Three Little Maids

Betsy, Zoey, Cleo  (BC)

Although we continue to get single cats arriving into our care, we are one of the few rescues around that can take in a group of cats together. Many of the small rescues doing excellent work around the province know that when they are unable to find fostering or adopting for ferals, or they have a full clowder to accommodate, they can call us and we will do our best. The Pen 3 group from Alberta, the Kamloops cats who have largely migrated out of Pen 6, the still-scared colony from Cranbrook College – these are all cats who have come in as ferals, and are gradually adjusting to life around humans. Some are socializing well, others would rather stay out of reach – and our setup makes that possible for as long as the cats need it.

SweetPea and Owen - happily adopted to their own homes now  (LBF)

In 2022 we took in a dozen ferals whose colony caretaker had passed. They were an unusual colony,  we were told they were ragdolls, but seemed to have much more Himalayan or Siamese in appearance. A classic Ragdoll is a large cat, usually with big blue eyes, very human-orientated, and with a fine, non-matting coat. Many of these cats were small, they had never been socialized and feared humans, and matting was definitely a problem!  Only two of them reached the point of being easily handled, and both SweetPea and Owen were adopted last year.  The others remain very wary and avoid physical contact; because they don’t allow grooming, the necessary de-matting is a matter of shaving the worst knots out under gentle sedation. 

Skye, the fourth (and shyest) little maid  (LBF)

The smallest members of this group of cats all have a sealpoint colouring, and I think of them as the Three Little Maids (for those who know their Gilbert & Sullivan operettas) despite the fact that there are actually four of them. The fourth is Skye, with a slightly mottled facial pattern and a head-tilt from a bout of vestibular disease, and she joins the larger cats in preferring to hide away from human contact.

Big-eyed Betsy   (BC)

The other three are hovering in the space between wanting attention, and still being wary. Betsy (I call her Bitsy-Betsy) is a tiny girl with enormous eyes. To be accurate, it’s the pupils that are enormous, and there may be a sight problem in Betsy’s future. Pupil dilation is normal in cats when the light is dim, or sometimes when a cat is stressed. But it’s also a sign of progressive retinal atrophy, and can lead to blindness. Currently Betsy shows no signs of visual problems; she escorts me around my Friday morning back courtyard cleaning – and it’s not just following me: she leads the way, so that I have to be careful not to trip over her. 

Betsy  (BB)

She was one of the earliest cats this summer to have her mats shaved out, and the skinny little body underneath the fur reinforced just how ragdoll-like she wasn’t!  Luckily, the med-staff who shaved her were able to keep enough fur to allow for a comb-over so she didn’t appear totally naked. She’s not really comfortable with touch, but will allow the odd brief stroke as long as she doesn’t see the hand approaching.

Zoey's regal pose is offset by the crossed eyes  (KN)

Her usual companion is her sister Zoey.  You have to be looking at Zoey from the front to distinguish her from sister 3, Cleo;  Zoey has the classic Siamese cat crossed eyes squint, called Strabismus, in which the retinas are misaligned. 

Zoey and her garden-buddy  (BC)

She is the only one of the three to allow petting; she doesn’t actually solicit it, but she will sometimes come and sit within reach, and when I reach for her, the bum goes up in happy anticipation. A couple of times I have been able to scoop her into my lap, where she remained happily for some fussing.

Cleo watching warily from a distance  (KN)

Cleo and Zoey look identical from the back – or at least, they did till a couple of weeks ago, when Cleo had her visit at the Sanctuary Salon, and had her back mats shaved. Now I can do a quick ID – at least, until the fur grows back!

A little more relaxed - specially with food on offer  (BC)

These three girls have joined the chicken crowd that gathers round when I bring out a baggie of tidbits. They don’t beg and fuss, like Calvin or Pumpkin – they just sit there and give me the eye. Unfortunately, they’re a little too ladylike to grab, and when they wait a moment to pick up the offered treat, someone else is likely to get it first. They won’t accept it from my hand yet, so I need really good aim to toss the tidbit right at their feet;  at that point all of them are capable of giving Pumpkin The Look that says, “Mine!”, and he backs off.

Zoey  (BB)

I don’t think these three are going to be the sort of cuddle-bugs that Owen turned into – but patience and persistence (and treats) will have them being more comfortable with us.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brit Burant, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson

Percival Snugglebutt

Percival Snugglebutt  (LBF)

When the first group of cats from the Kootenays came to us in 2022, it was clear that we had a pretty bonded clowder with strong genetic ties. It’s impossible to say how any specific cat in the family is related to another, but the majority of them are Himalayan in appearance, with blue-point or (more commonly) seal-point colouring.  I still have problem telling most of the girls apart!

Betsy, Zoey, Cleo  (BC)

Three cats stood out as different; two little lynx-points, and a blond boy with no tail. The two girls – Sweetpea and Curious – were both pregnant when they came to us, and in all likelihood, the sire was blond Percival Snugglebutt, (sometimes known as Big Daddy) because there were a few kittens who had his tailless gene.

Percival  (JS)

Like all the group, Percival was shy, and in fact only two of the group – little Sweetpea, and sweet Owen – have proved to be sociable. SweetPea got a lot of handling while in fosterage with her kittens, and has been adopted;  Owen has just decided that he likes this place and enjoys making friends, both feline and human – when the visitors return in the spring, it is possible that he will find a new home.

Percival with Owen    (LBF)

Percival actually seems to be closer to Basil than most of the others, but Basil’s a very timid boy around humans, and in his company, there’s a lot of hiding.  

Percival with Basil  (KN)

Luckily, Percival is food-motivated (if not to the same extent as Owen!), and when there are handouts, he can often be found hovering nearby. He’s still pretty tentative, and is one of those cats who takes awhile looking at the tidbit in question before deciding to eat it – which means that pushy cats like Pumpkin and Parry will often dart in to secure the prize.

Percival  (BC)

So far, I've not been able to get more than the occasional touch – he doesn’t much like petting, and he really doesn’t want to be touched with grooming tools, which is a pity, because he’s one of those cats whose fur mats. Like a number of other cats this winter, he will probably have to have a shave-job when the weather gets warmer. But the fact that he’s so often part of the handout crowd makes me hopeful that initial progress has been made, and 2024 may be the Percival Snugglebutt year to let go of some more of his feral fears.

Admire me!   (LBF)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, 

Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint

July 2024; We lost our sweet boy this week to an intestinal tumour.  He was greatly loved...

Owen

Owen  (KN)

Of the little colony of cats who came in from the Kootenays last year, the majority remain shy and wary of much contact with us, though most of them no longer confine themselves to Pen 8, which was their first home here. Just two of them really embraced Sanctuary life:  little SweetPea built on the socialization she had from foster-mom Kati, and showed herself willing to be petted and cuddled;  it wasn’t long before she was adopted. (Her sister Curious is still not happy about much in the way of human contact.)

Owen  (LBF)

Handsome Owen has always been the most outgoing of the remainder of the colony. Though he enjoys his cats-only bonding time with Basil and Percival Snugglebutt, he has embraced his inner Ragdoll and loves lap-time and treats with staff and volunteers.  

Hanging out with Percival Snugglebutt  (LBF)

When the Kootenays cats first came to us, we were told they were Ragdolls. In fact, we rarely have purebred cats of any sort at the Sanctuary – most of our cats are mixed-breed, and many have come to us as a result of not being spayed/neutered, so we never know quite what genetics are in play. In appearance, Owen, and many of the others, have a more Himalayan appearance – paler long-haired body, dark face and legs – but without the smooshed-in face of the purebred Himalayan. Owen steps outside the norm with snowshoe paws, and his body-coat is darker than the classic Siamese/Himalayan shading.

Owen with shy Bailey  (LBF)

Owen’s not the largest of the group – that’s probably shy Basil’s role – and none of them are really at Ragdoll size, though cats from feral beginnings are often smaller because of early malnourishment. But Owen obviously likes people; he asks to come up on a lap, is easily handled and loves his treats and fussing.  

Independent and confident  (BC)

He has now joined the ranks of the “bandana cats” wearing an identifying scarf on visiting days, and we would love to see him adopted to someone who recognizes his cat-colony background and who can give him time to settle into new surroundings with a family to love him.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

He did it!  Owen was adopted by Mel & Scott, who also have Bagheera, Aphrodite (Dottte) and Scooter in their new Alberta home. Happy new life to you all!

Finding Sanctuary

Percival & Owen  (LBF)

We are getting to know the Pen 8 newcomers, and vice versa – they are getting to know us in turn, and learning that life is not really as scary as they had thought when they arrived.

Cleo & SweetPea  (LBF)

This little clowder of 12 cats came to us all the way from the Kootenays.  They had lived semi-feral, and when their caretaker died, the local shelter knew that they would be too much to manage, and reached out to us. Some of them are touchable, but most still shy away from contact.

Owen & Bailey (LBF)

When they first came to us, they were caged in ones and twos to allow them to decompress after a stressful journey, and to give us time to make medical and behavioural assessments. We were told they were ragdolls, but they don’t have the characteristic inverted V on the face; there’s more Himalayan or Balinese in their appearance. 

Percival Snugglebutt   (KN)

Three males are at the heart of this little colony.  Handsome blond Percival Snugglebutt is also known as Big Daddy, and is responsible for some of the kittens that have gone to the Adoption Centre. He is tailless – not Manx breed, but one of those cats that just have the genetic mutation for no tail - in fact, some of his offspring are also tailless.

Owen  (BC)

Owen has settled well, and is starting to allow contact. He hangs out with Percival quite happily, but can mostly be found among all his darker girlfriends. He is easily distinguished by the little blaze on his face. He is playful and food-motivated.

Basil   (BC)

Basil is paler in colour and his blaze is more prominent. He’s a little warier than Owen and not as easily coaxed by food offerings.

Betsy   (BC)

Learning who’s who among the girls is almost as hard as distinguishing among the courtyard black cats.  Most of them have the characteristic dark face and dark stockings of a Himalayan. They tend to stay together by preference; a visitor entering the pen is often greeted by the scurrying of little sealpoint shapes.

Skye  (LBF)

Betsy, Cleo, Zoey and Skye have the classic sealpoint markings.

Bailey  (KN)

Bailey is both larger and paler – bluepoint rather than sealpoint.  She seems to prefer to hang out at the back with Basil. Myrtle is also bluepoint, but is currently under care for dental problems. The other cat missing from the photos is Kali, a very shy calico who is rarely seen.

Sweetpea & Curious  (LBF)

The smallest (and probably the youngest) two are both lynx-point – gold-eyed Curious and the longer-haired blue-eyed SweetPea.  Both arrived pregnant and had their babies in fosterage. At least some of the kittens were sired by Percival (we can tell from the missing tails), but there may be more than one father involved in creating a litter. These two have had home-care and are more comfortable with being handled than the others.

Owen, Zoey, Betsy (and Curious hiding at the back)  (KN)

The Kootenay rescuers did valiant work in keeping this colony together, and getting them to us, where they can be safe. It’s rare that “breed” cats like this come into our care, but having lived feral for so long, it is likely that the Sanctuary will be their home for the rest of their lives.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson