Tucker

Tucker  (KN)

The RAPS Cat Sanctuary is so-named because we are a place of safety for many cats who have no other options. There are shelters and rescues around the province who do wonderful work, but who are unable to offer long-term options for ferals, for leukemia cats, for the incontinent or aggressive. Tucker is one such cat.

Tucker in time-out  (BC)

Tucker came to us last year, and has spent much of his time in a large cage next to the med-staff area. Because of aggression, he was transferred from Broken Promises Rescue in Victoria, who tell us that he was trapped as a feral kitten with his mother and the rest of his litter. We understand that he suffered a neurological injury that may have resulted in a personality change as well as a physical handicap. The rescue works through fostering, and Tucker didn’t do well, being picked on by his mother and another cat in the home. It doesn’t take much to startle him and he easily becomes overstimulated. Loud noises scare him, and make him jumpy. And when he’s scared or reactive, he swipes out and his swipes are forceful. 

"Smack!"  (BC)

When you watch Tucker get around, it’s easy to see that he’s not quite in control of his body.  Like our sweet Honey Bear (now gone) his movements are a little jerky and without the usual elegance of a cat. There’s a slightly unfocused look to his eyes, as if he can see something we can’t;  that may actually be a vision issue, because he had eye problems that needed treatment for a while, but I’m inclined to think it ties more to his neurological issues.

Helping Molly in the morning  (MS)

Med-staff Molly says “He's getting better with the other cats, and knows to steer clear of the more assertive personalities, but he will attack the older, sweeter ones like Tuggy and Dazzle. I think it's that he can tell they're easy targets. I'm hopeful that he'll learn not to, but everything takes him twice as long to figure out. He's an incredibly sweet boy, who loves to be held and sit on laps. Just do it with an ounce of caution, as he gets nasty when other cats are around, or when he gets set down he may lash out. I have a soft spot for him, but he's not the most popular with everyone else”.

Jasper having a face-off with Tucker  (BC)

Tucker’s foster in Victoria also has a soft spot for him, but recognized that he was not a cat for anyone but a really cat-savvy person. When we have visitors at the weekend, Tucker is caged so that he doesn’t get over-stimulated. Once visitors have gone, he emerges and wanders, exploring with no sense of other cats’ territory. Med staff are used to keeping an eye on him, and watching to see when things have become a bit too much and he needs to be back in his peaceful place. Even feisty Jasper can become a target at such times, and it’s always better to intervene before an actual cat-fight takes place.

Tucker sleeping - MS

We have a limited number of cages for med-care and new cats, and don’t usually allow any cage-space to be claimed, though there are always exceptions – many long-term volunteers will fondly remember little tuxedo Aurora, who spent most of her life with us, refusing to leave her cage. And big blond Oscar (now adopted) would sulk and refuse to eat when shut out of his favourite space. Tucker’s cage is a safe refuge for him, and it’s large enough that it can have its own cat-tree, to make his (occasionally unsteady) climbing a bit safer. Molly says that part of his self-soothing seems to be lying is a slightly twisted posture with his head thrown back – it doesn’t look comfortable, but he does it often enough that it obviously does give him comfort.

Quiet time in his cage  (BC)

We don’t know Tucker’s future – if adopted, it would have to be to someone very cat-savvy, who was prepared to have him be an only cat. There may be other medical issues; for now, at least, he is best in our care, with access to the knowledge of the vets at the RAPS Hospital, and with staff and volunteers who love him.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson & Molly Sjerdal

Ferals in Four

Lloyd  (LBF)

Most of our back pens are open; when groups of cats come in we may restrict them to a single pen for awhile, but it tends to be a temporary thing so that they can become accustomed to their new lives at the Sanctuary.  One pen, though, is always closed. Pen 4 is the biggest one at the back and is the home to some of our most feral and scared cats. While we have a lot of ferals roaming freely, the Pen 4 cats are ones we feel will benefit most from a quiet life with minimal human interruption. 

Sierra   (KN)

That’s not to say that they have no contact with humans. But when you open the gate and they look at you in horror, or you enter the cabin to a panicked scurry of cats exiting, it’s a pretty clear indication that the intrusion should be kept short! So they get a brief visit from someone doing the morning cleanup, and one in the evening when the boxes are scooped again and dinner is delivered. The med-staff on duty will check on them, and occasionally one of the Kitty Comforters will visit.

Sierra & Lloyd  (LBF)

Cats like Len and Lloyd will benefit most from those visits.  The Kitty Comforters will take whatever time it needs to allow cats to relax and know that they’re safe; they are quiet and patient and they carry food with them!  And treats are essential. Many of these cats don’t know how to play, so toys are no good. But food – especially lickables...  Mmm...

Len & Lloyd  (LBF)

Len and Lloyd came to us a year ago from a rescue in Kamloops – we have tight ties with Sammy’s Forgotten Felines, thanks to Assistant Manager Valerie – and we have a few others cats from the same place. If you have a feral colony, it needs to be managed carefully – cats regularly checked and TNR’d (trap/neuter/release). If for any reason the cats cannot be monitored (perhaps a land-owner who doesn’t allow access), it may be better not to do the release – but then, of course, you have to find somewhere to keep cats that don’t want anything to do with humans. This is where the Sanctuary comes in – we are a resource for the rescues that cannot home unadoptable ferals.  

Ranger enjoying a little "out" time   (MW)

We thought they were around 5 years old when they arrived, and it was very obvious that these two would not be joining the big cat-party in the courtyard; though we caged them together for comfort, they spent all their time hiding, and resisted socialization. Pen 4 was the place for them, where they could be with other ferals, and have a variety of beds and houses in which to hide out. They share the space with chonky Ranger, who had come in as a feral flown down to us from Masset. Ranger is a poster-boy for feral socialization, having progressed from suspicious glaring, to allowing pets and accepting treats – so much so that he now has in-out privileges: he will wait at the gate in the morning to be released, explore around for 20-30 minutes, and then wait by the gate to be re-admitted! 

Len  (KN)

Lisa Brill-Friesen has made a serious project of the Pen 4 cats. It began when we moved the Merritt cats (Michonne & Garth, both now passed, and tuxedo Desmond) from Pen 3 – Lisa has infinite patience with these ferals, and for the others that joined them, especially little Sierra, who snuggled with Garth. Regular visits, quiet conversation and bribery have gone a long way, and Sierra now allows herself to be touched by Lisa (though by nobody else). Len and Lloyd are not ready for that yet, but they are interested, and they watch carefully as Sierra is petted and occasionally groomed a bit. They are starting to remain out in the open – though not too close – when we enter the pen. A short stay in a cage for dental care was a temporary setback, but any fine day brings them out to sit in the sunshine and watch what the braver cats are getting up to – and what they might possibly achieve in the future. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

The Cuddle Crew

Marty, Dodger & Merran   (JS)

A few years ago, it was usual for visitors to the Sanctuary to ask for the Dryer Gang, who hung out in the Single-Wide trailer.  Just inside the door, the lid of the dryer made a well-loved place for the cats to hang out together – usually some combination of Simone, Bantam, Chickadee, Zoe and Little Mama. The warmth coming up from below, and the vibration, combined with its situation just inside the door where everyone who entered offered attention – it was the favourite place to be. (Search “Dryer Gang” in the Neko Blog for more pictures!)

Sitting with a lapful  (JS)

Things have changed in the SingleWide, though. As our cats age, the faces change; all the core Dryer Gang members have now passed, and so has the dryer, which has been replaced by a stacked washer/dryer – too high for comfortable cat access. Instead, the big chair in the middle of the room has been taken over by the cats, and the Cuddle Crew has evolved.  As with the Dryer Gang, this is not a fixed combination, but there is a core group that is usually present.  Most of them are cats that were too shy in earlier years to interact with humans, and now they can’t wait for attention.

Dodger  (LBF)

Dodger is probably the central point of the group – the Simone figure round whom the others gather. She’s always enjoyed human attention, but usually from a shelf or the floor; now she has become a lap-cats, and loves to have petting and belly-rubs.

Dodger, Marty, Merran, Mr Pink  (KN)

Usually Marty is present. He is probably the oldest and most frail – he’s the last of a group of cats that came to us in 2008, and he is under medical care for an eye condition. He’s a climber – either up from the floor or down from the shelves behind the chair and over the shoulder – and loves to have hands on him.

Marty & Merran (JN)

Tabby Merran came to us from the same trapping operation as cow-cats Kirsty and Mya – but he sure doesn’t have the same genetics in terms of colouring!  He took a long while to become comfortable with us, and was an expert in finding all the hiding places available; he’s still a little wary, but he loves snuggles with the other cats and is willing to tolerate human attention.

Dodger & Mr Pink  (JK)

Mr Pink is probably the closest thing we have to a Salty/Mario equivalent in the Single-Wide;  they were the cats in the Back Courtyard that all the other cats loved to love. Pink is also something of a cat-magnet; he gets on with everyone (except perhaps BeeBoo), the shy cats are relaxed around him, and he just loves having visitors.

Bossanova (KN)

I have known Bossanova since he first came in as a very angry feral, and watched his progress as anger became timidity, and then as he gradually became braver. I think those of us who know him back in the early days would have found it hard to imagine that this boy would become a lap-cat – less for snuggles than for the prospect of treats, perhaps, but the end result is another member of the Cuddle Crew.

"Come sit down! You're late for cuddles!"  (JN)

Other cats swing in and out of this group – Presley, Nova, Shaggy, Sarah Paylan, Kirstie and others – and it changes when they move out on the back deck. But the core group can usually be found together. 

Marty, Dodger, Merran  (LBF)

I am fascinated that this sort of consistent gathering has always been a feature of the SingleWide – and it doesn’t really exist in the DoubleWide. There are usually cats in the DW that like being on the couch, and when there was a cat-magnet like Salty, there was competition to be with him. And there are cats on the DW deck who like to snuggle together, but do NOT want human attention.  But the SW Cuddle Crew are a very cooperative bunch, enjoying each other’s company, as well as all the attention they can get from the humans around. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Jennine Kariya, 

Joanne Nicholson, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint

Flash

Flash  (KN)

I am always amused by the cats who have names that don’t really fit their personalities.  Cuddles, in the front courtyard, needs real caution in being touched, and actual cuddling is out of the question.  Back courtyard Little John is anything but little - he's a big bruiser – and occasionally a biter. So the addition of a cat called Flash to the Single-Wide population begged the question – was this going to be a flashy cat?

Lady-like pose  (JN)

The answer is decidedly not – this girl is a really quiet one, with nothing flashy about her personality or appearance.  She’s beautiful, in her own way, but not with the strong colours of Timber or Kiwi;  she’s a dilute tortie with a gentle muted shade. She’s also very quiet in personality; like all our new cats, she had a cage-stay when she came to us, and she preferred to hide and not interact with humans. She wasn’t aggressive or terrified – she just wanted to be left alone.  She had apparently been the victim of a dog attack some years ago, and the aftermath of injuries have left her a little reluctant to be active.

Looking alert   (JR)

It was all too easy to clean her cage, or to feed her, with minimal interaction – but it was worth making time to spend with her, because once she trusted, she enjoyed contact and gentle petting.  Once her cage was opened, it was evident that other cats were not among the things she enjoyed – without being aggressive, she made it clear that her cage was her own space, and she did not want to get out and mingle.

In her sheltered corner  (KN)

Up to a point, we can let cats be where they want to be, but there are a limited number of cages in the Single-Wide, and Flash finally had to be evicted to allow a cat with medical needs to use the cage. With great reluctance, she relocated to the nearby shelves where she could feel sheltered; she was no happier about contact with other cats, but she became more willing to interact with volunteers and staff. In the last couple of months she has relocated yet again to the cage-tops where other cats are less likely to bother her, but where, unfortunately, she can also be missed by humans.

Relocated to cage-top  (BC)

Flash reminds me of a senior lady reluctantly relocated to a care home - she has all the things she needs, but she's not much into community living, and keeps herself to herself.  Her injuries of five years ago, have left her a bit uncomfortable with movement, and she doesn't always reach the bathroom in time. At the age of 14 or so (around 80 in human terms) she's not a great prospect for adoption - especially as we move into kitten season!  But she has obviously known love, and appreciates petting and gentle grooming.  For the most part, we say that our cats are non-adoptable – but there are some for whom that is not only untrue, but actually not the best thing.  This sweet girl needs a home of her own, and a person for whom she is the One Cat; she needs a quiet life and much love – and I would love to think that we can find that for her.

In the meantime, if you have some quiet time in the Single-Wide, climb the small step-ladder and make friends with Flash – you’ll both enjoy the experience! 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Joanne Nicholson, Karen Nicholson, Jill Rabin