Four Sweet Oranges

Mandarin - now happy and confident  (SF)

It seems that there is no longer any such thing as “kitten season” – the kittens keep coming throughout the year, often born to feral mamas who are little more than kittens themselves! All over the province, rescues are working to reduce the number of feral cats by spay-neuter programs – but it only takes one careless owner letting a cat out without due care, and another litter is on the way.  Kittens are, of course, inherently cute, and once trapped, raised and ready, they can usually be adopted. But if they stop being kittens before being socialized, the socialization process can take a whole lot longer.

early days cage-top time for Mandarin  (KN)

In January 2025 we were joined in the DoubleWide by a quartet of young cats from Vancouver Island.  They had been living feral, and were probably around 9 months old; like many “teenage” kittens, they had no intention of taming easily. There were three females and one male.  We don’t know if they were litter-mates or just all from the same colony, but they looked amazingly alike. Three of them had had their SNAP tests (identifying the presence or lack of FIV and FeLV) and neutering done before they came to us; the fourth may have been trapped later than the others because she had neither and had to be caged separately until that was done.

Tangerine, on the DW deck  (KN)

As usual, when they’d had their initial cage-time, all their vaccines and necessary treatments, the cages were opened, and the four of them vanished into hiding.  When we did see them it was almost impossible to tell who it was we were seeing; the four of them are orange tabbies with classic whorl markings, and nearly identical. It’s really difficult to do a blog when you can’t tell who you’re looking at (if you’re lucky enough to be able to see them at all) and my plans for writing them up were put on hold until I was better at identifying them.  As orange as they are, the med staff named them Mandarin (m), and Tangerine, Valencia and Tangelo (f)

Mandarin bunting with Walker  (BC)

Almost a year later, we are starting to see progress from most of them, and watching as they develop. Mandarin is now a little larger than his sisters. He is the bravest of the quartet, and ranges freely around the Back Courtyard. He is cat-social, especially with his buddy Walker, and is quick to react when treats are offered.  Not only does he accept food from the hand, but he now enjoys a little careful petting – though still very much on his terms.

Tangerine & Mandarin mooching  (BC)

At first sight he can easily be confused with his sister Tangerine, who now bases herself in Waldi’s Hut, but can often be found hanging out around her brother. She’s now a little paler than his colouring, with a slightly more rounded face. It’s in behaviour we see the clearest difference; Mandarin will approach to accept food and attention; Tangerine is interested, but not yet brave enough – she hovers hopefully a few lengths away and is quick to react to food tossed in her direction.

Tangelo  (BC)

The other two are residents of the DW Deck. Tangelo is the most immediately identifiable, with a narrower face, and slightly crossed eyes. She is very food-motivated, and can be coaxed out of hiding with chicken tidbits, but would rather smack the food out of a hand than risk the possibility of touch.

Want to see Valencia? Look up!  (BC)

Her sister Valencia is the shyest of the four, preferring to remain totally out of reach on the cage-tops, and refusing to venture closer, even for the best bribery.  The DoubleWide renovations are almost done, and we’re looking forward to having the Deck cages removed, and more space available to the cats – it will be interesting to see whether Tangelo and Valencia will remain in “their” space, or whether they’ll move indoors to more light and action.

Two of four  (KN)

It’s generally accepted that the critical socialization window for kittens is the first 2-3 months; beyond that, they are often labelled as feral, and it is very hard for small, fostering-based rescues to do anything other than trap-neuter-release. Effectively, these four oranges were TNR'd, but released into our safe Sanctuary, where they can take their time getting used to the idea that humans really aren’t so scary after all.  Mandarin has already taken that big step; his sisters have as much time as they need to become comfortable with us.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Sarah Faith, Karen Nicholson