It's a Cat's Life

Simon   (HM)

In the middle of a somewhat stressful week for me, personally, I am grateful for the presence of cats in my life - particularly my own boy - and for the reminder of their calm ability to take themselves off for a snooze at any opportunity.

My own Scout - former RAPS cat   (BC)

There is no better easer for blood-pressure than a quiet snuggle with a purring friend

former feral SweetPea loves to be cuddled  (LBF)

And with the warmer days, cats who have stayed indoors are increasingly venturing out in search of the sunshine.

Heatseekers -
Guthrie, Emilio, Damara, Bodhi, Mitzi, Hickory (KN)

Some of them like to sleep solo...

Rollins   (KN)

others would rather doze in tandem....

Baby & William  (LBF)

or with a crowd.

Pen 6 group-snooze  (LBF)

Some prefer to curl up in a container...

Ariel  (KN)

others will sprawl out to gather or dissipate all the heat.

Jasper shows all   (KN)

Carly Simon  (DW)

Some achieve darkness with a face-plant

Christina Aguilera  (GA)

others prefer to feel the warmth on their faces

Sweet old sun-worshipper Tara  (BC)

Every day is a holiday for our Sanctuary cats - a day to do lots of nothing, or to sleep, or to play - alone or in company, as they choose.

When we say "it's a dog's life", the implication is one of sadness or difficulty - though as we all know, many dogs have lives that are anything but sad!  It's a pity that there's no such common phrase as "it's a cat's life" - meaning a life of comfort and ease.  We could all do with that sort of life!

(minimal) Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Graham Akira, Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult,

Henrie Morgan, Karen Nicholson, Debbie Wolanski

Hunter

Hunter  (KN)

 For many years, people entering the Sanctuary were greeted by a charming long-haired tabby boy, who would bustle over to inspect, claim a lap if one was offered, and gobble any treats.  We lost our Jake about five years ago, but I still have a sense of deja vu when I am met at the gate by Hunter.

Jake - loved and missed  (MW)

Hunter came to us last spring, having been surrendered to RAPS Adoption Centre in March by his owner, due to his extreme aggression towards her. She’d had Hunter since he was a kitten and he was always quite mouthy, however it escalated to the point where he would attack her multiple times throughout the day. Time in the Adoption Centre didn’t work for him;  many cats are stressed by being caged and by close proximity to other cats, and Hunter was transferred to Sanctuary in the summer. 

At least, the Sanctuary cage is roomy - 
but I still don't like it!    (BC)

Once released into the front courtyard, he settled pretty easily. Cats who don’t fare well at the Adoption Centre often do much better with a sense of freedom, and with the ability to find space apart from other cats. Hunter is not shy about interaction with cats; with humans he’s a little more erratic.

Sweet, when he chooses...   (BC)

He’s still quite young and has aspects of less-desirable “teen” behaviour, but our staff think that in fact he is adoptable and trainable – insofar as one is ever able to “train” a cat. We have seen that former (and now part-time) brat Jasper is ready to be challenged by learning little tricks, and keeping his brain busy makes him less brattish. We’ll have to see if that will work with Hunter. 

Some bribes are appreciated (LBF)

Unfortunately, whenever the staff find a potential adopter for him, Hunter decides that he wants nothing to do with people, and goes off to hide somewhere.  He likes who he likes, on his own terms, he’s not interested in an “arranged marriage” and his person will need to be pretty cat-savvy!

Picasso & Hunter  (GA)

Hunter gets on best with his buddy Picasso, and the two of them can often be found in the lobby outside the SingleWide, or chasing and tumbling with each other in the courtyard. He will occasionally play with a wand toy, but seems to like solo play and cat play more than interaction with humans, though he has his favourites. Assistant Manager Valerie can hold and cuddle him like a baby, but he won’t allow that privilege to everyone. 

Cuddles with his favourite person   (VW)

He’s not interested in my bribes, and gives me that slitty-eyed disdainful look that cats can do so effectively, before he turns his back on me and shoots up his leg to wash.  He’s on the “potentially adoptable” list, and can be found sporting a very dashing bandana at weekends when visitors are around – though he’s more likely to tuck himself and his bandana away until the visitors are gone, and dinner is served by the evening volunteers.

Hunter - dressed to appeal  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Graham Akira, Lisa Brill-Friesen, 

Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Valerie Wilson & Michele Wright

Lynx-point Lovelies

Curious & SweetPea  (LBF)

 A new clowder of cats came to us from the Kootenays last year, and were introduced to the blog in November.  This spring, the gate to Pen 8 was opened, and many of them emerged quite confidently.  One or two shy ones prefer to remain in known territory, but the others have made themselves at home in the back courtyard, and are frequently found exploring towards the eastern side of the Sanctuary.

Big Daddy (Percival) and SweetPea  (LBF)

The majority of the cats have the characteristic sealpoint colouring of the Himalayan breed, though there are no doubt other strains in their genetics. Blond Percival Snugglebut is also known as Big Daddy, and was likely responsible for some of the kittens who have now been adopted.  The two pregnant mamas who arrived were the two little lynx-point girls – very similar in appearance.  SweetPea is the more confident of the two and her eyes are blue, while Curious’s eyes are more yellow. 

Curious, aka "Furious"  (KN)

What would RAPS do without volunteer fosterer Kati? So many cats and kittens have passed through her loving care, and many would probably not have survived without her expertise. Whether the mama is feral or tame, Kati gives them a safe place for birthing and assists with extra feeding when needed. She has probably shed much blood in the process; feral mamas can get pretty annoyed when babies need to be removed for weighing and checking.  The kittens are always the priority for Kati; she is an important part of the socialization process before they go to the Adoption Centre.

SweetPea (LBF)

SweetPea and her five kittens arrived first, at the beginning of July but all the family were small and dehydrated - SweetPea ended up going back to the RAPS hospital for emergency surgery, while Kati bottle-fed the babies until they were weaned, and could finally go to the Adoption Centre. Curious had her kittens in Kati's care, and similarly, they struggled; only three of the five survived. Neither of our lynx-point girls was very keen about this fostering period, but of the two, SweetPea became the most reconciled to some degree of handling. Curious, Kati says, was “a horror show!”, being a very scared and feral girl.  I assume that more of Kati's blood was shed! When the kittens graduated to the Adoption Centre in September (SweetPea's litter was the "I" litter, and Curious had the "J" litter) the two young mamas were brought to the Sanctuary and obviously derived much comfort from being around their friends again.

(Seriously) Curious, and SweetPea  (LBF)

Fast forward to these late spring days, and both SweetPea and Curious are out and about, exploring, getting to know other cats, and finding that humans are, after all, not so bad as all that.  Curious remains reticent – she’s not aggressive, but she’d rather not be touched just now, thank you very much. SweetPea, on the other hand, is obviously remembering Kati’s care, and allowing other people to get close to her; she allows herself to be petted, to enjoy some lap-time, and with staff member Lisa, some real cuddles.

Sleepytime for SweetPea - LBF

The Kootenay cats are, like the Kamloops ones in Pen 6, a very cat-social bunch. For people who look at cats as being solitary and independent, watching the bonds among these clowders is heartwarming.  Yes, we have a number of cats at the Sanctuary who don’t like other felines – and quite often that dislike is a reason for them being here. But for this little family, it’s unlikely that we would ever split them up, and if that were ever to happen, potential adoptees would need to be adopted with one of the other family members to give them comfort.

Happy snuggles - Percival, Owen, Basil & SweetPea  (LBF)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen and Karen Nicholson

Darcy - Dazzle's Demon Daughter!

Darcy the door guard  (KN)

Dazzle is a tubby little tortie, full of tortietude, but increasingly fond of human attention.  When she first came to us, some eight years ago, she needed warning flags – she was a feral who stayed out of reach, and if you were within reach, you probably had scars to show for it.  As she has become more accustomed to her surroundings, she has given up on seeing us as the Enemy, and now comes for petting and attention. She’s not a lap-cat and she’d rather have all four feet safely on the floor – but she’s now a Double-Wide favourite.

Mama Dazzle is much sweeter than she looks!  (KN)

About a year ago another cat came into our care. This was a much larger black girl, surrendered for aggression. It turned out that this was one of three kittens that had originally been captured in 2015 and handed over to Kati, our foster-Mom extraordinaire. A day or two later, Dazzle arrived from the same site. Initially she cared for the kittens, and then she turned on them and Kati had to remove them and bottle-feed them.  We think that this girl, Darcy, is one of Dazzle’s – though whether she repudiated them because she wasn’t their mother, or because she was just stressed from all she’d gone through, we don’t know.

Darcy gives visitors the evil eye  (KN)

Darcy was adopted, as were her siblings, and lived happily with her owner for seven years. And then suddenly, literally overnight, he said that she turned psychotic – there was no clue as to why, but she became very aggressive, and much more than he could handle. In fact, our staff had to go to his home in order to capture her – she needed a professional capture.  With us, she was caged for awhile, as is normal for a new cat. Very soon a warning sign went up on her cage, alerting staff and volunteers that this was not a happy girl, and that she was not shy about letting you know it. I think there was more than one volunteer who quietly did all their shift except Darcy’s cage, asking the med staff to do that one.

Watching the cat-slave scooping....   (BC)

We had no idea what had provoked Darcy’s change; nothing showed on all her med tests, and the vets could find nothing wrong.  Even when we opened her cage, Darcy huddled in there, growling, daring us to enter her territory. She objected to anyone on her turf – human or feline – and her turf included not only her cage, but the passageway outside it.  Life was complicated by having several other black cats around – sweet Denzel occasionally strayed in from the deck, feisty Jade preferred the laundry-room but sometimes explored – it was necessary to watch your feet and ankles at all times.

Darcy loves feet -
sometimes to rub, sometimes to bite!  (BC)

With weekend visitors around, Darcy has joined the roster of cats wearing collars, denoting a reactive cat - and hoping to warn unsuspecting visitors that not all cats welcome touch. Darcy has mellowed somewhat in recent months. She has discovered the joys of making up to the med-staff, and that she can occasionally getting tasty treats, not always accessible to healthy cats. She also discovered that Louise is a soft touch, and will sometimes let her into the med-cage – generally forbidden turf to cats. 

Guarding the med cage entrance  (BC)

To quote volunteer Daphne: “The sanctuary cats definitely have a more prompt medical system than we do. We have to make an appointment, get referred somewhere, and wait forever to be seen.   Darcy feels that making an appointment isn’t necessary and waiting is not her style. Her display of “see me now because I’m dying” behaviour outside the Med Office is seriously Hollywood.”

"I need rescue!"  (DJ)

We still don’t know what was the cause of the psychotic episode that brought her to us. She’s calmed down a lot, and now allows herself to be picked up (though the picking-up is usually to put her down outside the door). She and mama Dazzle don’t seem to recognize or acknowledge each other.  Darcy is the cat who walks by herself – though she’s happiest when that walking takes her to Louise.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Daphne Jorgenson, Karen Nicholson

Dango & Merran join the Val Jones pen

Dango sunbathing   (KN)

When the Val Jones cabins were put in place, as a result of a bequest, they were originally intended just to be cat-residences like the Hill House and the Connor. Many cats (and we did have MANY cats at that stage) wandered in and out freely, some basing there, others just visiting.  It also became a favourite quiet corner for humans to sit and visit with feline friends – a little sanctuary within the Sanctuary.

Merran   (KN)

The composition of our cat family changes from time to time. As people have learned more about Feline Leukemia (FeLV) they are less quick to “euthanize” cats who carry the virus, and our feline leukemia population increased.  Most of those cats were living in the adjacent area, in what we then called Old Aids, and it was decided that we needed to increase the space available to them. So a double-gate structure was built across the entry to the corner, the area was sanitized to the satisfaction of the med staff, and some of the leukemia cats moved in. 

Creston and Neko, in Leukemia area  (MP)

Feline Leukemia continues to need special care for cats who carry the virus;  they are watched carefully for anything that might challenge their immune systems.  But we often see that the virus appears to go dormant, and there have been several of the younger cats there that have been adopted out to people who understand what’s needed, and there are others – like Adria or Creston – that we would consider adopting out to the right homes. 

The Val Jones has been home to many cats  (BC)

Over time, the composition changed again; we had fewer FeLV cats, but were receiving more FIV (Feline AIDS) residents.  FIV is a very different proposition from FeLV. Many of our AIDS cats will live fairly long lives in our care. We have to be careful about cleanliness, of course, but the virus is less aggressive to the immune system than FeLV. We also extended the internal Leukemia courtyard to give them more space, and once again the Val Jones was aggressively sanitized, and the pressure on the population of the New Aids colony was reduced by relocating some of them.  It was decided that the cats moved to this new area would be the more social and friendly ones; with weekend visitors, we wanted them to have access to this sweet bunch.  

Friendly Jim makes Merran welcome  (LBF)

More than ever, the Val Jones area has become a favourite retreat – cuddle-time with Magnus, Jerry, Jim and the others, is precious time. Cat-people now know that a cat with FIV is often perfectly adoptable. FIV is transmitted only through blood, and if you have well-socialized cats, and no fighting, it is quite possible to have both FIV-positive and negative cats living together (unlike FeLV cats, where the virus is transmitted in saliva and is therefore much more communicable). So some of these sweet cats have found new homes.

Dango making himself comfortable  (BC)

And now, VJ has a new function. We discovered that big Dango from New Aids had renal problems – there was blood in his pee, and he was diagnosed with crystals – this is a problem particularly for male cats, for whom the urethra is smaller than in females, and who are more susceptible to the condition. This is quite separate from the more common kidney failure which many cats can live with for some time. But the only way to deal with renal crystals is to control it with diet – and that’s really hard for a cat living as part of a colony – we didn’t want to keep Dango caged indefinitely.  

formerly SW Merran encounters New Aids Dango  (LBF)

But a similar problem emerged for tabby Merran, from the Single-Wide, and it was decided that we would transform VJ into a renal pen, taking advantage of the fact that most of these good-natured cats would tolerate a newcomer. Urinary diets have restricted amounts of minerals which can contribute to urinary crystal and stone formation. Weekend visitors are just asked not to bring treats in with them - and to substitute petting and grooming for food.

Dango  (GA)

So now everyone in the VJ is on a special diet which will sustain them all, as well as protecting both Dango and Merran from further problems, and the two of them seem to be doing well in a new space. Dango is pretty laid-back about the whole thing; 

with catnip, everything's better   (MD)

FIV-negative Merran is gradually being assimilated into the FIV+ population, and appears to be very happy – it’s certainly an improvement for him on being so restricted in the SingleWide. He’s probably remembering his early days as an outdoor feral, and enjoying the combination of freedom and attention from both humans and other cats. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Graham Akira, Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, 

Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Michele Power