Eden & the Voids

Eden  (KN)

Sounds like a rock group, doesn’t it?  But it’s quieter, more fragile and definitely furrier!

Furgie can be identified from her rumpled fur  (BC)

The cats who live in the Feline Leukemia pen are often overlooked – the doorway is marked for No Entry, and there are protocols about sanitizing, dealing with plates and laundry and so on. FeLv is transmitted in cats’ body secretions, so we are very careful about anything from their pen that might bring the virus in contact with the cats in the Front Courtyard. Equally, the virus affects their immune systems, so we have to make sure we don’t bring in cold germs or other infections from the rest of the Sanctuary. This results in an isolation area that many volunteers never visit – but one that is loved by those of us who are in the know.

Classic voids: Athena, with Laszlo & Neptune (now passed)  (JS)

Currently we have eight cats living in the area – one little grey girl and an assortment of blacks. The slang term for a black cat is a “void” – the sort of cat that disappears in a dark corner, and is hard to photograph because the black colour swamps the features. In fact the only true void at the moment is Athena, who came to us as one of the McLeod cats in 2019. Athena was devoted to Neptune, another void who passed last fall at the age of more than 11 years – a good age for a leukemia cat – and now she seems to be taking comfort in Furgie’s company. Furgie came in with the hoarded cats from Calgary in 2021; she is nominally a void, but has a lot of little white flecks in her ruffled back fur. She was the first of that group to be identified as FeLv+. Banff and Creston, who followed her, have both passed; nobody else in that colony has tested positive.

A stack of Moons, with Athena on top (CP)

There is one cat in the pen who is rarely seen; he came to us last May from Saskatchewan, and promptly went into hiding in the outdoor area. He goes by the name of Password 123, and joins the ranks of feral cats who prefer to have minimal contact with humans. On the list, he’s marked as a black cat, but he’s actually a smoke: black on the surface and grey underneath. We don’t know how much contact he has with the other cats, but he has made himself comfortable under the heat lamp or in shelter with a heated pad.

Eden (with Cosmo, above)  (KN)

The little grey girl is Eden, and she has settled well with both cats and humans. She came to us from Winnipeg with a couple of kittens that may or may not have been her own; they were also FeLv+, taken into fosterage as we do for all kittens;  sadly for their foster mom, their immune systems failed them. This is one of the reasons we don’t bring kittens to the Adoption Centre too soon, and why we ask potential adopters to visit there first, before coming to visit the Sanctuary, so that they don’t carry infections from adult cats to juveniles.

Eden enjoying cuddles with Cosmo  (KN)

We don’t know Eden’s background, but she’s obviously had contact with people, and likes to play with wand toys. She has a clipped ear, which usually designates a feral who’s been TNR’d; I wonder if it may be a sign of a Manitoba frostbite instead; we remember Picasso (now adopted) who came to us with clipped ears and tail from a very cold winter.

Eclipse - our most beautiful void  (BC)

Eden is also very cat social, especially with the remaining four cats. Eclipse, Cosmo, Calisto and Galaxy came to us with Mama Moon from the same Manitoba rescue just over a year ago, and are probably about the same age as Eden – she certainly sees them as playmates, and the older cats mostly let them be. Moon was fostered last year by someone who was willing to take the extra care leukemia cats need; her kids are still with us. Eclipse is the only true void; his brother Cosmo has a little locket on his chest, and his fur has taken on a tint that is brownish rather than black, together with some grey..

Cosmo can be something of a goof...   (KN)

Galaxy is now the more social of the two girls; her previously orange eye colour has faded to a gentler gold, and she is the perfect little tuxie with white socks as well as facial and shirtfront markings. Her sister Callisto has a little Harry Potter zigzag streak down her nose. She likes to have her sibs’ company;  she can often be found in one of the cage-top beds, or on the overhead walkway outside. Both boys have black whiskers; their sisters' white whiskers are long and beautiful against their black coats.

Galaxy  (BC)

Callista's favourite flirting position, lounging on the cat tree  (KN)

I spent a couple of hours with them earlier this week: cleaning, scooping, dealing with kibble and water, and all the other things that go into a morning shift. For the last half hour I had all the Moons and Eden with me; Cosmo and Galaxy wanting attention; the other three just wanting to be around. Towards the end, Athena came in to join us and did some head-bunting with Galaxy, but avoided actual contact with me; that’s par for the course!

Eden gets the last laugh  (KN)

Weekend visitors are not allowed in, but volunteers who work in other areas of the Sanctuary can choose to spend some cat-time with this sweet colony, as long as all the sanitizing protocols are followed to protect them, and all the other cats, from a virus that can take them from us far too soon. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Carol Porteous, Justin Saint

Ophelia

Ophelia (KH)

Torties have a reputation for sass, for unpredictability; the saying is that “people have attitude, cats have cattitude, and torties have tortitude”. And we’ve certainly had our share of the latter: sassy Lunette, who was known as “lunatic” in her early days with us; Princess, who has been with us for more than 4 years, and has only recently started being touchable; bossy Gwen who now loves people but still hates cats – and before them, Treacle, Emily and others.  But we’ve also had our share of gentle, sweet torties: Blaze and Toes, Chelsea, Beans – and, for RAPS old-timers, our beloved Daisy, who loved everyone. So when a new tortie arrives, it’s always interesting to know where she’s going to be on the tortietude scale.

Ophelia loves people  (KN)

Ophelia came to us from out-of-province; our primary ties are with BC’s rescues, but good work is happening everywhere, and sometimes we are the best solution to a problem that, in another jurisdiction, could end in so-called euthanasia. Our contacts here were with the Canadian Animal Task Force (CATF) in Calgary which works with Alberta rescues, shelters and Indigenous communities, with a focus on spay/neuter for both dogs and cats. It was from them, in 2021, that we took in the colony that is still based in Pen 3 – Cornelius, William Shakespurr, Jenkins and the rest of that formerly hoarded group. And we were the ones they called when Ophelia came into their hands.

Wand toys are the best!  (KH)

She is still a youngster – probably around 2 years old – but she has a variety of health issues. She’s theoretically a semiferal, but definitely on the tamer end of the spectrum, and it was decided to place her in the SingleWide where her health could be monitored. She has plasma cell pododermatitis, more commonly known as pillowfoot – puffy, swollen paw-pads. It is thought that it’s an immune system condition, and we’ve seen in before in FIV cats. Auto-immune diseases can throw up a variety of problems, and Ophelia also has occasional inflammation of genitals and problems with her eyes that require eye-drops.  She was fostered by a volunteer for a while, but you can’t explain the necessity for giving eye-drops to a cat, and she was so hard to medicate that it was decided to return her to us, where two pairs of experienced hands could combine to treat her more easily.

Ophelia and Oscar (AA)

Ophelia is very happy with her situation (other than the eyedrops). Her inner kitten is still present, and she loves to play. Even more, she loves having companions. Her companions are not so sure about this!  Oscar is a dignified cat, and it’s beneath his dignity to play, but Ophelia persists in flirting with him until his patience ends and he takes himself out of the way.  

Sharing space with Winston (KH)

She’s also tried it with floofy Winston, but he’s better at removing himself. Black Polar is closer to her age, and more willing to engage; they both love wand toys and will take turns without aggression. Texan Syd will join in, but can get a little carried away; he doesn’t know his own strength.

Loves her lap-time (KH)

Ophelia also loves her humans; she’s often the greeter at the door, and looking for attention. She’s a lap-sitter and a neck-snuggler; one of the joys of working in the SingleWide is the chance to sit when all is done (and sometimes before it’s done!) and have cuddles with cats. There are several of them who will claim lap-time, and Ophelia has added herself to the list. The happier she is with being handled, the easier it is for the med-staff to give her the necessary care, so we all do our part!

Playtime with Polar (AA)

We’re the perfect place for her to land; all the necessary medical care, boyfriends to play with, humans for attention all day, every day. Cat heaven for Ophelia... 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Alicia Almeida, Kim Howe, Bev Johnston, Karen Nicholson

Back Courtyard Shadows

Shy Minnie in Pen 8

Throughout the Sanctuary, there are feral cats lurking out of sight or on the edge of our vision. Some of them have come from our own kitten-rescue efforts; others have come to us from other rescues across the province. Many of those rescues are doing amazing work with little in the way of resources, and they rely on fostering for ongoing care for their cats. And as we all know, some cats will tame down fairly easily, and others resist it all the way!  For a fosterer, the hope is always that you can get a cat to the point of allowing contact and building a relationship – and when that doesn’t happen, it’s very hard to know what to do with a stressed and angry animal in the long term. 

Escaper Volcano is getting used to us 

At the Sanctuary, we can release these cats into the general population and play the “wait and see” game. Some of them may go their entire lives avoiding us, others tolerate our presence as long as we don’t invade their space too much, and with luck, a few will learn that with humans come good treats and gentle hands.  Most of the shyest cats can be found out-and-about in the early morning, and in the evening; cats are by nature crepuscular, meaning that they are most active in the twilight. And it’s usually staff member Karen whose patience and camera-eye can capture views of the ones that many of us see only rarely. All the photos in today's blog are hers.

Sherlock is very wary

Sherlock and his brother Mycroft came to us together; they were spotted on the trail-cams around the perimeter, trapped and brought in. Sometimes these “detective cats” may have been dumped, but these two were definitely feral, and had probably been making a living off the rodents in the surrounding farmland. After their obligatory cage-time for neutering, vaccines and so on, their cages were opened. Sherlock made for the courtyard; Mycroft chose to remain indoors. He adapted really well, and in fact has been adopted (he’s just “Mike” now!) and has his own home. His rough-coated brother Sherlock has also adapted well – just, not to people. He migrates happily from the south wing to the eastern one, and no longer freezes in fear, but he doesn’t trust us, or allow an approach. That’s OK – it’ll happen when he’s ready...

The Winter King - majestic, but cautious

I introduced beautiful Plateau back in September, and he remains wary and dislikes too much attention. He usually hangs out around Waldi’s Hut.  He has been joined by The Winter King, who prefers the comfort of being IN the hut – though he is quick to exit or to hide when any human enters. He came to us from the Shuswap lakes are this past fall, and we had hoped he would tame up, but in the Adoption Centre he huddled in his cage, and only reluctantly tolerated touch, though without aggression; the staff decided to bring him over to the Sanctuary and see if he might blossom (like Bello did). He has obviously decided that he will remain on the wild side.  Thankfully, unlike his namesake, he is no fighter, but manages to co-exist quite happily with his roomies.

Devon and Cordelia, in Pen 8, prefer to be up and out of reach

Next to Waldi’s Hut is Pen 8, given over to a group of refugees from a hoarding situation in Victoria. These cats have been very wary with us, mostly going into hiding when anyone comes in to clean or feed. The Kitty Comforters (particularly Patti) have been working on building trust with them – sitting quietly with music, offering tasty treats and gentle play. Some of them are getting much braver and coming to the gate, especially in the evening; others prefer to remain out of reach, though they are obviously not as scared as they were. Churu to the rescue!

Pretty Pinnacle prefers to stay in hiding

When Lisa and Ken rescued the Commuter Colony last year, there were two naming conventions applied – one group was the Hotel Cats (including Westin and Wyndham) and the other was the Topological Cats (including Plateau, above). The latter group also included Summit, Meadow, Pinnacle and Volcano. Pretty tabby Pinnacle has removed herself as far as possible, but can occasionally be seen at a distance, or lurking in the shrubbery.  Volcano showed himself to be an escape artist, and since recapturing a black cat is not the easiest thing, he has been confined to the escape-proof Pen 7, where he is beginning to get used to the presence of humans; as well as regular visits for cleaning and feeding, Pen 7 is regularly entered by the med-staff handing out necessary meds to other cats.

Tubbitha - no, you may not pet me!

The colony that came to us from Cranbrook, known as the College Cats, has established themselves firmly in Pen 3. Most of them prefer not to use the cabin, which is largely occupied by the group that came from a Calgary hoarding situation back in 2021; the College cats prefer to use the outdoor shelters, and largely operate like a shoal of fish – where one goes, the others tend to follow.  All except for Tabitha, who has separated herself from her family. Renamed Tubbitha, this solid tabby girl has established herself just outside the cat-door leading onto the DoubleWide deck. I assume she goes in when it’s cold, but mostly, she remains at the base of the cat-tree. Visitors proceeding into New Aids have to be warned not to touch her; unlike Hickory, who is also dark tabby and enjoys attention, she is quick to warn people off. The collared cats are marked as cats who will approach and then change their minds, reactively; Tubbitha is not collared because she doesn’t want to be approached at all.

Handsome Chef has the BEST whiskers!

Beautiful tuxedo Chef is right on the edge of contact. He arrived with us in a Tupperware container from another rescue this past June, He came with the name Chicago, but we already had a Chicago among the Pen 6 Newton cats, so his name was changed. He’s still quite young – probably less than 2 years old – and the inner kitten is still there in his reaction to wand toys. He doesn’t want direct contact yet, but he likes treats, loves to move, and is sometimes to be spotted playing with a found object, whether manufactured or just a leaf. He’s quick to swipe with sharp claws when you get too close, but he obviously enjoys being around the courtyard even when people are there – he doesn’t go and hide out in the gardens.

Princess offers the royal sploot

Our little Iranian refugee, Princess, has always kept her distance; she likes to have visitors come and speak Farsi to her, she is a dedicated chickaholic, and she follows me around in the pens, but she did NOT want contact. Suddenly she is presenting herself for petting (though under specific conditions: she has to be on a table or a shelf and there must be no other cats around) - then she ducks her head under my hand and clearly tells me to go on and stroke her. I knew that she’d started accepting it from other volunteers, but it’s the most amazing feeling to have that gift of trust. She’s been with us more than four years – who knows when or if the others will allow that touch.  

But in their own time.... 

Blog by Brigid Coult

All photos by Karen Nicholson