Gwen, and Sibs

Gwen (KN)

Gwen, Bagheera, Anya – three little ferals who’ve gone in very different directions...   They came in together from  Broken Promises rescue on Vancouver Island, well past the early socializing stage and very reluctant to have anything to do with us. All three were long-haired, two of them were black, and one a tortie. 

Anya (KN)

Anya is the typical feral – a hissy-spitty, “stay away from me” cat. The med staff decided to place her in Pen 7, the farm-cat pen, since she needed some eye care, and there are a couple of other cats also there for the same reason. Another reason to keep her out in the pens is that she has a Manx tail (or lack thereof) and often disdains the use of a litter box. Her first hideout was in a draped cat tree, and we ended up having to throw it out because as Anya’s toilet, it became something of a biohazard. By penning her, we can keep a more careful eye on her, and watch for problems, like the UTI difficulties some tailless cats suffer from. She doesn’t like humans, and only tolerates short visits from the med staff, who check on her daily.

Bagheera  (BC)

With Bagheera, it looked as if we were going to be faced with another feral cat, but it turned out that the health issues which she had to battle, actually did her a favour, since they confined her to a cage for longer than normal. And cage time means contact with Kitty Comforters, and for Bagheera, THE Kitty Comforter was Mel. Every visit Mel made, she spent time with Bagheera, who grew increasingly confident around her new human friend. Mel and her husband Scott moved to Alberta in the summer, and have taken Bagheera with them, as well as Scooter, who was shy until the Mel-and-Scott magic hit her. We love it when the shy cats blossom with love from their adopters.

Gwen (BC)

The third cat was tortie Gwen. Tortoiseshells tend either to be very sweet – cats like Blaze and Chelsea – or full of tortietude. And a feral tortie of the latter variety... oh, my! On release from her cage, Gwen relocated to the DoubleWide Deck and proceeded to establish herself as a bossyboots.  

Hiding up high  (BC)

Initially she hid out on the upper shelves, finding corners where she could hide, but it wasn’t long before she discovered that all the really interesting stuff (i.e. food) happened at ground level, and she began to make her presence felt.

 

Dinner-time floof on show  (BC)

Gwen is not a friendly cat with the other felines on the deck. She is tentatively interested in humans, especially when they carry treats, and she has learned that when she takes food nicely, more may be forthcoming. With food distraction, she can be petted gently, but she sees it only as a means to the next treat. 

Jasper & Gwen - standoff for the chicken tidbit...

She keeps a wary eye open for any cat who may encroach on her tidbits, and she is not slow to smack a cat like Jasper when she feels he’s too close to the next mouthful. When she is aware of competition in the vicinity, she grumbles as she eats: “Nom nom nom... I am enjoying this and you can’t have it!”

There may be bars - but inside is warmer!  (KN)

She has explored outside, but Gwen’s territory has mostly extended from the Deck into the DoubleWide, and she is often found hovering if there are promising smells in the med-cage, or in the pockets of one of the Kitty Comforters. Bribery is a very good way to convince a cat that it may well be worth giving up feral status for the good life at the Sanctuary!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Our Sweet Diabetics

Careen (MW)

November is Diabetes Awareness Month – but not everyone may be aware that cats, too, can suffer from diabetes.

Nikki and his Shadow  (KN)

There are two types of diabetes in cats. In Type I there is a decrease in insulin production, and therefore blood glucose concentrations are high. In Type II diabetes, glucose levels are high because cells in the body do not respond appropriately to insulin. In both types, the body cannot access the sugars needed, even though there is plenty of sugar in the blood, because insulin can’t transport the sugar from the bloodstream into the cells that need it.  Type II is the more common variety, and though it cannot be cured, it can be controlled with injections of insulin, and in some cases, with dietary management. 

Mojo is one of our larger cats  (BC)

Currently we have five cats with diabetes at the Sanctuary: Luke and Careen in the DoubleWide, and Nikki, Blaze and Meepos in the SingleWide. Two other cats are watched: big Mojo lives in the offices, where we can control his diet; his diabetes is currently in remission, and as long as we don’t let him overeat, we can probably keep it that way.  And newcomer McGregor (in next week's blog) came into our care with possible diabetes, but also seems to have it in remission – we watch him carefully for signs of recurrence. In his case, elevated blood sugars may have been a sign of stress.

Nikki holding court - look at those big
polydactyl feet!   (KN)

Nikki Sixx-Toes was diagnosed diabetic when he came into our care. He was a semiferal cat, wary about being handled, and the pen where he was living did not allow the med-staff to treat him without additional stress to his system. Reluctantly, we brought him inside and caged him – and unlike most feral cats, he grew to love it, and the attention it brought him. He got lots of fussing in his enclosure near the staff office, and received visitors with regal enjoyment.  Four years later, his throne has moved to be the papasan chair on the deck, where he is attended and guarded by his girlfriend Shadow.

Shy Meepos (KN)

Also on the deck, but usually hidden away, is fellow-diabetic Meepos, whose condition is of more recent diagnosis. Meepos has been with us for more than eleven years; he was trapped as a feral on Mitchell Island in the company of his buddy Bossanova, and the two of them were initially pretty shy, and took great comfort in each other. Meepos was initially the friendlier of the two, but never became as sociable as Bossanova – he will emerge and accept gentle attention if it’s quiet, but he prefers to stay out of the way. His is late-onset diabetes – most of his time with us, he’s been fine, but he’s not an active boy, and between his inaction and aging, his system quit processing blood-sugars properly.

Blaze (MW)

Sweet Blaze is the sister of fellow-tortie Toes, who lives in the front courtyard. The two were separated when Blaze developed skin problems and was brought inside where she could be treated more easily. She can usually be found on the shelves backing on to the big cage, and loves to have attention so long as she can remain in her own space. Like the other diabetics, she’s something of a chonk – it’s hard to balance the need to give them extra food at the same time as they get their insulin injection, with not overfeeding them. Their extra is mostly protein, with a few treats, but with so many cats around, there’s no way of stopping them eating more of the crunchies that are out for the cats who prefer to graze. With food and insulin every 12 hours, they have no reason to be hungry, though, or to raid the crunchie-bowl.

Luke (BC)

In the DoubleWide, Luke is the younger of the two diabetics. He is part of the Tuxedo Club that hangs out on the deck, and he has also suffered from dental problems, which have necessitated occasional caging while he heals. He’s an active and social cat, both with humans and with other cats, and just loves attention – which makes it much easier to give him his doses.  The other diabetic in the building is Careen. Careen was an outside cat for some time, and shared cuddle space with sweet Willow in Pen 5. When we recently noticed her changed habits in terms of eating and peeing, she was brought in for testing, and remained caged for a bit longer. As an outdoor cat, there was some discussion about her release – she’s friendly and handleable, but trying to find a grey cat on a dark night to give her insulin could well be a problem. However, Careen decided that having been moved into the DoubleWide, she might as well stay in warmth and comfort. She can usually be found peering down from the cage-tops, and her one bad habit is that when it’s meds time, she moves herself to the most inaccessible spot, and takes some coaxing to come and enjoy her special plate of goodies (and the minimal needle prick that goes with it).

Careen on the DW cagetops (BC)

Diabetes in a cat is a long way from being a death sentence, and doesn’t need a vet to do the injections; the insulin needle is very fine, and the dose is very small – the only disadvantage is that the cat-parent needs to schedule their activities in order that the dose is regular. And getting special plates of food – they must feel as if they are being treated as the royalty they consider themselves to be.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Tails from the Front Courtyard

Happy tails (TS)

The volunteer or visitor who enters with special treats in hand is welcomed by a crowd of eager cats, many of them with tails in the air – one sign of a happy cat.  But five of our front courtyard cats have to find another way to demonstrate their happiness – you see, they’re a little short in the tail department!

Carly (KN)

One of them has already been introduced – her name is Carly Simon, and she came to us as one of a bunch of farm cats. She’s among sweet Hope’s closest friends, and right now she is caged and recovering from a case of vestibular disease that has left her feeling wobbly and nauseous.  She’s making steady progress, but it may be awhile before we’re ready to let her jump and climb.

Carly's tail  (BC)

Carly looks as if her tail was broken and reset at an angle. It’s a little stumpy tail that goes in two directions, and though we wondered at first if it was an injury, when she first came to us, this little pregnant mama produced a litter of kittens, some of whom also showed the same tail mutation.

Bowie  (BC)

Jett  (KN)

The other “stumpies” in the front courtyard are Bowie and Jett. Bowie and his “rocker” buddies came in to us from  Kamloops back in 2021, and they don’t live up to their “out there” human models – they’re all very shy, and are of the dawn-and-dusk variety of cats. Bowie is a floofy black boy, with a floofy stump of a tail; Jett is shorthaired, with a short tail  They can often be found around the YellowDoor area, hiding behind the flower beds – any hint of moving in their direction, and they scuttle to find somewhere to hide.

Cheech (BC)

The other two are “rumpies” rather than “stumpies” – not true-breed Manx (who tend to be very chonky and rump-heavy) but just cats with an accidental no-tail mutation.  Chicharron (known as Cheech) is one of those “who IS that black cat?” boys, who becomes instantly identifiable when he turns his back. He has chubby cheeks, and a little splash of white on his bib. He is one of a group of cats that trappers Lisa and Ken brought in from a nearby industrial complex. We think he’s less than two years old.

Rolling over for petting  (BC)

Cheech is quite mobile, and visits all over the front courtyard.  I’ve mostly found him in the porch of the Connor, though I’m told he likes to be on the cage-tops. He’s quite shy on first acquaintance, but the more he’s petted, the wigglier and more relaxed he gets. His name (Chicharron is a Mexican-style dish of crispy pork rinds) belies his gentle nature. I think Lisa was into food names; we also have Tamale, and there’s a whole group of Thanksgiving cats to be introduced later: Cornbread, Tater, Creampuff, Truffle and others...

Hiding on her shelf in the early days with us  (BC)

The last of the group is a very distinctive dark young calico who came in as Butterflower, and had her name changed to Butterfinger. We were concerned at first that we had another Manx Syndrome cat here, because initially she didn’t use her litter box regularly, and soiled her bedding. But as she became more used to us, that eased off, and we think it was mainly a stress thing. Her name change linked with her habit of upsetting her litter-box and handing the volunteers a regular mess to clear up!

Off to hunt the flies  (BC)

Butterfinger was one of those cats who at first refused to come forward, and huddled fearfully on the shelf of her cage out of reach.  However, like Eddie, the release from the cage changed her attitude, and when approached with gentleness, she is happy to accept caresses. She is happier still to play; she is a dedicated fly-chaser when she has the opportunity, and a good feather toy has her leaping and stalking in company with the other three calicos. She’s a social girl, and seems to enjoy the company of other cats.

"Will you play with me?"  (BC)

At the Sanctuary, it’s not necessary to have a tail in order to live the good life!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Tim Stocker

Elvis has Left the Sanctuary

This week's blog comes to you from Sanctuary volunteer Nicholas Read.

Elvis in his "adoptable" bandana  (KN)

Ordinarily long-time volunteer Brigid Coult would be writing this entry, but since it’s partly about her, she’s had to step away this week. Not that she approves; she’s too modest for that. But her love story with Elvis, a brown adult tabby more reminiscent of the overweight ‘70s King than the sleek leather-clad ‘60s singer, is one that deserves to be told. 

Elvis   (LBF)

Every cat at RAPS knows he or she has a special friend in Brigid, but her relationship with Elvis was something extraordinary. “Was” because Elvis has been adopted by a family who were looking for a calm and cuddly cat. And Elvis fit the bill perfectly. The trouble was that fitting that bill meant saying good-bye to Brigid. 

You see, theirs wasn’t just any love story. It was a “compare thee to a summer’s day”, “let me count the ways” romance initiated and perpetuated by a besotted and forever faithful Elvis. (Check out the accompanying photo and you’ll see for yourself.)

Happiness...   (MRJ)

He adored Brigid, plain and simple. When she wasn’t working, he was nestled under her chin wearing an expression of pure “she’s mine” bliss. The funny thing was that because his head was pressed so tightly against hers, Brigid couldn’t see that blissed out expression herself. But everyone else could and they’d never seen anything like it. Elvis was head-over-paws in Hallmark love. 

But Elvis's new family met him and also fell in love - and when they came to visit the following weekend, Brigid got a chance to meet them, and knew that they were the right people for him. She knew Elvis was a cat who needed cuddling every day and every night, which was more than even she could give him as a volunteer. 

Elvis cuddlers - Vince, Daphne, Brigid...

It was RAPS’s other volunteers whose hearts broke. Nothing would be the same again, they said, without Brigid and Elvis. It would be like Cathy without Heathcliff, Elizabeth without Mr. Darcy, Lucy without Ricky. 

Last day coffee-break cuddles  (SB)

But wisdom says if you really love someone, set him free. So that’s what Brigid did for Elvis. It doesn’t mean she won’t miss him. She just knew it was the right thing … and it was. 

Blog by Nicholas Read 

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Shelley Brown, Brigid Coult,

Marla Rae Jenkins, Karen Nicholson, Debbie Wolanski

Finding Homes for Multiples

Purrito and Potsticker

Some of the cats that come into our care at the Sanctuary are cats that don’t like other cats. At the Sanctuary, that’s actually not an issue – they can find space for themselves and avoid unnecessary encounters. And if that dislike results in peeing and marking – well, we can always do more laundry!

Dumpling

Occasionally they will do really well in a home if they are the Only Cat – where they can claim the territory for themselves and have all the attention of their human.  But when it comes to adopting out cats and kittens, we usually suggest that people adopt a pair – especially when it comes to kittens – or to match a new cat to the social nature of their existing cat.  

Jinx

Currently we have the situation of several bonded adult cats in our care, cats that we feel should be kept together if possible. These are cats who have a clear preference for each other’s company, and who we think would be unhappy to lose friend or sibling. All of them are very sweet cats, tame and sociable.

Whiskers

In the SingleWide are 7-year old brothers Whiskers and Jinx.  They were caged together initially, and when released they wandered freely in the area – not necessarily together – but they can often be found in company, and sharing the couch with a volunteer or visitor.

Whiskers specializes in "yoga sleeping" - AG

They’ve had an enforced separation recently, when Jinx had some necessary dental surgery and was caged to recover, so it will be interesting to watch the re-establishment of the bond. Whiskers regularly visits with his brother and talks through the cage door.

Kramer & Riker

In the DoubleWide are Kramer and Riker. Both boys had originally come from us, and were returned when there were family difficulties; Riker is about two years old and Kramer several years older. 

Kramer is very regal!

Kramer is a big tabby boy, probably with some Maine Coon in him (though not the pointed ears!); he was very wary and reactive initially, but has calmed down a lot, and now solicits petting. A lot of his comfort, I think, derives from the company of his buddy Riker. Riker is also a tabby, but with a lot of reddish fur – he’s a very beautiful boy. He’s also probably got some ragdoll in his make-up – he just loves to be picked up and cuddled, and is happy to be held on his back and have his tummy rubbed.

Riker is more curious, and loves lap-time

Our DoubleWide cages are much larger than the ones in the Adoption Centre where the kittens are kept, but for two big boys, it’s still a bit cramped, so Riker and Kramer have a duplex – we cut a small panel between cages so they can choose where to be. Sometimes they’re in separate areas; sometimes they’re visiting together.  We’re reluctant to let them out with the other cats, because we don’t want them to get used to going outside; when RAPS adopts cats out, we require a commitment to keep them as indoor cats. We can also keep them safer from infections in a confined area. But we’d love to see the two of them go to a good home where they can roam the house.

Pussycat pile

The other duplex in the DoubleWide is the home of not two, but three large cats. Potsticker, Dumpling and their sister Purrito were dumped without any explanation. The three of them are beautiful healthy cats in good condition, so someone loved them, but we have no knowledge of their background. They love attention and petting – Potsticker is the attention hog – and though Dumpling was initially a bit reactive when he arrived, like Kramer, he has relaxed and taken comfort from his cage-mates.

Purrito - all the cuteness!

Finding an adopter for three big beautiful cats is not easy – thinking of taking two is feasible, but three...  But these three need to be together – so we keep looking for a situation where they can have room to explore and be at home, with lots of love and attention.

Dumpling

There are always lots of kittens looking for homes, and single adult cats – but it’s so much harder to find homes for multiples.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Akira Graham