Booty

Booty  (MW)

Booty arrived at the Sanctuary in company with Paula and Celeste, who were recently featured in this series.  They were all cats who had come to the City Shelter in the days that RAPS was running it, and were transferred to our care when it was becoming obvious that they would not be adopted – mostly because of extreme shyness, which makes it hard for an adopter to guess how they might work out in a home. When they came to us in 2016, Pen 2 was separated from Pen 1, and this new colony of sixteen cats had time to work their own relationships out before they moved out into the wider community.

Out and about  (BC)

Some of them ended up remaining based in the Pen 2 cabin: the torties and calicos, tabbies Calvin and Chase, and the two shy blacks. Sassy Sophie relocated to the Tea Room, and so did Booty, though not from any attachment to Sophie – she dislikes other cats!  Somehow the two of them manage to coexist with no contact, which suits Sophie well.  In contrast to her, Booty is a social boy;  he was an active participant in the Pen 1 Boys Club, when Zivko (also originally from Pen 2) headed it up, and could often be found visiting with his buddy Chase.

Approaching for pets  (BC)

According to the sketchy notes, Booty was a stray picked up on Beckwith Road – that locates in him in an area we’ve been trapping stray cats for some years; an area with green space and good hunting for hungry cats, but also one where we believe cats get dumped. Whether a stray or a dumpee, Booty was initially very shy and wary of interaction with humans, but over nine years of Sanctuary living, he has relaxed and learned to enjoy the good things of life. He is often mistaken for the younger and more athletic Cassidy.  Booty now counts as a senior, at about 14 years old, and is no longer quite as energetic as he used to be.  He now has a little skin-cancer mark (monitored by the med staff) on his muzzle that differentiates him from the youngster.

Lord of all he surveys  (KN)

He can often be found on top of a cat-tree, with a view over his bit of the world. An approach from a volunteer or a visitor is taken calmly, and he enjoys being petted and groomed.  His purr becomes increasingly enthusiastic – less a normal purr, and more of a croon, like a pigeon; once he gets going, you can hear him from one side of the room to the other. 

Ringo with Booty  (KN)

Though Zivko is gone, and the Boys Club is no longer such a unit, Booty will hang out with some of the other seniors. Shy Ringo, who loved Zivko and grieved when he passed, has come out of hiding and established himself in the cat-social crowd, and he and Booty can often be found together.  Unfortunately, this often shows itself in Booty demonstrating his dominance over the submissive Ringo, by mounting him.  Ringo doesn’t appear to mind too much, but I’m thankful that he doesn’t come out often when visitors are around; we can do without the PG activities!

Exploring  (MW)

Actually, Booty also does not appear much around visitors, but it’s well worth looking for him in the Tea-Room, and getting that wonderful purr going.  When Booty is crooning like that, all is right with the world.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright