Darla

Darla's death-glare  (KN)

Some feral cats come to us and let us know that we are too terrifying for words – mostly they’re the ferals that end up in Pen 4, where disturbances are minimal.  In their early cage days with us, they find a corner to hide in; they remain behind the drape that is always in place for new cats, and you can sense their fear. Other feral cats are scared, but they deal with their fear by showing anger; the opening of the cage door is accompanied by hissing and spitting, and some really bad language. New volunteers learn that it’s rarely as bad as it sounds, but they also learn that it’s OK to go to staff and ask if someone experienced can clean that cage.

Ears so flat in anger, you can hardly see them!  (KN)

Darla was one of those cats!  She came to us from CATS Rescue, who in turn received her from another rescue who brought her in as part of dismantling a feral colony when the caretaker died. They hoped she might tame up, but were unable to keep her long-term when she showed no sign of socializing.  CATS had her for 6 months, and then passed her on to us, knowing that she could safely live as a feral in our care. If they had just released her, she probably wouldn’t have lived long without her own colony. We think she’s around 5 years old.

The ninja lurking in the laurel  (KN)

When she was released from her cage-stay, she managed a quick getaway into the back gardens, and as far away from us as was possible. This was generally the area between pens 3 and 4, where there’s plenty of shrubbery, and places to hide, and where the bushes offer enough low branches to encourage a scared cat to climb in order to be out of sight. There are a number of other little ferals who hang around there – plus the not-so-scared but endlessly curious cats from Alberta who base out of pen 3.

You can't see me...  (KN)

You can always tell Darla – if you can see her – she’s a good solid girl with a lot of floof, and a magnificent white collar/bib that is as good as a flashing light to ID her.  She obviously realized that staff would check the back gardens at least once a day, if not more, and if she wanted to be undisturbed, she needed to take her hiding place very seriously. So rather than hiding near the gate with the rest of the cats, she took herself up a laurel tree halfway down the courtyard.

Inspecting the escape route  (KN)

I don’t know how many other cats use that tree, but Darla has now claimed it for herself. At the right angle you will see her white ruff shining through the leaves;  if you get closer, all you will see is a glaring shadow; she does NOT want to be disturbed!  In her earlier tree-climbing days, she climbed to her usual perch and was obviously attracted by something, because she edged out along the ledge leading to the top of the pen 1 gate.  Bad mistake!  It was a little too narrow to be comfortable, so she backed up.  But oops! - she couldn’t turn, and she couldn’t go backwards all the way.  We watched as she debated the next step. Before we could get a nearby cat tree into position for a safe descent, she took a amazing flying-squirrel leap sideways to land on the trunk of the big tree in the centre, pulled herself out of sight on the other side and made her descent that way.

Suspicious stare  (LBF)

Darla is still not a fan of humans, and will take herself into hiding when approached. But increasingly, she will come down to ground level while people are sitting nearby, give us a quick disdainful glance, and vanish across into pen 5 where she can explore in the longer grass at the back. She’s not sociable with other cats, but ignores them, as if it’s beneath her dignity to acknowledge lesser beings. She obviously feels more secure in her favourite tree, and is welcome to it as her refuge within the Sanctuary.

She is not friendly - but much more relaxed (LBF)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen &  Karen Nicholson

Tortietude Plus

Beans  (KN)

In the last while, we’ve had a sudden influx of tortoiseshell cats in the Sanctuary. And as anyone who has the honour of being owned by a tortie knows, they are ladies of decided purrrsonality!

Lunette  (MW)

I’ll look forward to blogging them individually in the future, but I decided that this was the week to introduce our back courtyard ladies. Most of us know that a group of cats can be called a clowder, (or a clutter of cats) but another collective word for them, particularly appropriate for torties, is a glaring of cats. Most torties are not exactly social with other felines, and there’s a lot of glaring going on right now.

Lunette playing  (KN)

Lunette (initially Luna) was surrendered to us because of aggressive behaviour, and the warning was borne out during her cage stay – enough that some people called her “Lunatic”. Being in a cage is stressful for a lot of cats (stressful to most creatures!) and we sometimes see that behaviour change on release. That was the case with Lunette – now she has the run of the place, she’s much more relaxed, and will enjoy a little cautious petting from time to time, though you need to read her body language carefully. We had her on medication for a while to keep her calm, but she now seems to be less aggressive, and the meds aren’t needed.

calico Baby & tortie Beans  (LBF)

Beans is one of the Pen 3 cats from Alberta. Growing up with the group that includes Baby, Cornelius, Lucius and the others, Beans has never really learned the tortie mannerisms – she’s one of the crowd, sociable and good-natured. She’s still a little wary with humans, and not ready to be handled to any great extent, but it’s more the common wariness of that crew, rather than the “keep away from me; I’m special!” attitude of other torties.

Princess  (LBF)

Princess is a refugee from Iran; her sponsor arranged for her to come to us when the woman who cared for her was no longer able to do so. He visits her from time to time, and we know that she can be sociable when she trusts, but she’s not ready to trust most of us yet, and she really doesn’t like other cats. 

Princess  (KN)

However, she’s a foodie;  she’s learned that some of us carry tasty tidbits, and she will follow around hopefully, looking for a handout. The trouble is that handouts bring other cats for competition! She seems to be basing herself around the Newcomers area, and will often emerge when she hears voices.

Timber  (KN)

Timber is our most recent and most beautiful arrival. Strictly speaking, she’s a calico rather than a tortie, but her dark coloring dominates.  About 13 years old, she was brought in as a stray, and did well at the shelter, but neither fostering nor adoption worked out because of aggressive behaviour – not so much to people as to her surroundings.  

When she was transferred to the Sanctuary, she was visited in her cage by many volunteers, and allowed herself to be cuddled and petted;  but now she’s out and about there’s a constant stream of growls and muttering, mostly directed at other cats. There is a very clear don’t-touch-me boundary, and a lot of bad language.  But it’s early days; she will probably find herself a corner or two where she can feel safer, and she’s still allowing the cage visitors to interact with her.

guarded truce - Lunette & Princess  (KN)

Behaviour problems come in all sorts of cat-colours; they’re certainly not exclusive to tortoiseshells. But when the behaviour leaves a cat unadoptable and without a home, it’s good to know that they can find a safe place with us.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Joanne Nicholson, 

Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Tabby beauty

Cadbury  (KN)

We all have our favourite types, when it comes to cats – as well as our favourite individual cats.  Some people favour the ginger ones, or the black ones; some look for the cuddly ones or the spicy ones.  I have a weakness for the long-haired tabbies, especially the sad-faced ones. I loved Dickens, who I got to know early in my time in the Sanctuary, and I still miss my beloved Skittles, who began as a feral and became a loving lap-cat.

Skittles & Cadbury - brother-love  (KN)

Skittles came from a group we called the Candy Cats, and the others are all still around – tabby SweetTart in with the barn-cats, Purdy, Hershey and Butterscotch hiding out in Pen 8, and the beautiful Cadbury, based in Pen 2.

Our beautiful boy  (MW)

Cadbury is one of those cats that the camera just loves – you almost can’t get a bad photo of him.  He and Skittles were particularly close in their early days in Pen 6, but Skittles gravitated towards people, and Cadbury remained very shy. 

Keep your distance, please   (MW)

He is something of a loner – he shares the cabin with a pretty cat-social bunch, but he can usually be found on his own shelf, keeping himself to himself.  He’s not hissy-shy; he just pulls away from contact until he’s certain that he’s safe.  Sometimes he can be very affectionate, but he rarely solicits petting.

Showing off his highlights  (LBF)

He's one of those fortunate long-haired tabbies that seems to be able to keep his fur in good condition. With some of the others the med-staff have to go in and shave mats off - or, in a worst-case situation, give them a complete lion-cut.  No such indignity for Cadbury - he keeps himself well-groomed, and his wonderful neck-ruff is like a halo.  In company with pretty Autumn in the front courtyard, Cadbury's ruff becomes more blond, and it looks like he's been to the salon for highlights.

Is this my best side?...   (LBF)

Unlike a lot of the other back courtyard cats, he’s not particularly food-motivated, and when treats are on offer and the others crowd around, he stays out of the way. When I clean the Pen 2 cabin on Friday mornings, I bring a baggie of dental kibble, or some of my own cat’s “healthy” food as treats, and the other cats get very excited;  Cadbury holds back, though he’s happy to crunch in, as long as nobody else is crowding him. 

Wand-play  (KN)

He comes across as a solemn, serious boy – but he can be playful with the right incentive: a grass stalk or a feather wand will have him batting at it like a kitten.  But it needs to be solo play; when someone else wants in on it, Cadbury backs off and lets the more assertive cat win. Looking at his photos, I realized how few of them had other cats in them; he’s an expert at finding comfy places to settle where he won’t be disturbed by the rest of them.

finding his quiet place  (LBF)

The back courtyard is home to about 200 cats – probably more, when the weather is fine and the inside cats all come out to explore. Cadbury still manages to be The Cat Who Walks By Himself. Like most introverts, he needs a lot of alone time to support him through the times of togetherness. We’re glad that he has that choice.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Mercury

Mercury (LBF)

Mercury is one of the group we sometimes refer to as the McLeod cats, trapped during the summer of 2019 in a big operation that brought in around 60 adults and kittens. The young kittens were tamed and adopted out, the older adults remembered what it was like to be tame, and found homes – and what we were left with was a group of “teens” who only knew how to be feral.  Kitty Comforters spent hours with them, but in the end, only brave Aphrodite proved to be tame enough to be adopted out, and the others are just Sanctuary-tame – willing to appear, if there’s food motivation, but not ready for much in the way of contact with humans.

Mercury  (LBF)

The genes of this family are strongly set for black and orange colouring – no tabbies here!  The group has largely relocated to Pen 1 – initially to the perimeter kennels and undergrowth, and more recently (encouraged by cold winter days) to the Pen 1 cabin. All except Mercury – the archetypal “fraidy-cat” prefers to rely on his own warm coat, and on finding a snuggle-buddy, and prefers not to feel trapped inside a building.  

Juno, Nyx, Mercury, Fabian (LBF)
hiding behind the kennels

In the last while he has met up with another timid cat; Fabian was one of the DoubleWide deck ferals who discovered the new cat door last summer, and has never returned indoors. Fabian and Mercury spend a lot of time together, and are much more relaxed – unless there’s a human around, in which case there are identical expressions of horror on their faces. 

Mercury and Fabian  (LBF)

Mercury is practically a twin to Sprocket, another back courtyard cat. Sprocket came to us about a year before, but from the same area, so they’re likely related – cousins, at the least!  Sprocket is also a feral, but a more relaxed one than Mercury – you can generally tell from the expression on the face which cat it is that you’re seeing.

L: Sprocket (KN) - R: Mercury (LBF)

The McLeod sibs have discovered that some humans bring tasty offerings, and they will often join the enthusiastic group waiting for the next tidbit; black Nyx, in particular, is very keen on food and will hover hopefully. But increasingly, Mercury has become part of the group, though he prefers to stay in peripheral vision so that he can pretend you’re not looking at him. He is easily daunted by other more assertive cats, but having backed off, he sneaks back into range, hoping for another handout. If other cats move out of the way, he will occasionally brave the peril of accepting food directly from a hand.

A little ecstatic wriggling!  (LBF)

The "ready to run" posture occasionally gives way to relaxation;  it's good to see that he can play - though cat-toys don't seem to appeal. However, with some things he does not lack assertiveness!  You would think that a Cat Sanctuary would be high on the avoidance list for most rats, but there are obviously some stupid ones who think they’ll never be noticed.  Anyone doing the morning shift in the back pens needs to be aware of the odd dead body, but it’s not often that we see the hunt in action!  

The mighty hunter  (KN)

We love it when a formerly feral cat decides to allow touch, or even to become a lap-cat. But there are many cats here, like Mercury, who are likely to remain feral all their lives, and it’s important to us that we respect their comfort level, and allow them uncaged space. We are grateful to all the donors and sponsors whose support makes this possible.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Karen Nicholson

All That Jazz

Jazz  (KN)

Jazz as a music genre developed from the blues and ragtime more than a century ago and now takes many forms – Afro-Cuban, swing, bebop, Latin... and many others. I think that when the average person thinks about jazz, they think of easy, bluesy, swung, smooth sounds – which is not what we got when Jazz arrived in the SingleWide.

Not too sure...    (KN)

She came to us from Kamloops almost a year ago. She’s now nearly 14 and came to her owner as a stray kitten. Like some ferals, she’s never quite reconciled to people – in 13 years she must have bonded with her owner to some extent, but she sure didn’t like anyone else, and when her owner died, the local shelter couldn’t find anyone to take her because of her angry behaviour.

Get out of my space!....  (KN)

The SingleWide only has five cages – and they tend to be used for newcomers (though obviously also for SW cats who need medical isolation). Jazz was introduced to the cage nearest the courtyard window, and frequently saw people passing on the way to the office. In company with many other newcomers, she had a big No Entry sign on her cage, indicating med-staff attention only, and when that was removed, a warning was added for volunteers. Jazz did not approve of visitors, and litter-box  scoopers had to do so with care for smacks from above. 

A ladylike pose  (KN)

The problem is that she’s so pretty – the instinct is to reach out and pet her – and her instinct is to swat the hand away. Jazz is not a cower-in-the-corner cat; she’s quite prepared to tell an intruder to get-the-heck-out of her cage! The Kitty Comforters spent much time (and probably some blood) in convincing her that people were not so bad, and that good things came from human hands. We’ve learned that she doesn’t like to be picked up, but that she will occasionally initiate affection. Valerie tells me that if you bend down to let her lick your hair, she will allow petting!

Cooperating with a little dress-up  (KN)

Once her cage was opened, she remained on her shelf, ready to defend her space. Other cats were no more welcome than humans. But when her dinner was no longer delivered on its own saucer, she had to brave the threshold to get to the large plate a yard away. Gradually she ventured further and further.

Because there are only five cages, we couldn’t allow her to monopolize one of them. When black Shadow needed medical monitoring, Jazz had to find herself another space to settle and defend if necessary. She now roams the SingleWide pretty comfortably. She has become one of the cats that volunteers need to watch for at the door – she’s sure that there’s something good on the other side and hovers, hopeful for a chance to make a jail-break.

Can I come out?...   (KN)

She’s not remotely ready to join the cuddle pile on the chair – with human or without. But she’s comfortable enough to sniff a finger and occasionally allow a brief pet – and she has her human favourites. Monday volunteer Kim calls her Jazzagal (a “Schitt’s Creek” reference to her vocalizing), and Jazz will follow her around asking for attention.

You may admire - but not touch   (MW)

As long as we move slowly, and remember that there’s a scared little kitten inside the old lady, Jazz does just fine at the Sanctuary. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright