RAPS is short for Regional Animal Protection Society, a registered charity and operator of a sanctuary which houses and cares for nearly 500 homeless or abandoned cats in Richmond, BC, Canada. The Neko Files is a celebration of the sanctuary and all those who live and work there.
Mr. Bojangles was given his name by animal care worker Catherine when he arrived at RAPS. I haven't heard why she chose that name, but I like to think it takes some inspiration from the song written by Jeff Jerry Walker and covered by just about everybody else. It just seems to suit him for some reason.
Here's a version by Sammy Davis Jr:
Unusual as it may be, his name is not what Mr. Bojangles is known best for at the sanctuary. This stoic, gentle soul suffers from chronic congestion that volunteers encountering for the first time will often run to tell one of the animal care workers about this tabby they saw wheezing loudly.
Leslie tells me that they're hoping to look into the possibility of doing a rhinoscopy, similar to what was done on Bree, the Urban Barn cat, in case Mr. Bojangles' congestion is caused by a growth of some kind. But, as in Bree's case, this is an expensive undertaking which will take some planning - not to mention funding - to make happen.
Anyone who's spent much time in double wide trailer at the sanctuary has probably come across Booster.
She likes to perch on the edge of the cage tops and holler for your attention. The sound of her insistent, at times relentless meowing is something Ann likens to the bleating of a sheep.
For anyone who's having trouble conjuring up that particular auditory experience and has better things to do than look it up, please take 6 seconds of your time to view the following:
And here it is in Boostervision:
If I were to go and visit Booster every time she yelled for me during my shift, the other cats would never get their dinner. But - ignore her too long at your own risk. In a funny yet face palm worthy anecdote, Phaedra's punishment for taking too long to respond to this needy kitty's cries for attention was to have Booster sit right in front of her and make a deposit in the food dish. And Booster's punishment in turn was to get smacked in the head by a disgusted Tinkerbelle.
Despite her behavior above, Booster doesn't seem overly comfortable with the idea of other cats even potentially doing anything similar. Ann remembers "one time when she was crying from the top, as usual, and Pee Wee walked by her. Booster took off like a shot when she "encountered " Pee Wee's , um, backside."
This girl really does love human attention, even if she rarely troubles to come down to floor level to receive it. You may find her on one of the lower cat tree perches where it's easier to pet her properly or give her treats, but a lot of times she'll just yell from the top and some convincing may be needed to get her to venture down to somewhere slightly more accessible.
Phaedra describes Booster well: "She's sweet, she's noisy, she's needy and she's nuts."
She adds that she thinks Booster is one of those cats who "would be a lot different in a single cat household."
For those cats who really enjoy human company, it's got to be hard to have to constantly compete with a rabble of dozens, even hundreds, of other cats. Can't really blame a girl for coming across a little on the needy side or even acting out now and again.
This week, I met Bandit. Leslie introduced me to him, saying his story was a little sad.
"Why?" I wanted to know. She said he'd been at the sanctuary for a long time. Meaning much too long.
Bandit (center)
Bandit used to be one of those cats who actively seek attention, bringing himself forward so that a person can't help but take notice and pay attention to him. But he'd get jealous if his chosen person of the moment paid attention to other cats. Unfortunately, cats who don't share well with others don't always make the best impression on visitors and would-be adopters.
Eventually, he seems to have stopped trying so hard to engage people. And this in turn means less attention from anyone who doesn't know him well enough to think to seek him out. As I didn't.
The story of the overlooked: it is indeed a little sad.
Bandit and the phantom blogger
Update March 15, 2010: Even just a little attention can go a long way.
When I came into the double wide for this week's shift, Bandit remembered me and meowed for attention... behaving very much, Leslie says, like he used to do. It seems that Bandit has chosen me to be his friend. And I couldn't be happier.
Update September 3, 2010: Sadly, we lost Bandit yesterday. He was not a well cat over the past few weeks, with severe anemia and a total lack of appetite to go with it. Possibly a bone marrow issue, Leslie thinks. It's going to take a little while for it to sink in that he's not out on back porch and won't sit up and meow for a cuddle when he sees me come through the door.
Cleo and Ricky form one of our favorite "together forever" pairs.
Their separation from their human family was a traumatic one --
A marital breakup resulted in five cats being left behind at a North Richmond home. RAPS was contacted by the wife's relatives and asked to come and retrieve the cats, but the animal control officer could only find two. Carol, Gaye and Leslie went over and managed to capture Ricky and Cleo outside in the yard. The pair were understandably frightened from their experience, but after a few weeks RAPS staff were able to convince them they were now in a safe place.
Ricky
Friendly and affectionate, Ricky is what Leslie would call "a perfect cat." It's so very easy to take to him. For his part, he very much enjoys snuggling on laps. Leslie reports that he also quite enjoys climbing on her back.
Cleo
Leslie tells me that it took Cleo longer to trust people, but now "she's pretty relaxed and oh, so cute." That she is.
Those of you who have been following this blog may recognize the picture above. Cleo graced the Neko Files page header throughout January and February.
These two enjoy each others company, whether peacefully napping together or playfully wrestling, and are looking for a nice home where they can stay together.
Roly was found as a kitten along with his brother Poly.
Poly
With Roly, you may notice a bit of a resemblance to another orange and white longhair in residence, the ever popular Mario. As a result, the somewhat smaller Roly sometimes gets referred to by nicknames such as "Mini Mario" or "Mario Lite."
According to Marianne, Roly is "kind of shy, but it's possible to sneak in a quick pet in passing." She's been making an effort lately to spend time with him and work on convincing him that sitting on a lap and being petted is a good thing.
photo provided by Marianne
These efforts appear to be paying off, as when I introduced myself to Roly earlier this week, I didn't find him particularly shy at all. I didn't think to try picking him up, but he didn't need any convincing at all that being stroked on the ground was a Very Good Thing. He was soon trailing around after me and making it difficult to get a shot that didn't also feature my own feet.
Roly also gets along well with the other cats, I suppose another reason for the Mario nicknames to stick. In the midst of visiting with me, he had to take little breaks to say hello to Cecilia and wash Salty.
All in all, a very nice boy.
Until recently, Rochelle lived in the back pens - the part of the sanctuary where many of our ferals can be found. She was so shy that no one knew what a sweet tame girl she was.
This was only discovered when she was brought inside to be treated for an ear infection. Instead of a hissing wildcat ready to strike out, she turned out to be... nice. Shy, but nice. When I first met her in February, I was told it was not only quite safe to go into her cage but I could pull back the towel that's often put up as a little privacy curtain for frightened ferals and actually visit with her. Here's what I found:
She let me pat her almost immediately and soon started purring with pleasure. I stayed with her for quite some time, stroking her until she drooled.
Now her ear and mouth infections appear to have cleared up, but Rochelle is being kept inside for a little while longer because it gives people working or volunteering at the sanctuary the opportunity to spend lots of time with her, helping her to get over the shyness she'd displayed before. The sign on her cage says "Please spend time loving her."
And how could you not?
Updated February 2013: Rochelle is now enjoying her forever home with one of our volunteers!
A visitor who sees Bunny scamper across the tops of the cages may come to the conclusion that her name is meant to evoke an affinity to rabbits. Interestingly, this is not so. Her name comes from a bakery, Bunsmaster Bakery, to be exact, where she was found. She doesn't have any teeth at all, something Marianne says is thought to be "a result of an early diet of bread scraps." This doesn't appear to cramp her style, but does feel very odd if she decides to bestow a few love bites!
photo provided by Marianne
"She started out quite shy, but never scary or hissy. She now loves being petted and will even come begging for attention by rubbing up against anyone sitting down near her. Once you start petting her, she does a little dance with her front paws - the 'Bunny Boogie.'"
You'll find this cute little tortie girl hanging out in the double wide, the tea room or the back courtyard.
Updated June 7, 2011: We sadly lost Bunny yesterday. She'd been feeling poorly lately and her most recent trip to the vet revealed a tumor growing so rapidly that it hadn't been visible in her last x-ray only two weeks prior.
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