Who Are They?

 

Salem, playing with Honeydew & Leo  (PC)

Volunteer Pauline Chin is present during Saturday visiting hours, and offers this blog.

Word of the Cat Sanctuary’s public reopening has slowly spread and is gaining momentum.  Some visitors have come from as far (so far) as Kamloops just to see the cats.  At least 80% of visitors are first-timers.  Their eyes are aglow and wide as they take in the incredible sights.  With that, comes the inevitable questions, “who’s this?” and “what’s that kitty’s name?”.

Here are the 6 most notorious mystery cats that have graced visitors with their presence in the front courtyard:

Meet the calico sisters.

Kiwi at ease   (MW)

Easiest to identify is Kiwi.  She’s black with orange and white markings.  She’s still warming up to people now that weekends are full of humans, but that’s far from her previous don’t-touch-me-dash.  Of the three, Kiwi is the clearest loner.  Don’t be offended if you only get in a couple of pets before she flees.

Honeydew  (MW)

Next is Honeydew.  Upon first glance, she looks the same as Melon.  They both sport the over-cut bangs and white bodies.  The main differences are Honeydew has a near-continuous trail of splotches on her back and a white chin.  Her personality now is much friendlier and she will interact with strangers.  She still likes Salem, but doesn’t rely on him like in the past.  Honeydew happily hangs out with other cats.

Melon   (MW)

Melon has the most white fur of the sisters.  Her back has a few splotches of orange and black, as if she walked beneath a table dripping wet paint.  She wears a permanent black goatee.  Melon enjoys the company of other cats over humans.  Get her interested with a toy or treats. 

Kiwi prefers the swing canopy to the swing seat (PC)

It’s worth noting that all three will scale the fence and sit atop either the umbrella or swing set.  If you think seeing them up there is shocking, wait until they leap down out of nowhere as if it were raining cats.

Together - but not too much! Melon & Honeydew  (PC)

On to team black!

Salem with Melon  (MW)

Big boy Salem has maintained his harem of girl cats and has also attracted a few others to relax with.  (He’s from Lethbridge, just like the sisters and a handful of others.)  He’s gained some weight and a bronze tan over the 2 years he’s been here.  If he were human, he’d probably sport a gold chain and sunglasses.  His eyes are in the yellow-green spectrum.  Still confident and friendly as ever, he welcomes everyone to join his cuddle club.

Reefer   (MW)

Reefer’s features are more rounded than Salem’s.  His eyes are more yellow-gold.  He too, has a bronze tan from the sun.  Sometimes, he rolls around and ends up wearing all the dust.  

Boxed Reefer (PC)

Reefer prefers staying dry and avoids the misters we use on hot days.  He loves catnip toys.  While he doesn’t have a cat harem, he’s delighted by all the extra admiration from visitors.  He often flops over for affection and is easy to befriend.

Gidget - "Pet me, please!" - KN

Last, but not least is Gidget.  She is a quiet, small black cat who came in with Wickem - though they didn't remain together.  Visitors have remarked about her curly question mark tail.  Her unique feature is her cleft-like mouth; her lips seem to always be slightly agape. 

Gidget - "Do I have to get up?"  (PC)

 I make an effort to wake her up before opening, so she has a chance to interact with visitors. She’s a leg-rubber and can take people by surprise.  She’s sought out more attention this summer than the whole 3.5 years she’s been here.  Gidget became a fast favourite.

Reefer playing  (KN)

If you’re a newcomer, these 6 cats are nice to get to know.  Playing Cat Bingo is another way to familiarize yourself with popular cats.  So, why not learn new names and impress your family or friends?  The cats appreciate being called correct names, too.

Blog by Pauline Chin.

Photos by Pauline Chin, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

RAPS and the Cats of Many Colours

After a summer when it seemed that we were being overrun with little black kittens, it’s good to be welcoming an assortment of coloured cats.

Kiwi - MW

The Last Chance Cat Ranch in Lethbridge AB faced a crisis when the owner had health issues that necessitated a move back to her family in Edmonton. The shelter had been in existence since 2003, and over the years she had helped save more than three thousand cats.  Sadly, nobody was willing to take over her shelter and she reached out to other rescues to relocate as many cats as possible.  We have nine of them with us, and all are settling down to various degrees.

Melon - MW

Seven of them were initially put into the Connor building.  Tabby Ziggy was given a cage to herself. She was not happy about the move, about the other cats around, about life in general....   

Ziggy - LBF

Now she's out, she still mostly hides behind a drape and growls, and she objects to other cats looking in on her. She’s going to be quite a project for the Kitty Comforters – we don’t know her background, but she’s very distrustful.

Honeydew - MW

The other six knew each other well, and were paired for mutual comfort.  Black cats Salem and Obelix initially shared space, but Obelix was discovered to be FIV+, and was relocated. Three of the others were calicos, coming to us as Melon, Honeydew and Kiwi; the fourth was Siamese-mix Shiver.  Salem, Honeydew and Kiwi were released first and ready to explore; they’re a little wary about humans, but sufficiently food-motivated that they will come and feed at the table where the wet-food plates are being prepared.  Kiwi is the darkest of the three – a very pretty girl who is interested in the area around her. She appears to be tolerating the other cats, and has settled comfortably on one of the shelves as her base.

Kiwi - LL

Her buddy Honeydew also appears relaxed, and was quick to discover the above-cages area, scaling the mesh to find her beloved Salem – the two can be found snuggling together. The cage-top cats – Layla, Celine, Spooky and the others – are all a pretty easy-going bunch, and the newcomers have settled in with them in no time.

Salem getting a little lovin' from Honeydew - KN

Melon and Shiver were caged a little longer for some dental attention, but are now out and about in the front courtyard.  Shiver appeared the most wary of the group, but is no longer looking as spooked as when he arrived, and he and Melon chirp happily at each other.  Caging cats in pairs may give them less room (though our cages are pretty roomy) but it often gives them comfort and confidence in a new situation. Melon and Honeydew look pretty similar; we’re guessing that the three girls are litter-mates.

Shiver is another handsome blue-eyed boy - MW

Two other cats came with them, but like Obelix, they have gone into the New Aids pen, since they are FIV+. Sadly, too many people don’t understand that the FIV virus doesn’t make cats any less adoptable – and these two are prime candidates for a home. Orange & white Dango is insatiably curious – he wants into everything, and is constantly on the move. He’s very friendly with people and at ease with the other cats.

Austin & Dango - KN

Black Austin is definitely a people-cat; he loves to lap-sit, and he has the characteristic erect tail of a happy and confident cat.  We would love to see more of our FIV+ cats go to their own homes; unlike the FeLV virus, which does affect the cat’s health, FIV is a virus that causes AIDS in cats; however, there is a long asymptomatic period before AIDS occurs and care can prolong this period. Many of the FIV cats live long lives, and may never actually develop full-blown AIDS.

Austin - KN

Austin and Dango are used to living together, but since they are relaxed and happy, they might do well with a non-aggressive FIV- cat or with a dog; like all RAPS cats , we would want them to be indoor-only pets. Black Obelix is very shy and will not be an adoption candidate.

Dango - KN

There are many privately-run shelters across the country, often set up by cat-loving people who may not have a succession plan for their beloved cats when health issues intervene. There aren’t many shelters who can take on nine cats at a time, but RAPS is glad to be able to welcome these newcomers to the Sanctuary family.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Leslie Landa, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright