Tofino

Tofino (KN)

The Cat Sanctuary is the centre of our own feline universe, but throughout the province, and beyond, there are many wonderful rescue organizations working to alleviate the suffering caused by careless or abusive pet owners. We have strong links to Kamloops because of the contact through Sanctuary Manager Valerie, but whenever possible, we try to respond to urgent pleas, wherever they come from. Many of the smaller rescues don’t have the facilities to offer a permanent home to feral cats; they depend on the big hearts of volunteers to provide fostering. And while that can have wonderful results, when a colony of cats is brought into care, that’s a big ask for a small organization.

Wary Tofino...  (KN)

One of the rescues that calls on us occasionally is Cats Cradle rescue, on Vancouver Island. Based in Sidney, they actually serve all the municipalities around Victoria, focusing their work on fostering and adoption. When they have a group of ferals come in, we are one of the resources to whom they turn. Last May I introduced a group of the cats who came from one of their colonies: black Velma and grey Ryan, Bugle and Veruca Salt have all settled pretty comfortably with us. They’re not “tame”, but less wary of contact, and we think slow-and-steady will do the job. Veruca Salt has decided to remain in the Double-Wide; Bugle has relocated to the Newcomers area; Ryan and Velma are pretty free-ranging.

Enjoying the sunshine   (KN)

Others, from different colonies, have scattered: Indigo and River (Styx), Campbell and Nootka are all more feral, and mostly black, so they are hard to identify. Sweet Burt Reynolds has given up all thought of being a feral and has settled into comfort in the DoubleWide. We have a new group of orange tabbies (Tangelo, Valencia, Mandarin and Tangerine) who are still caged. The cat that stands out from the Cats Cradle refugees is a quirky-looking little black-and-white girl called Tofino.

Mmmm..twigs...  (KN)

Tofino is still feral, but she’s more at the “you can look at me, but don’t touch” point on the feral spectrum, rather than like the still-spooked Cranbrook cats. She’s a back-pens girl, tending to hang around pens 3 and 5, and she’s pretty cat-social with most of the others. Her blotchy black and white colouring makes her easy to spot, and she has long ears for the size of her head, with a large ear-tip removal identifying her as a spayed feral.

Always curious  (KN)

She can most often be found with calico Sarah, from another rescue, but Sarah has moved in to the cosy warmth of Pen 3 hut recently, and is no longer quite so available to Tofino. She doesn’t seem to care much; I’ve found her dancing with a leaf near the back gate, doing quick sprints from one pen to another, rolling and playing by herself. Food isn’t much of a motivator, and she ignores the other cats waiting for a handout – which may make it harder to coax her into coming closer; it’s definitely been a strong factor in making other ferals more accepting of our attention.

Endless wonder...  (KN)

But this is where the Cat Sanctuary has an advantage – most rescues have to hope that ferals will tame enough to find homes, or they’re taking valuable foster-space. At RAPS, we can allow ferals like Tofino to be ferals as long as they need; to ease their way into communication with us, or to hold their distance. Cats like Amelia in Pen 4 have spent years refusing our attention, and now, in her old-lady days, she has blossomed into a cat who loves petting and treats. We hope Tofino won’t take that long, but we won’t force it; she’ll come to us when she’s ready, and till then she’ll have our love at a distance.

Blog by Brigid Coult
Photos by Karen Nicholson