Hobbes

Kitty Comforter Coordinator Anne Marchetti introduces us this week to this boy who has "the luck of the Irish"...

Hobbes (AM)

Hobbes is a sleek 9-year-old fellow who arrived at the Sanctuary in September. He has Irish ancestry as he was originally picked up as a stray kitten on the streets of Dublin, Ireland in 2016. He later relocated to Canada with a new family and settled in Toronto where he was cherished for the happy, sweet guy he is. 

Curling up can be tricky when you have long legs!  (AM)

Unfortunately, he's had persistent litterbox issues since he was a kitten. He just loves peeing! His human tried all the methods you'd expect to help him with this over the years but with vet visits confirming there was no underlying medical cause, the problem was clearly behavioural. His human accommodated his needs over the past eight years as she was worried he'd be impossible to re-home or be euthanized if surrendered.

Come pet me!  (BC)

With the recent addition of family members in her home, Hobbes became increasingly stressed to the point where he was peeing on a piece of furniture every single day. They tried so many behavioural interventions without improvement. His family had him on a rotation of waterproof blankets protecting the couch, and they bought door closers for the bedrooms to keep him out. Their laundry bill was massive! 

Claiming the courtyard  (KN)

Seeing him so unhappy with no relief in sight, his family made the gut-wrenching decision to surrender him to a place where he would no longer feel so stressed - but where? They reached out to local shelters in Toronto yet they only hit dead-ends, either due to there being no room or the unwillingness to take on a cat with his issues. They put his name on several re-homing websites but there was zero interest. They were quickly losing all hope, but then recalled that a family member living on the West Coast volunteered at RAPS Cat Sanctuary. They reached out to see if we had room for Hobbes; thankfully, we were able to accept him into our fold - must be the “luck of the Irish”!

Hobbes knows who loves him! (AM)

His family describes Hobbes as having a hard time dealing with change, needing time to warm up to people, NOT liking other animals and generally acting like a grumpy old man. But despite their warnings, sweet Hobbes settled in quite seamlessly, ready to make friends with any human that visited him. He was such a dear boy that he quickly won the hearts of many of the volunteers. After a brief cage stay, he was released into the Front Courtyard and mingled quite comfortably amongst the other felines. If another cat wanted to make friends, he either ignored them or gave a soft hiss as he galloped off to a less-inhabited area. Lucky for him, there are lots of different spaces to have privacy if he so desires. 

Exploring the Connor House rafters  (KR)

His favourite bed occupies the top shelf on the deck of Connor House, where he was originally caged. It is a cozy nook with opaque walls that lets through the warm rays of sunshine. It's also a prime location for Sunday visitors to give him treats and lots of petting (we're open year-round to the public on Sundays 1-4pm). He likes to explore the courtyard and can be found rolling around gleefully in a sunbeam. He's also quite a climber - he's frequently spotted up in the rafters getting a birds-eye view. Med Staff tell us he's extra playful at night. He makes his own fun and finds his joy.

Enjoying the freedom  (CP)

His family should be very proud of their boy and how he's so quickly and happily adapted to his new life with us at the Sanctuary. They love him and miss him dearly, but they made the right choice bringing him to us where he is living stress-free with all the comforts of home, freedom to explore safely outdoors if he chooses and be looked after with much love. It's never an easy decision to surrender but we hope they are comforted knowing Hobbes is so happy now in his forever home with us.

Blissful catnip moments  (KR)

Blog by Anne Marchetti

Photos by Brigid Coult, Anne Marchetti, 

Karen Nicholson, Carol Porteous, Karrie Radford