KCs At Work

Raisin - a pen 4 feral girl   (KN)

Visitors who come to the Sanctuary at the weekend are often astonished and delighted by the number of cats who come to greet them.  What they will not see are the cats who are hidden away – either by their own choice as ferals, or because they are caged. Cages are not what the Sanctuary is about – but they are occasionally a tool to lead to something better for the cats. Most of our felines are here either because they are feral or because they have been surrendered. If they are immediately adoptable, then they will go to the Adoption Centre – but many of them are not ready for that when they come to us. 

When Creampuff came to us, she spent most
of her time hiding behind a drape   (BC)

Because a new cat needs to be assessed, and have all its vaccinations current before it is released into the general population, it will often spend 4-6 weeks in a cage. There is always a drape or a carrier or somewhere that they can hide.  Some cats are happy to be hidden away in a quiet dark place – but that doesn’t help them when they finally emerge. So there is a team of volunteers who will happily spend time sitting quietly in a cage, allowing the cats to learn that humans are not always scary.

Marianne & friends - by Selena Marchetti

The team of Kitty Comforters was the creation of the late Marianne Moore, a longtime Sanctuary volunteer, who passed in 2018. Six years before that, she established a group of “cat-whisperers”, volunteers who had proved themselves to be calm and patient and occasionally willing to be scratched or bitten by a scared cat. The team is still operating under the leadership of Anne Marchetti, and they appear faithfully each afternoon to spend time with cats who are receiving medical care, cats who are new to the Sanctuary, and some of our shyer inhabitants. 

Food bribery   (LBF)

Sometimes kitty-comforting time involves food bribery, or gentle grooming; sometimes it may be no more than a quiet voice. We learn which are the cats that are aggressive in their fear, and which are the ones who will only hide. Most of our time is spent with caged cats, but we also look for the shyer cats who live in the open pens, and connect with them as much as we can. Kitty Comforting is about much more than just having fun with your favourite cats; it’s about searching out the ones who need us, and establishing trust by whatever means we can.  Most of the KC’s have done their share of cleaning and feeding, and are known by Anne to be really patient and persistent in reaching out to scared cats.

Shy Tibby hid in her cage for weeks;
now she's out, and much more confident  (AA)

My recent KC session began with a visit to the Adoption Centre, where Benjamin and Olivia are still awaiting someone to offer them a home. Benjamin came out for a visit and some cuddling; Olivia has a bit of a cold, and stayed in her bed. From there, I paid a visit to the SingleWide offices, which are much quieter than usual, with a lot of the admin transferred to the Adoption Centre. Mojo and Licorice like the quiet, but they also need some stimulation and love. They have been joined recently by pretty Tibby, surrendered for inappropriate urination, and, like Oscar and Winston, on a diet to see if there is a physical basis to her problem. Licorice believes firmly that all visitors come to see him, and took exception to my paying attention to Tibby by backing up and peeing on my leg – sometimes a penalty of being around our cats!

Li'l Bit outside the DW deck   (KN)

A quick visit with Oscar and Winston and a check in to compare notes with fellow KC Catherine, on her own rounds, and then I moved to the back pens for a bit, checking in there with Lisa who is one of the “magic people” with ferals. She has been working with shy Raisin in Pen 4, who still hides away from everyone else.  We are watching for a gradual relocation of some of the Cranbrook College cats who base themselves on the high shelves on the DoubleWide deck, but who have also discovered the cat-door and the potential for visits to the back pens. We will occasionally see Li'l Bit and Foster exploring in Pen 3 – though their explorations tend to be around sunrise or sunset, when there are fewer humans around. 

Sweet Audi is beginning to be curious about us  (BC)

There are more caged cats in the DW because it’s closest to the med-staff. Some of the cages still bear “Staff Access Only” signs; in a few of those cases, Anne may let us know that the KCs do have access to start the familiarization process. Sometimes we’ll barely see the cats in question, who have places to hide and prefer to use them with strangers – sometimes the offer of a treat will be met with a well-placed claw, or with warning hisses. With these cats, little and often is the key; they need to discover that humans may feel scary, but don’t intend them any harm.

Sylar enjoying petting  (BC)

From visiting with shy Audi, I move next door to visit with an old friend. Sylar has been my sponsor cat for years. He’s a very wary feral who loves his chicken, and has progressed to occasionally accepting it from the hand, though he prefers to have it tossed to him. Currently he’s in for observation; he’s lost some weight and has become pretty matted, so I hope blood tests will show the problem. As always, there is fierce hissing as I enter his cage. Because I know that he knows me, I loop his drape back so that he has nowhere to hide; I offer his favourite chicken and he accepts it without biting my fingers. Very carefully I hold tidbits in my right hand and pet him with my left; he allows it without protest, and the bum comes up as I pet down his body. By the time I leave him, he’s allowing petting (but not grooming) without hissing. I suspect, though, that once he’s out, he’ll be back to not permitting touch!

Sometimes the best Kitty Comforter is another cat -
Denzel is being visited by his buddy Luke    (BC)

I visit with sweet Denzel, who’s had dental surgery and is caged so that he only eats wet catfood for a while, and with Mortimer, who’s just out of a cage; Mortimer came to us as an unneutered tomcat and was a little reactive while he waited for release. Now the hormones are under control and he has his freedom, he’s become one of the cuddle-bugs on the DW couch.

Espoir is listening, but doesn't want to interact  (BC)

One more scared cat to visit, and I return to the front courtyard to be with Espoir in the Hill House. She pretends I’m not there and hides behind her cat-tree; it’s too soon to push her for contact, so I just sit and talk with her for a bit. There’s a series of interested visitors at the door; many of the Hill House cats enjoy company, both human and feline, and Espoir will not be a total stranger to them by the time she’s finally allowed out.

Magnus (front) and Jim  (GA)

My shift is finally over as the evening feeders-and-scoopers start to appear – I stretch my time with a short visit to my buddies in the Val Jones pen. The porch chair is vacant, and as soon as I sit down, Magnus and Jim occupy my lap. These guys don’t need the work we put into the more scared cats, but they do need us to spend some time with them because the Val Jones is closed off as an FIV pen – they just need to know they’re not forgotten, and most of the regular volunteers will happily spend time with them as well.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Graham Akira, Alicia Almeida, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson

Fuzzy Bros

Oscar & Winston   (BC)

What can you do with a couple of British Shorthair and Longhair cats other than give them the very British names of Oscar and Winston?

Oscar and Winston when they arrived at the Sanctuary - 
skinny and shorn...    (BC)

These two came into our care before Christmas. Both came to us having had a short haircut to help deal with a case of fleas, but their fur is growing again, and Winston will soon be the Longhair that originally came to us. They’re probably not purebred – they both have the pushed-in face of a Persian (Winston more than Oscar), but that may be accidental genetics, since the British Longhair is a mix of British Shorthair and Persian. The Persian element may explain the haircut – Persians usually need daily brushing to maintain their fur and discourage matting, and once they mat, all you can do it shave it out!

Oscar is serious, but no grouch....  (KN)

Initially these boys were surrendered to the Adoption Centre in 2022 when their owner passed away, and they were adopted out a month later. Sadly, Oscar started peeing outside the litter box, and with a new baby imminent, the family decided that they couldn’t deal with the problem, and the pair were returned to us. In fact, Oscar was probably in pain and avoiding the litterbox, where he felt the most pain. This is why the experts tell us to get the cat to the vet when there’s a pee-ing-outside-the-box problem – sometimes the reason is physical or situational, and not just the cat being “bad”.

Enjoying outside-cage time   (MW)

Oscar has idiopathic cystitis. “Idiopathic” just means that we don’t know what causes the cystitis flare-up, but low-mineral prescription food will help to prevent formation of crystals or stones, which can increase inflammation. Since they came to us, both Winston and Oscar have been on a prescription diet, and seem to be doing really well.

Winston has amazing poofy feet   (KN)

Oscar is the “blue” brother; he likes to come for petting, but he’s also one of those cats for whom petting leads to “I gotta eat!”, and he heads for the food bowl. Winston is the silver boy; he likes a little lap-time, but prefers to sit beside you to be petted. They're around 9 years old, definitely a bonded pair, and we’re thankful that their former owners recognized the bond and didn’t try to split them up, returning both of them to our care. The two of them were caged in the Single-Wide office initially, but were then moved into one of larger Single-Wide cages, giving them much more room, and more human company.

... and is showing himself to be playful,
now they're out of the cage   (MW)

These sweet boys are very people-friendly. Their breed is known for their easy-going, tolerant nature, stocky bodies and poofy feet! Though Winston is a “Longhair”, in fact the coat is only semi-longhair, but dense; he will need regular grooming to keep the part-Persian coat in good condition. 

Winston's original admission picture;
we can see there's still lots of hair to grow!

Our staff are now working out what will be best for them. They could probably manage on the regular cat food shared by the other Single-Wide cats, but the prescription food is more likely to prevent a recurrence of the cystitis. However, that means keeping them separated from the other cats. Currently they are having out-of-cage visiting time with the other cats, and we’ll see if the evening feed can be kept apart. 

"Don't look now, but she's taking a picture..."  (BC)

What they really need is a home with a cat-savvy owner who can feed them the special diet, and who knows to watch for the signs of trouble and react quickly. That may mean a fosterage situation, or a foster-to-adopt one. If you know anyone looking to bring some feline British aristocracy into their home, please contact our Shelter Manager!

Bonded brothers   (BC)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Billy Ray

Summer catnip  -   KN

This sleek black panther came to us in the summer of 2022. He was transferred from a rescue on Vancouver Island, and because he tested positive for FIV, it was decided that he should come to us to join the FIV+ group in the Val Jones pen.

BC

He had been trapped in an area that had quite a few unneutered stray/feral cats, and through the Island rescue, he was fostered for a while. During this period he warmed up to humans a bit, but was not really tame. He came to us with the name of Midnight. Since we already have two Midnights in the Sanctuary (feral Midnight in Pen 4, and shy ex-VOKRA Midnight in the back courtyard), he needed a name-change. Assistant Manager Valerie thought that he was a twin to her own cat Ray, and our boy was renamed Billy Ray. 

BH

Having yet another transition was hard on him, and when he first came he would cower in the back of his cage, and would hiss and growl and swat – probably reverting to all the same fearful body language of his initial trapping.  But it didn’t take much time before he was ready to emerge, and to accept, first gentle petting, and then much firmer scritches – both cheek/chin and butt.  The Val Jones cats are very tolerant of each other, and their body language conveys to the rest of the clowder that there’s nothing to fear. Even the most timid of the group, Virginia, is now coming out more frequently and looking for attention.

JS

There is no reason that FIV+ cats cannot be adopted if they fulfil two conditions; they need to remain as indoor cats in order not to spread the virus, and they need to tolerate the company of any other cats in the home; the danger with FIV is the transmission of the virus through the blood of bite wounds. Several of the Val Jones cats are quite adoptable, and Billy Ray is one of that group. Once he trusts, he is happy to come for lap-sitting and petting, with a few ecstatic wiggles to encourage you to continue. Our sweet panther needs a home, and a lap he can claim as his own!

BC

Look for Billy Ray in the Sanctuary Calendar for 2024!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Brielle Hutchison, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint

Back from the Edge

Benjamin & Olivia (LBF)

Shortly before last Christmas, an emergency came our way. We were told of a case where an elderly couple had died at home together, and their deaths had gone unnoticed for several weeks. That must have been dreadful for the family, and for the responders;  where RAPS became involved was that there were two cats in the home, and they had had no food or water – or only what was left – for all that time.  Many living creatures can survive on a greatly reduced diet, but when there is no food and water, cats’ systems will shut down as ketones increase, insulin drops and electrolytes are depleted.

Two sad, scared, weakened cats when they arrived.

There is a condition called refeeding syndrome, in which the unwise rescuer overfeeds a starving animal and makes the whole situation worse, since the body cannot cope with a sudden abundance of nutrition. Luckily, the rescuers of these two knew the dangers, and Benjamin and Olivia came into our care – initially to the RAPS Hospital for an emergency response, and then once they were stabilized, to the Sanctuary. Initially they were skin and bone, and with claws and whiskers disintegrating for lack of calcium and vital minerals. Under the care of our med-staff, they were fed small amounts slowly – a high-fat, low-carb diet with carefully balanced nutrients to allow their bodies to recover slowly.

Benjamin & Olivia (BC)

We discovered that they were a fairly young pair, and likely siblings, though from different litters, since Benjamin is older than Olivia; both are long-haired, Benjamin an orange tabby and Olivia a sweet tortie with the distinctive split-face feature some tortoiseshells have. We found that he had been neutered, but she had never been spayed; safe enough for them to live together, but hard on her – female cats can come into heat every 2-3 weeks, and they can be very vocal about their discomfort. Luckily, she had been kept indoors – this sort of situation is why we sometimes get a surge in feral cats, when a female manages to escape, and within six months the consequent litter of kittens will all have had a litter of kittens! 

Benjamin

Olivia (BC)

Under our care, Olivia has now had her spay surgery, and is recovering well.  The two of them are sharing one of our big cages in the Hill House, and feeders, cleaners and Kitty Comforters have all fallen in love with them. Both are friendly and used to being handled; they love to play and are the subject of much curiosity from the cats in the main room. They could be transferred over to the Adoption Centre as soon as Olivia is fully healed, but they have more space at the Sanctuary than in the smaller AC cages, and though we hope that they will find a loving home for their remaining eight lives, we’ll make the most of their company while we have them. 

Happy and well  (LBF)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Brigid Coult