC)

In the cage backing on to hers there are two cats from the same pen – sometimes the presence of another cat that is known can be a comfort to a stressed animal.  In this case, grey Odie couldn’t care less; he has established himself at floor level and does not want to be bothered, letting me know by his hissing that he does not appreciate the visit. Rodan, on the other hand, is delighted by the presence of a friend. This sweet one-eyed boy is the only cat in pen 7 who is really comfortable with humans – a good thing, because he gets recurring colds and ear infections, and is a regular user of med-staff attention. He ignores Odie, and rolls happily at shelf level, begging for petting and treats.

Luke would rather mooch for treats than eat what's on his plate  (BC)

His next-door neighbour perks up and also begs at the mesh for chicken bits. Luke, normally a back deck member of the Tuxedo Club, is our newest diabetic, and is caged to accustom him to treatment and help us get a base-line on his glucose levels. He’s not likely to be a problem to medicate – most of the diabetics are pretty easy-going about the whole process. The biggest problem is convincing them that because they demanded tuna yesterday, it’ll be equally tasty today – it seems like the moment diabetes is diagnosed, they become pickier about what they will eat than Jamie Oliver!

JackieO hasn't let the loss of her tail affect her climbing skills;
she REALLY wants to be back out again  (KN)

The last cage belongs to a sweet girl – but a visit requires a towel. JackieO came to us in 2020 as a cat made incontinent by a tail-pull injury; we had her tail amputated (it was effectively paralysed) which meant that it was easier to keep her clean. The amputation has not slowed her down one bit – she climbs and jumps and plays as much as ever, and her polydactyl paws are always busy. She’s got a messy gut problem right now, and visiting requires the visitor to be well protected; we check and change all her bedding on a regular basis, and hope her medication will sort her out quickly so she can go back out to play – at the moment it’s rather like telling a child that they have to stay in their bedroom.

Nobody likes to think of the cats being caged; at least, in the DoubleWide, they’re big cages, so human visitors can sit fairly comfortably, and let the patients know that they’re not forgotten, and that the big wide world awaits them if they’ll just hurry up and get better!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Marla Rae Jenkins, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright