Just my Bill

Bill  (KN)

Back in the new year, a fill-in shift in New Aids gave me the chance to meet a new resident.  He was in his last few days of lockdown, and was more than ready to be released to face the world. Scooping his box and offering food became an exercise in fending off his enthusiasm for a visitor, and stalling his plans to exit the cage.  He was immediately on my list for blogging about, but I was asked to hold off until he’d had his glory moment on our “Pets and Pickers” TV series.

From the junkyard to the cushy life....  (KN)

Bill was a junkyard cat. 

Dillon, in the Val Jones area, may well have been sired by Bill and there are two junkyard cats in the Single-Wide, though they come from a different site. Bill came in loud and scary, but some TLC and medical attention didn’t take long to have him changing his mind.  Now he clearly likes people, and subsequent visits, once he was out of his cage, confirmed that he is very much in favour of human attention. Karen tells me that he is an expert supervisor and follows the morning cleaner around, making sure that everything is done up to standard, and begging for attention.

Can I sit on your lap while you scoop?  (KN)

Collins Dictionary defines a junkyard dog as being a “mean and combative person willing to use any means necessary in defense of something”. We all know that most cats take pride in not being dogs, so a junkyard cat – Bill’s variety at least – is anything but mean and combative, with humans at least.  Sadly, he’s not so loving with other cats, and is occasionally put in time-out to cool down. 

Bill  (KC)

When I met him, immediately I had the song from “Showboat” in my head. If you don’t know the Kern and Hammerstein classic musical, the song comes towards the end, and is a showpiece the heroine sings as an audition. The Bill she sings about is nothing special:

  his form and face, his manly grace|
  are not the kind that you would find on a statue....

I don’t know if our Bill was named for this Bill – but it’s the perfect name, in context. He’s a rough-coated boy, with the characteristic big head of a late-neutered aging tomcat, and balding patches over his eyes. His black fur is liberally flecked with white hairs for the salt-and-pepper ageing look. He’s a chonk, without the elegant springiness of roomie Obelix.  

Any more of that tasty stuff?...  (KN)

His human equivalent 

  ...can’t play golf or tennis or polo
  or sing a solo, or row;
  he isn’t half as handsome as dozens of guys that I know...

Bill gets laptime  (MD)

But this Bill is a (mostly) sweet boy who loves attention, and will happily accept any amount of petting. If you’re volunteering on a Wednesday evening, you’ll likely hear volunteer Justin crooning to Bentley and Roe, two of his many favourites – and he has a whole repertoire of songs to use.

I sing to select cats as well – and there can only be one song for this boy...

  I can’t explain – it’s surely not his brain 
  that makes me thrill.
  I love him because he’s ... I don’t know...
  because he’s just my Bill. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Katy Cobb, Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson 

Sam-I-Am

Sam  (BC)

Meet Sam...

Sam’s only been with us a short while, but much personality has emerged!  His elderly owners had to move to senior care, and were able to take him with them, but when first one and then the other began to be unwell and unable to care for him, the family arranged to have him come to RAPS. 

Slightly suspicious  (BC)

In the Adoption Centre, Sam was not a happy camper.  For a cat who had obviously been the centre of the household, with free rein to get to into anything he wanted, it was a shock.  Other cats?  Horrors!  A cage?  How dare they!  Sam was alternately closed down, and very angry. It doesn’t help that he’s not a small cat, and the Adoption Centre cages must have felt a bit claustrophobic.  The staff decided to move him across to the Sanctuary, where the cages are much larger, and though there are more cats, there is also more space.

Worth showing the belly?   (KN)

After a short stay in a Sanctuary cage, we were able to release Sam into the Front Courtyard – usually one of the delays in releasing a cat is in order to make sure that they are fully vaccinated, and since we had Sam’s records, that wasn’t an issue.  We left him with his collar on as a signal to weekend visitors that he’s a bit temperamental, though we’re already seeing that he is calmer than when he came in.

LBF

Orange tabbies usually have golden or green eyes – it’s unusual to have a blue-eyed-boy with that colouring. His ears are often flat, but that’s more suspicion of other cats than anything – when he’s relaxed and happy they perk right up.  He likes human attention in a limited way;  we need to watch him around visitors because he tends to roll over and show his belly – and, as with many cats, it’s a trap! But he’s also discovered that when he’s had enough, he can go and chill out in the Hill House, which is off-limits to visitors.

Happiness is a head-rub   (LBF)

Sam is not an unadoptable cat, like so many of the other Sanctuary residents. But we won’t let him go to just anybody – he needs to be a one-and-only cat, he needs a cat-savvy adopter who will read his body language and react accordingly, and he needs someone that he can love.

We won’t offer you green eggs and ham, sweet boy, but much love until it’s time for you to move on to your own home. For the pleasure of your company, thank you, thank you, Sam-I-am!

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Love Attack

The warning collar says that new girl Peaches
needs to be approached with caution  (KN)

What are the primary words that come up when you think of cats?  My bet is that they would include “cuddly”, “soft”, “purring”, “stroke” and many more like that.  They’re certainly in the minds of our Sunday visitors, who are sometimes disappointed to be told that they can’t pet all the cats! Since the return of our weekend visiting hours, we’ve needed to be able to have guests identify some of the cats that are particularly reactive, offering slaps and swats instead of (sometimes as well as) purrs - and most of those cats are now sporting collars as a visual warning.

JJ wears a warning collar
- but Kasha needs no warning!  (LBF)

But sometimes it’s not so much about the petting itself, as about the relationship of pet-ee and petter! JJ stands out with her handsome blue collar, and all the volunteers know that we need to move carefully around her.  But when Kasha is anywhere close, JJ is a different and totally cuddly cat; her only frustration is that she wants Kasha to sit and pet her all the time!  She has now begun to snuggle with other volunteers if Kasha’s not available, and most of us have learned to let JJ pet the human, and not vice versa!

Cole "come pet me" look - MW

Cole was an angry, reactive boy when he first came to us; our black panther has changed a lot since then. Mostly he hangs out in the DoubleWide laundry room, but occasionally he is very emotionally needy, and begs for attention. He can often be found at the gate – not to go gate-busting, as he used to, but to welcome whoever comes through, and demand a cuddle. Like a small child, saying “Up! Up!”, he stretches up, wanting to be lifted; he’s one of those cats who likes being held upright, and butts his head under your chin. Sadly, he’s a big boy, and there’s only so much cuddling you can do; he wants to be walked around, and when you sit, he’s off to find someone else to pay attention to him.

Tugboat loves his cuddles with Debbie  (DW)

More vocal in his demands, Tugboat is another who is insistent on having a cuddle when he needs it. Our old boy is getting arthritic and unsteady; he shuttles between the Double-Wide couch, (where he snuggles with Plum), and his favourite basket in the Tea-Room.  When he wants attention, his creaky voice can’t be ignored, and he’s feather-light in your arms. There are lots of people who will give Tuggy any amount of cuddle time.

Wylee having a very important
discussion with Louise (BC)

Sweet Wylee is not often seen during visiting hours – he hides in the Newcomers area, which is a cats-only zone, and if he is seen, he is often confused with Gizmo. But in the evening, when the med-staff are doing their rounds, he will sometimes emerge; if there’s a tea-break he will check who’s attending, and if it’s Louise, he will leap on her lap, scoot up to her shoulder, and bury his head in her neck, begging for petting. Molly will do, at a pinch; I’ve occasionally been favoured; but Louise is definitely his Perfect Person, and Cuddler #1.

Roe is blissed-out
when she's in Justin's lap  (JS)

Roe is usually one of the cats who waits at the front courtyard main gate; she likes visitors and the attention and petting she can get while she’s around them. But certain people are her priority. If Justin arrives, she is anxious for all his focus; she is quick to monopolize his lap and to squirm around being cute, and receiving the caresses she wants. If she knows he’s around but not with her, she sulks, waiting for him to come back to her.

Sometimes shy, sometimes cuddly  (KN)

Last week I was doing a back-pen shift and got ambushed by Odin outside Pen 1. He was very insistent that I sit with him and give cuddles – something he doesn’t always do. Odin tends to be a loner; he doesn’t hate other cats, but he’s not part of a social crowd. He’s also wary with humans, but Alice has spent a lot of time with him, and his comfort with her has transferred to other people. He suffers, to a certain extent, from black-cat-itis – when people can’t immediately ID a black cat, it’s easy to overlook them altogether.  Odin is worth hunting for!

Marty & Merrin love snuggles  (JS)

When Justin can’t be found petting Roe in the front courtyard, he can often be found smothered by cats in the Single-Wide. Most of the love-attack cats in the Sanctuary want to be the ONLY cat – and when another cat appears on the scene, they move. The Cuddle Crew in the Single-Wide love being together;  piling on to a chair together is bested only by piling on top of a human on their chair. If they’re athletic, they jump up; if they’re not, there are steps, and ways of edging into the pile. If they are late-comers (yes, I mean you, Bossanova!) they approach from above and sneak down over the shoulder. They actually prefer being crowded on the chair to using the couch on the deck – but there they also have to give space to NikkiSixToes, Shaggy and sometimes big black Kiefer.

Cuddles is zoned-out...   (KN)

It's perhaps unfortunate that the cat called Cuddles is another of the collared ones, who is approachable only when blissed-out on catnip!

Wherever you go in the Sanctuary, there are always ferals who will hold back, reactive cats who will go “purr-purr-purr-SLAP!” and the beloved ones who come to us looking for love.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Justin Saint, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Fabian

Fabian, hiding in the gardens  (KN)

Shy Fabian came to us last year. Many of our cats come through other shelters, but this boy was a feral who we helped to trap after he was found marking someone's front porch. He was terrified when he came in - so much so that the med-staff couldn't easily do an assessment, and it had to wait till the hospital had time for him, and it could be done under sedation. He was an intact male with many small wounds, presumably from fighting; he was lucky not to have FIV or FeLV. The hospital cleaned him up, neutered him (which helped with some of the aggression), treated his injuries and de-flea'd him before he came back to us.

KN

In common with most of our new cats, he had a period in a cage, offering the Kitty Comforters a chance to see if he could be socialised. He remained scared, was not to be tempted by food or petting, and on release from his cage, he joined the other timid cats on the back deck of the Double-Wide trailer.  There he was able to find the inaccessible (to humans) perches high up on the walls, and stare down on us with a carefully blank “I am not interested in anything you can offer” expression on his face.

Watching from above  (BC)

For years the cats on the deck had accessed the great outdoors by going through the main building and the laundry room – for many of them that was a scary prospect, only to be executed when minimal humans were around. Last summer handyman Ken installed a cat door in the emergency exit on the deck – and many of the residents took the opportunity for The Great Escape.

The DW deck heatseekers  (KN)

For many of them that amounted to lolling around in the sun close to the exit. A few, like Hickory, ventured further a bit too quickly and then panicked when they couldn’t immediately find their way home; he now happily ventures all over the place. But because cats tend to be territorial, they almost all continued to return to the DW Deck in the evenings for dinner and together-time.

Fabian snoozing  (KN)

Not Fabian...

Fabian ventured out with the others, but he recovered his sense of self as a feral cat who lived outdoors, and he decided that the deck was no longer home. He took up residence with the McLeod cats at the back of Pen 1, and they seemed to accept him easily enough.  

And he discovered Mercury.

Mercury was the shyest of that colony, and he welcomed Fabian as a fellow scaredy-cat. The two of them generally share quarters in one of the straw-filled dog-houses at the back, and can sometimes be seen enjoying the sun and their solitude.

Good to cuddle with a buddy on a cold day  (LBF)

Interestingly, Mercury has started to show his courage, and comes to hover on the edge of the chicken-treat crowd. He hears when I call and saunters towards the others as if it really doesn’t matter – but he’s quick to pounce when a treat comes his way, and sometimes he stands his ground when approached, and accepts the treat by hand.  Fabian has not joined his buddy. I came face to face with Fabian while scooping a box at the back of Pen 1 last week; he froze while I worked, and I tried not to make eye contact, but as soon as he felt I was a little too close for his comfort, he was up and out of there. Convincing this feral boy that we only wish him well will take much time and patience!

Hiding away  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Update: Very sad to report that less than a month after this blog, we lost Fabian to cancer. One of the problems with feral cats is that they hide their discomfort, and by the time it was discovered, it was too late.  Rest well, Fabian 😿

The Old Boys Club

Moxie  (MW)

More than a year ago I blogged about the Boys’ Club that much of the Back Courtyard has become – the little “families” of male cats that constitute their own small colonies, and how they interact. There are a number of females to be found there as well, but many of the latter seem to prefer the solo life. However there is one group in particular that I specially love. Strictly speaking, they’re a “Newcomers” group (not because they’re new, but because that’s what we call the area between the SingleWide trailer and the courtyard). Now that we’re finally getting warm days, they’re deciding that being out in the sun is a much nicer place to be.

Woody enjoying the warmth  (BC)

Woody was an adult when he came to us in 2006, so we estimate he’s around 17 years old – perhaps more. He is one of those ferals who doesn’t hide in terror, but just prefers to stay out of the way; he’s pretty sociable with other cats, and now tolerates humans – especially the med-staff, who bring him his medications in tasty food disguises.  He used to spend all his time in the Newcomers, but we now see him appearing in the courtyard on a regular basis.

Best buds - Moxie & Pumpkin  (KN)

Moxie is the last of his family; his brother Willi and sister Samantha have both passed. He's been at the Sanctuary since 2009; we think he’s more than 17 years old. I remember him as a dapper tuxedo gentleman, bonded with a little tortie called Vienna; in his senior years he’s looking a little more scruffy, and he prefers the company of his own gender, though he is tolerant of Alexandria’s tendency to do yoga inches from his nose.

Moxie is reluctantly willing to share space...   (KN)

Dark orange Albi was named for the sociable husband of a former staff member – but feline Albi was anything BUT social.  He arrived in the Sanctuary in 2012, and we think he’s now around 14 or so. At first he was a very shy boy, preferring to hide away, though allowing occasional petting - we think he was likely a stray rather than a feral.  In the last few years he has begun coming to us, looking for contact – he is one of those submissive cats who almost immediately rolls on his back, trusting his vulnerability to our hands. 

Sweet Albi - ripened to perfection  (MW)

All three senior gentlemen have slowed down considerably; they like a quiet pace of life, with occasional treats and petting, and a lot of sleep, cat-style. They are often chivvied out of it by the younger and more energetic Pumpkin.

Pumpkin  (KN)

Pumpkin came to us as a youngster in 2015, so he might be 8 or 9 years old. He was found near the 5 Road Shelter;  we don't know if he was dumped off or made his way there. At the Shelter he was very resistant to human contact initially, and brought to the Sanctuary as a feral, but work with the Kitty Comforters, and some serious food motivation have changed his outlook on life. Pumpkin is one of those cats who hears the chicken bag before it ever comes out of my pocket, and he is focused and athletic in intercepting treats intended for other cats. I love the Pumpkin blog that Kitty Comforter Moira wrote about him the year after his arrival.

Woody & Moxie, watched by Pumpkin  (KN)

Pumpkin adores the three older cats, and can often be found bunting and rubbing and tail-weaving with them – in fact, he is so enthusiastic about it that his strength sometime pushes them off balance. He can also be found sharing sleeping space with them in the Newcomers area, and I suspect his energy helps to keep them going. When the old guys appear in the courtyard, Pumpkin will not be far away, and we all love to see the affection among them.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

August 24: 2022 - it's been a hot summer, and the heat is hard on old tired bodies.  Woody and Albi passed the same day in July, and though Moxie appeared fine, he was missing his old buddies. What looked like an ear infection turned out to be a mass, and he followed them over the Bridge last week.

Pumpkin has moved his social activities to include Sylar and Quinn - the Boys Club is still in action!