Hickory & Mitzi

Mitzi & Hickory  (KN)

For several years the DoubleWide Deck was known as tuxedo central, but in the last while the tabbies have been staging a takeover!  Luke, Bodhi and Denzel are still present, but they are also wandering more freely, and looking up at the furry pile on the mattress, there’s often more brown fur than black.  

Did you say chicken?  (BC)

Floor level is dominated by tortie Gwen, who doesn’t like other cats any more than she did at the beginning. They have learned to avoid her, and to stay outside her personal “bubble”. While the weather has remained fine, there is a steady flow of Deck cats out to the cat-tree by the New Aids entrance, and some of them venture further.

Hickory  (LBF)

Hickory and Mitzi are two of the most regular venturers.  They may well be litter-mates; they arrived four years ago from CATS rescue, in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. They are not particularly bonded, but may often be found together, since they both use the DW Deck as their base.   Hickory is a handsome dark tabby with the classic-tabby whorls on his coat. He is initially wary with humans, but ready to accept attention; he can often be found visiting cat-pals in Pen 1.  When the cat-door was first installed on the Deck he was one of the first to explore – and then got a bit panicked when he couldn’t find his way to return; he’s much more sure of himself now.

Luke with Hickory  (KN)

Hickory extends his social presence outside the Deck cats; if there is a courtyard gathering for chicken tidbits, he is often part of it. However, he’s not really interactive with the dominant boys of the Boys’ Club – Pumpkin, Walker, Quinn and their buddies. Hickory sits back and observes. Most of his socializing is with his tuxedo pals on the Deck.

Mitzi   (KN)

Mitzi is a big-eyed, stripy-variety tabby with a large white bib. She is very food-motivated, but not enough to make her act nice with humans;  she has a lightning front paw that is quick to smack. But the potential for tasty tidbits, brings her closer and closer, and though she’s not happy about being touched, she will tolerate it for the sake of an adequate pay-off.

Seeking a little sun-worshipping  (KN)

Like Hickory, she enjoys little excursions into the gardens, but tends to remain close to home-base; the platform with the cat-tree is her favourite place on a nice day; and she can dodge human attention easily.  Though the two of them mostly do their own thing independently, just occasionally we will see moments of affection (or possibly annoying-the-sibling moments) that signal a loving family connection.

Hickory & Mitzi  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Hank the Hunk

Hank  (KN)

There are many favourite corners at the Cat Sanctuary, and staff, volunteers and visitors each have their own specials.  But sooner or later, most of us make our way to the New Aids pen, where there is always a feline star. You had a recent introduction to Trooper, who has stolen everybody’s hearts despite three legs rather than four;  Biggie attaches himself to any lap that comes his way; when Amaretto emerges to flirt for attention, she gets it; even not-beautiful Bill has his fan-club (which includes me!).

Hank  (KC)

Enter Hank.

Hank  (BB)

If there is a stereotypical FIV cat, Hank could be the poster-child. He’s a chonky, solid boy with a square muscular build, the chubby cheeks of a late-neutered cat, some of the scars of a life without much human care and the flat ear-tip of a cat that has been TNR’d.  

enjoying the evening sun....  (BB)

We don’t know much about his past – he arrived into our care last May from our friends at CritterAid, in the Okanagan. A feral cat with an FIV+ diagnosis is a problem for many rescues who practice TNR – the cat can be spayed/neutered, but if released, it can still pass on the virus if there is fighting over territory or food.  When he arrived there were warnings on his cage about handling him, and even when released, he was initially wary.

more cuddles, please...?    (KC)

But Hank has decided that humans are The Best Thing since he caught his last mouse!  He has a new home with a pretty tolerable bunch of other felines.  He has food and warmth and shelter.  And he has people to love – people who will sit down and offer laps, and petting and cuddles – people who will stop what they’re doing to give him attention – and at weekends, even more people!

sometimes, a little alone time....  (KN)

Have we created a monster?  Hank has become an attention-hog!  Other cats need attention too, but Hank is determined to be first.  Newcomer Chance is spending his time in hiding and needs to be coaxed out, but volunteer Marty found that Hank would grab the chance for back-sitting rather than lap-sitting.

If a back is offered, rather than a lap....   (MC)

It used to be that cats testing positive for FIV were deemed unadoptable.  We now know more about how the virus affects them (mostly, it doesn’t!)  And our reasons for deciding a cat isn’t adoptable are pretty much the same for these guys as for any other cat in the Sanctuary – feral or very shy behaviour, bad habits of peeing or aggression, or specific medical problems. Several of our FIV boys would be wonderful companions in a home – alone or together. The only criterion of homing an FIV+ cat with one that is FIV- is that the cats should get along and not fight.

Hank is pretty cat-social
- group sleeping with Woodie and Boomer  (HM)

Right now we have three adoption-possible stars in New Aids – Biggie, Trooper and Hank. There are others, but these three boys just shine.  And Hank is probably the one most determined to climb his way into someone’s heart!

Hank - exhausted after an afternoon of visiting!  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brit Burant, Katy Cobb, Marty Corey, Henrie Morgan, Karen Nicholson

Calendar 2025 - out-takes!

Peaches - but she's more gloriously calico
than you can see here!   (KN)

‘Tis that time of year again, and the phenomenon of the annual RAPS Calendar pops up.  Actually, it pops up back in July, with the beginning of my calls to photographers and the requests for specific considerations – are there pairs or groups? - is there anything seasonal? - are there particular stories to link to our models?

One photographer taken by the other -
with model Jasper at his most endearing    (MK)

This year the calendar features the work of staff members Karen Nicholson and Mike Fossey. All the staff and volunteers at the Sanctuary are known to whisk cell-phones out for quick pics, and many of them are really good, and have been featured in blogs and on the website. But Karen and Mike take their big lenses really seriously, and both have that magic eye for the personality of a cat.

We lost Raisin as we were doing last proofs -
and her portrait was withdrawn   (KN)

The Calendar is launched this week with pre-orders here, but, as I have done before in a blog, here are some of the ones that didn’t get featured for various reasons – though quality was not one of them!

This is so typical of Biggie - but do we really
want to see closed eyes for a full month?  (KN)

What are my criteria for shortlisting? I’m looking for a spectrum of colours and breeds across the year, with not too much dominance in any area. I’m looking to learn something about the cat in question, about their personality.  I’m looking for a picture that I can have on my wall for a full month and still see interesting things in it. 

It's good to see Boston out and about - but he
looks like he's emerging from prison!  (KN)

I try to avoid pictures with cage bars or pen netting where possible – though sometimes it’s artistically valid. And I try to avoid selecting a cat who has featured in the previous year’s calendar.

Such affection in this picture - but Thorne (R) was featured
last year, and we lost Percival (L) recently  (MK)

It’s hard to turn the page of a calendar and be faced with the picture of a cat that we’ve all loved and lost – sometimes we know it’s going to happen (as in Percival’s passing) and sometimes it comes as a shock to us all.

We miss you, sweet Leonardo diCatprio   (KN)

and sometimes I look at a photo of a cat and think “you’ll likely not be with us next year...”

old-lady Bricklyn is looking increasingly fragile  (KN)

With both Sam and Cheeto featured this year as our orange cats, I was sad not to be able to justify this picture of sweet Daffodil. She came from Kamloops, but missed out on bonding with the other orange floofs – she divides her time between the DoubleWide and the Newcomers.

Daffodil is still very wary around us  (MK)

Artistically, I really like the photos in which the cats naturally frame themselves, or in which the colour or texture of the object that hides them is also interesting;  in the end, that was why we selected Gizzard’s picture, rather than Barbie’s – she hid herself a little too much.

Barbie did NOT want to be in the open for her portrait  (MK)

There were a number of photos of the Cranbrook College cats, and of the Pen 8 Kootenays cats;  Li’l Bit from the first group won the cover picture prize, and Zoey being squinty claimed a page, but both had serious competition.

Bernadette, of the College cats, is a tree-climber to find a quiet place  (KN)

Already, I’m starting to think about the next calendar – can we do more seasonal shots? - do we need shots that show more of the Sanctuary? - who are the potential models who’ve not yet had their moment in the sun? - Gwen?  Kramer?  Amaretto? Oscar or Winston?  This is the thirteenth calendar from the Sanctuary, and there is a continuous flow of refugees coming into our care and no lack of potential pictures for next year.

Sweet Skye is shyer than her other sisters  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Mike Kossey & Karen Nicholson

Now go and find the Calendar to see the photos that made it!
For online purchase, click HERE

Aggression? or Fear?

Junji - named for Junji Ito, manga horror artist! - (KN)

We’ve recently had a few cats come into the Sanctuary with a reputation for being somewhat spicy. 

The latest has been striking-looking Junji, who was transferred from the Adoption Centre when it became obvious that he was not going to make a good impression on potential adopters.  I was in the DoubleWide when he was brought across to the Sanctuary, and put in one of the large cages there. There was a great deal of feline bad language from him, and inevitably all the local big boys had to come and inspect the exterior of his cage, which probably raised his blood-pressure! 

Junji still caged and a little edgy    (BC)

The following day I visited, and with a certain amount of trepidation, went in to introduce myself to Junji. He was much calmer than I’d anticipated, allowed petting, hopped down to the floor via my knee and returned to his shelf without either bad language or bad behaviour. He was obviously happier now he had space to move, and less sense of confinement.  As the days passed, it was apparent that he was quite accepting of his surroundings, and once his vaccines had taken effect, Junji was released.

Junji the explorer  (KN)

Initially he roamed the building quite happily, avoiding the alpha cats, but exploring every inch he could reach. Within a day or two he was out in the courtyard and investigating with enthusiasm – although we put a collar on him, he has shown no aggression to humans, and only when challenged, to other felines.

Lounging happily (with a suspicious Celeste)   (KN)

Junji shows us an example of cage aggression, which is no big deal in RAPS, but which can spell a death sentence to a cat in a kill shelter. 

Bill the junkyard cat was not a happy (caged) camper 
in his early days with us    (BH)

We try to use cages sparingly. In the Sanctuary they are used when new cats arrive, to allow time for vaccines to take hold, for the cat to accept a new place, for them to get used to humans being around – and then we open the cage and let them make the decisions about living indoors or outdoors, openly or in hiding. Cages are also used when a cat needs medical treatment or restricted movement, or when it is one of several feral black cats who won’t easily be accessible for medication.   Most of our cages are large ones, allowing a scared cat to retreat right to the back. Several are 6-foot high, allowing visiting humans to sit with that scared cat. 

Honey, fresh out of her cage   (KN)

In the Adoption Centre the cages are smaller, but most of the cats are already people-social and adoption-ready. The stressor there seems to be that though the cats can have their time at large in the main room, they keep having to be returned to their cage. This was very much Junji’s problem. Another cat now in the Front Courtyard has a similar background – Honey was very reactive in the cage, and inclined to slap her visitors, but since being released and able to explore the area, she has proved to be a sweetheart, and has earned her “adoptable” bandana with her affectionate behaviour with visitors.

Honey flirting with all the weekend visitors   (KN)

Scared cats seem to have two main ways of dealing with their fear – they shrink into the smallest possible space and try not to be seen, or they decide that attack is the best defence, and make themselves as fearsome as possible. In a shelter where they may not have any option other than a cage, cats like this will be passed over for adoption in favour of a “nicer” cat, and if space is at a premium, they may not be given time to adapt. We are so fortunate that the Adoption Centre and the Sanctuary can work together in this way, and that cats like Junji and Honey have space and time to find themselves without feeling constantly fearful.

Lunette was sometimes known as "lunatic" in her early days with us.
She's a sweet girl now  (JS)

Thinking back, a lot of our cats have suffered from this cage aggression. I’m not talking about straight aggression – cats like Sophie and Parker and Gizmo have always been reactive and angry, regardless of whether they’re in a cage or not. But sweet cats like Lindor are remembered for their former cage attacks on unsuspecting staff and volunteers (several of them had warning signs on their cages) and now he looks for pets (and food) from just about everyone. 

Lindor the former cage slasher is now a love-bug   (KN)

Looking back at other blogs: Tyson, BB, Lunette, Bill, our beloved Leonardo diCatprio (RIP), and as yet unblogged cats like TicTac and Eddie – they are all cats who, in standard shelter conditions would probably be passed over and/or avoided altogether. Fear and anger came together – as they do with humans shut into cages! - and few shelters have the time and space to remedy the situation. Coming to the Sanctuary gave them time to adjust to more space, to quiet humans who were ready to allow them to work at their own pace, and finally, to explore a safe version of an uncaged world.

Eddie regularly attacked visitors to his cage
 - and then he walked out, and relaxed with everybody!  (KN)

It was routine, with Kitty Comforter visits to Eddie, that you would shed some blood – but when the door opened, it was a new, calmer Eddie that walked out into the Front Courtyard and made himself at home with us. 

It’s lovely to see it happening again with Junji and Honey. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Brielle Hutchison, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint

Black Cat Trio

Orson  (KN)

In the fall of 2022 I was spending quite a lot of time on the DoubleWide deck with the semi-ferals, and I got to know Fargo and Della – though our acquaintance never progressed past the wary acceptance of treats. I learned that they had come to us from Salmon Arm in 2021, and that they’d been part of a larger clowder, transferred to us through Sammy’s Forgotten Felines in Kamloops. The other three cats that came with them had two handicaps – they were black cats, and they based themselves in the back courtyard behind Waldie’s Hut – an area that is almost impossible to monitor, because there are so many hiding places.

Arwen (KN)

More recently, in the course of Kitty Comforting shifts, I encountered Arwen – a small shy black cat who was caged for dental care and an upper respiratory infection. Arwen is very wary, but the KCs know all about dealing with wary cats – lots of patience required, and the knowledge that when the cat finally emerges from treatment, it may want to forget all about the humans who reached out to it.  

Arwen  (KN)

Arwen spent some time in the Newcomers area – which meant, for her, an upper-level cage. For the agile and bendy among the KCs, this is not a problem – they simply fold themselves up and climb into the cage with her. For those of us who are less agile, it means a lot of arms-length reaching – not comfortable for cat or human.  Arwen has now been moved to the DoubleWide, which means she has a large cage in which there is a chair!  There, we can sit and make contact with her just by voice, or by touch. The touch is not initially welcomed, but a back-scratcher or a brush makes a good start, and Arwen appreciates a bit of back-end petting – her bum comes up happily as long as she can’t see your hand at first. Arwen’s still wearing a cone as her mouth heals from dental surgery, so we’ve got another week or so at least, to coax her into accepting that humans mean her nothing but good.

Orson  (KN)

Having got to know Arwen, I decided I needed to make the acquaintance of the rest of her clowder.  Black cats, of course, are often very hard to identify, and I rely heavily on Karen’s knowledge to get to know where some of them may be situated, and how to distinguish them.  Big Orson was surprisingly easy to find. I had initially met him sitting next to Waldie’s hut and been struck by his similarity to my beloved Midnight, who we lost earlier this summer. Orson is a big boy, though less chonky than Midnight, and he has similar white whiskers – plus one white eyebrow whisker. 

Orson, relaxed in the sunshine  (BC)

He is not ready yet to make any approaches, and is not notably food-motivated, so closer friendship may be a long process. He and his family have been with us for three years now, so he’s probably around 9 years old. Karen tells me that when he was first released, we couldn't find him and we had to set up trail cameras inside the BCY to check on him because we didn't know where he was hiding or when he emerged to eat and socialize. Nowadays he's much braver than he used to be and is prepared to sit quietly while I talk to him, though he does not want to be touched.

Orson  (KN)

He’s probably around 16lbs in weight; all the others from his colony are tiny, so we don't know where he got it from!  

Keno-in-a-box - note the ear-tip identifier!  (BC)

His most common companion is Keno, probably the shyest of the group. She lurks in Orson’s shadow, and can sometimes be found tucked in an adjacent bed.  The giveaway identifier is a light-coloured tip to the right ear – otherwise Keno joins the ranks of “black cat 42B”

Keno  (KN)

Of the whole clowder, Orson likes to be around pen 8 & Waldie’s Hut, Keno likes Waldie’s Hut and Newcomers, Arwen likes Newcomers and the Back Courtyard, tabby Della likes the Back Courtyard and the DW Deck, grey Fargo likes the DW Deck and the little bit of the courtyard next to it – so they all overlap a little bit.  But it’s the three black cats that can most frequently be seen together.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Floof or not floof...?

Winston's new look  (KH)

When Oscar and Winston came to the Sanctuary late last year, they had been surrendered to us for peeing problems – which our vets diagnosed as idiopathic cystitis. A period in a cage on a special diet was followed by release in the SingleWide, and no signs of stress that might provoke another flare-up.

Oscar & Winston out and about together (KH)

We hoped that they might settle down to an adoptable extent, but it appears that one or both of them still love to leave their signature as soon as a determined volunteer or staff member has scrubbed crucial corners down – those places cannot be left pee-free, and our boys are right on the spot to deliver!  We have had several cats who have been surrendered for bad bathroom habits that have probably been stress-related (think: a new baby, a noisy dog next door, family violence) and have shown no sign of it when with us, but when the habit continues, it’s more habit than stress. 

Looking alike, after their early shave cuts   (KH)

So Oscar and Winston have become permanent residents of the SingleWide.  When they first arrived they had had a pretty major shave in order to deal with an infestation of fleas, and they were both obviously embarrassed by their nakedness. But a nice warm cage in the office, and a procession of visitors to make a fuss of them did much to make them feel better about things, and eventually they were released to have the run of the building.

Oscar  (KN)

We tend to speak of them as brothers, but in fact Oscar is a British Shorthair, and Winston is a British Longhair. From his admission pic, we had an idea of how his fur would grow, but it felt like it had a mind of its own – over the past six months it grew and grew... Oscar recovered his fuzz and looked very teddy-bear-ish, but Winston seemed to get larger...    

(KH)

and larger...

(KH)

Cats with Persian genes – and there’s certainly Persian in a British Longhair – need regular grooming, and as the Sanctuary Salon blog illustrated, we don’t have enough groomers to stay on top of all the matting that goes on.  Winston looked wonderful, but under all the floof there were some nasty mats, and he was not happy about having them dealt with – so he was one of the cats who went to the hospital to have a complete lion-cut.

Posing...  (KH)

It’s obvious that he really approves!  From a cat who preferred lying around like a large dust-bunny, Winston has become active and enthusiastic about exploring – he can be found climbing on top of the cages more than being tucked in his favourite cat-retreat.  As the weather cools, he’s not affected – he can stay in the warmth, or venture out on the deck for a little fresh air, as he pleases.

Pre-cut, and still well-furred  (KH)

Unlike his initial get-rid-of-those-fleas cut, when everything came off, he has the classic lion-cut, so his wonderful head floof is still in place, and his legs sport home-grown Uggs – not quite the same length, but I don’t think he’s too concerned about fashion.  What does concern him is that he feels light and mobile again, and obviously enjoys the attention the new look has brought him.

Winston at optimal fur-length   (KN)

We're going to have to keep a close eye on him and give him a trim more frequently - perhaps find someplace between the extremes he's lived with this year.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Kim Howe & Karen Nicholson