Mindfulness in Motion

This week's blog comes to you from volunteer Laura Funay, who is one of our devoted Kitty Comforters.

Bugle says "GO AWAY!- unless you have something tasty!"  (KN)

Every so often, an acquaintance will ask me: "ooh, what did you do to your hands?" If bandaged, they may expect to hear about a cooking incident, or a hike in deep bush country.

The answer is always: "I volunteer with cats."

And this is what Bugle looks like when we treat her right...   (KN)

No, I'm not a masochist. There's also a second part to my answer, and it's always "I just wasn't paying proper attention."

Approaching RootBeer with caution (LF)

People without cat experience often say that they don't know how I can keep doing this. It is, 95 % of the time, entirely preventable, so it's down to me to keep scratches from happening. I consider it part of life-long learning. Any red marks I do receive are notes from my furry teachers, reading "much room for improvement." It brings to mind the expression "That which hurts, also instructs".

Beautiful Malibu  (KN)

Having ADHD means that the moment I step through the sanctuary gates I'm monitoring where I put my feet, the level of my voice, and where I rest my gaze. My inner Agnes from Despicable Me is squealing "they're so fluffy I'm gonna die!" She's hard to keep down. A new gorgeous floof like Malibu can make me gasp in surprise and awe. Unfortunately, it sent him running, and put us on the slow road to friendship. I'm still working on turning that gasp into a long breath and slow blinks.

Sweet Pea (MW) is a beloved old friend

Moment to moment, as I walk slowly through the front courtyard, I greet old friends like Sweet Pea by name and give scritches and knuckle rubs. In cat etiquette, looking away during a greeting is rude, so I focus my eyes on each friend in turn; my usual impulse is to look EVERYWHERE.

Cher (AG) loves attention on her own terms
but can become over-stimulated

The moving meditation continues. The kitties in need of attention are waiting in their cages or in their hidey holes, so I must be brief with the friendlies, and leave with a "love you, see you later." Time-blindness must be kept in check. It's incredibly hard to do, but I'm prepared with my list of KC kitties, and that helps. Somewhat...

Benji (MW) wears a collar to remind us he's reactive

Caged cats, whether new or receiving treatments, have sheets explaining their personalities, plus advice on how to approach them. I read them very thoroughly now, having learned a valuable lesson from Benji a while back. In my excitement to meet this friendly fellow, already purring through the cage, I skipped the line about overstimulation leading him to bite, which he did. Later, when a much-younger nurse practitioner questioned my life choices while prescribing antibiotics, well, that also helped with my reading comprehension a great deal.

Little Cat's expression tells me to approach carefully  (KN)

Awareness of the environment and remaining in the present, as in seated meditation, are absolutely necessary for me. A wandering mind while petting can lead to hurt feelings and an indignant swat, Eyes on kitty, hands on kitty, mind on kitty. Do your shopping list on your own time, human! New cats, known divas like Little Cat, Jobie and Jade, even longtime friends have their peculiarities when injured or startled. Focus and attention are impaired in an ADHD brain; kitty comforting exercises these skills, with immediate rewards. 

Sweet shy Sprint came to trust me   (LF)

For me, getting slow blinks, rumbling purrs, or piles of floof from five minutes of brushing reinforces my "training". Old friends like Zimmer, Snotty Bobby, and Sprint, eventually recognized my voice and approached me for cuddles and treats. It's a big win for the KC team and staff, having a former cage-topper come down to the floor to mix and mingle and get their share of treats. 

Sam is approachable if there are no other cats around  (KN)

I'm currently working on handsome new tabby Root Beer who likes to hang around Hill House and needs a lot of brushing, but group living seems to stress him out, so it's slow going. Orange Sam now waits for visitors in the Single Wide foyer and is an absolute darling when no other cats are around. It will take time for them to tolerate other cats, so for now I must be patient and alert. I must be improving: I haven't come home with any red notes for the past month.

Blog by Laura Funay

Photos by Laura Funay, Akira Graham, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Foster to Adopt

Mango will be wearing an "I am adoptable" bandana  (KN)

As its name implies, the RAPS Adoption Centre is the place to go when you’re looking for a cat. Kittens come from fosterage when they’re old enough to get all their immunizations, and both foster-parents and Kitty Comforters have made sure that they’re well socialized.  Other older cats come in – sometimes from trapping strays who then make it clear that they’re tame and home-able; sometimes when someone surrenders a cat because of their own illness or age. There is never a lack of cats looking for a home.

Elvis has his favourite people for cuddles  (LBF)

...which is where the Sanctuary comes in. There have been occasions when the Adoption Centre is just too full, and cats have been transferred into our care.  Some of our older cats – the Pen 2 cats in particular – came to us that way, and just never went back.

Sam loves attention - as long as there are no other cats around  (LBF)

Other cats don’t do very well in the Adoption Centre surroundings – I suspect it’s just too intense for them. They have to be caged at night, and for those that are out during the day, it’s not easy to avoid personality clashes. Sam, Elvis, Mango and many others, all moved to the Sanctuary to give them some relief from a situation in which they demonstrated cage aggression. Many of them are cats that would do really well in a home with space to explore – especially if they were The One and Only Cat.

Cornelius & Holly  (LBF)

A third category of cats is those who have come to us as ferals or semi-ferals, and who have proved to be very friendly and adaptable. The thing with most of these cats is that they’re used to having the run of the Sanctuary, and we can’t always track their bathroom habits. Many cats prefer to use the litter boxes we scoop twice daily – but others prefer the garden, and are not necessarily indoor-adaptable, even when they’re friendly. With some of the shyer cats, we would prefer that they are adopted in pairs, so that they continue to live with another cat they already know.

Dango needs diet-specific living....  (KN)

The last category of adoptables is the cats with a manageable health issue. Our sweet Dango, for instance, throws up bladder crystals and really needs to be on a carefully restricted urinary diet – but that’s difficult to achieve in community living without making him live in a cage. Right now, Dango’s been moved into the Val Jones pen, with a smaller number of cats – and they’re ALL on a urinary diet, whether they need it or not.

FeLV cat Adria is young, playful and sociable (BC)

Cats with FIV or FeLV - feline AIDS or feline leukemia virus - may also be adoptable, though there are more stringent restrictions around care. Cats with FIV can do very well in a home, even with non-FIV cats, as long as there is no fighting among them.  Cats with FeLV can live with other FeLV cats, or alone. Both conditions need more awareness of health-checks and of the cat's immune system, though in both cases, the virus can go into remission.

Sweet old Akiva is really unhappy around other cats (KN)

We’ve always been wary about adopting out Sanctuary cats – there have been bad experiences with former ferals who have reverted when put into new surroundings. But increasingly we’re looking at the more sociable cats and how they react to or bond with a visitor, and asking ourselves whether this might be a possible adoption.  With the Adoption Centre cats, we know that they can go into a new home and settle easily; with the Sanctuary cats we are more cautious. So the focus moves to “Foster-To-Adopt” – an adoption is not confirmed until we know that both cat and adopter are happy, and that the situation is working all round.  In some cases – perhaps with an older cat like Akiva, or one who needs more medical care – it might remain a fostering situation indefinitely.

Tabby Hunter is picky about his human company  (KN)

So, if you come to visit us this summer – Sunday afternoons, starting April 16, and then Saturdays as well from mid-May – do ask the staff about the possible foster-to-adopt cats, and take some time to sit with them and make their acquaintance.  There are many who love life in the Sanctuary – but who would love even more to have a home of their own.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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