Black Cats in the Front Courtyard

Allen (KN)

Black Cat Syndrome is indeed a thing!  It takes concentration to recognize the details behind all the black fur, and when that black fur is wary and hiding, it can be hard to distinguish one black cat from another. We have a lot of black cats in the Front Courtyard of the Sanctuary, and learning who’s who is largely a process of elimination. I have to confess that I am still not good with some of the shy ones who don’t interact enough to make personality a good factor.

Reefer  (KN)

Allen is currently the largest of the black cats; having lost his buddy Kenji earlier this year, he has become more social with a whole lot of the others. He has also become braver with people, allowing petting and hand-feeding in a way that he rarely did when Kenji was alive to step up and run interference. Reefer is stockier, and is not so much black as very dark chocolate – a colour that intensifies during the summer months. Both boys are dedicated members of the chicken treats crowd. Reefer and his friend Figaro are the last of a group that came to us in 2017 from a closing shelter on the Sunshine Coast.

Bowie's tail identifies him immediately (KN)

A few of the cats are easily identified visually, though they’re wary of close contact with us. PennyLoaf, with one eye, is usually found on a shelf in the Old Rabbit Area, hiding behind a drape; occasionally she will venture into the Hill House, but will scurry back through the window if she feels insecure.  Bowie, who’s a bob-tail, is mostly spotted on the run; he hides out with his friends Janis Joplin, Joan and stumpy-tailed Jett, and all four of them want nothing to do with us! 

Caleb gets kisses from Wasabi  (BC)

Wasabi, who’s one of the three tripods in the front courtyard, is easily identified; he is out and around more frequently because he is devoted to handsome tuxie Caleb, and follows him around, nudging and grooming his buddy,

Nyla guarding "her" cage  (LBF)

There are many more less-distinguishable black cats.  Three of them are collared; Luka, who I blogged last year, mostly hangs around the sink and generally avoids other cats; the other two originally based themselves in the Connor building, but can now be found everywhere. These are the ones I’d started with when I planned this blog.  They are practically identical, and their collars are what everyone looks for. The older of the two is red-collared Nyla – also known as "the Annihilator". She came to us in 2023, and is more than 10 years old. She’s one of the cats who laid claim to the cage where she was first placed, and when it was opened, she refused to move.  She was very reactive for some time; not just cage aggression, but a believer in attack being the best form of defense. Her red collar is somewhat frayed and tatty, but she is not easy to handle, and nobody’s in a rush to replace it! In three years of living with us she has mellowed somewhat – meaning she no longer rushes to lunge at unwary visitors, But she’s no cuddly kitty, either, and volunteers have learned to treat her with respect

Harbour is working at being a lap-cat  (KN)

Harbour is almost exactly Nyla’s twin but a good bit younger, and she sports an orange collar. She came in last summer, having apparently been found as a stray at a dumpster with three teens and another female, but the Adoption Centre folks said that their fur smelt like someone had been smoking with them in the house...  The other young female, Pier, and the teen kittens, Bay, Cove and Shore were all adopted.  We think Harbour was the mom of the last three. There were a couple instances of her getting overstimulated and bite-y while at the AC – cages are smaller than at the Sanctuary, and it can be stressful for cats – so she was transferred to us.

Harbour has learned to mooch for tidbits  (BC)

There were one or two reports of reactivity, but since coming out of her cage she has settled well, and is willing to come for petting, treats and lap-time. The collar is now less of a warning, and more of identification.   Now that she’s settled, we’ll need to consider whether she's adoptable. If we could find the right cat-experienced family that were willing to put in the work and learn her boundaries, she’d probably do well in a home. 

There are still many other black cats around in the Front Courtyard: Jenny, Norah, spicy Emily, sweet Spooky, curly-tailed Benny – and that’s without taking into account all the nearly-black ones with small white markings: TicTac, Daiqiri, Alyssa, Cuddles....   Probably time for another blog!

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Little Grey Ghost

Dahlia (BH)

Visitors to the New Aids pen are usually accosted at the gate by the shameless scroungers: Domino, Mr Binx, Cypress (and slightly less assertively) Wyndham.  Angus, Obelix and Boomer are rarely far away. Among our FIV+ population, it becomes pretty obvious that it’s male-dominated – in fact, there are only two females in the pen at the moment:  calico Amaretto, and grey Dahlia.

You may touch my paw ONCE only  (KN)

That makes sense when you remember that the virus is passed in the context of a deep bite, and that it is usually the unneutered males, both feral and stray, who will fight with each other over territory, or food, or mates. Once trapped and neutered, the lack of testosterone dulls the urge to do battle, and the occasional scuffle is rarely a real fight.  A female will sometimes acquire the virus in the course of mating, if the act involves biting, and an FIV+ female can pass the virus on to her kittens in utero. We don’t know how either of our girls was infected, but with care, they will live lives as long and healthy as any uninfected cat.

Dahlia likes to perch on the steps  (BC)

Many of our FIV+ cats have come to us through other shelters; Amaretto is one of many from the central area of Vancouver Island. Dahlia is local; she was found wandering in the area near the former RAPS Shelter (now SPCA) on No 5 Rd.  The person who found her wanted to keep her but she was becoming too fractious for them to take care of (not surprising, knowing our Dahlia!); they took her to the vet for checking, discovered she was FIV+, and surrendered her to the shelter, from which she was transferred to the Sanctuary. This was in the fall of 2020. In early December of that year, she did a jail-break, but remained hanging around the parking lot and was finally coaxed into a trap with a tasty plate of chicken.

She prefers to be at eye-level to greet you  (MW)

Most of the male cats in New Aids are solid, blocky boys; they build up jowls and muscle as they grow up unneutered, and they maintain their build.  Dahlia looks very unlike them, slim and long-haired, she is not usually a fan of people. She likes her comforts, and can usually be found in the main cabin rather than outside; her preference is to hide behind a drape in the top cage, and currently she is a little miffed that it’s occupied by a newcomer, and she has to find an alternative bed.  New volunteers are often warned about approaching her; you can frequently get two pets in, and then she’s had enough and lets you know it.

Favourite resting place in the top cage  (HM)

However, Marty tells me that this week she allowed herself to be petted by a visitor, and loved the attention – when they left, she had an attack of the zoomies, and sprinted outside and then back in. Who knows what attracted her to them?  But like all cats, she can take you by surprise. Awhile ago, a volunteer arrived for a New Aids shift just in time to get a phone call telling of the death of a family member.  We sorted out how to cover her shift, and she decided she needed to take time with the cats before rushing home. Sitting on the ottoman in tears, she was surprised and touched  that the cat who approached and sat with her quietly was Dahlia – not usually any sort of a lap-cat, she obviously understood distress and offered quiet comfort.

Dahlia (KN)

She’ll likely never join the social crowd at the gate; she’s not a welcomer, and her tolerance for people usually has its limits.  Mostly she prefers to remain hidden, and dislikes being disturbed. But when she recognizes something in a human – perhaps the magic hands, or the sadness – she will emerge and make her presence felt.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Brielle Hutchison, Henrie Morgan, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

The Winter King

The Winter King (KN)

In May 2025 a large long-haired cat came to us as a transfer from Shuswap Paws. The vets think he's about 8 years old.  He was pretty shut down while he was at the Adoption Centre, but accepted pats while first in the cage at the Sanctuary. Sadly, it didn't last! 

Feeling safer under a table  (BC)

He’s named for the title character in a wonderful trilogy by writer Bernard Cornwall. The Winter King is an alternate name for Arthur – romanticized in mediaeval chivalry, but much more likely to have had an origin in 5th-century Britain, after the Romans had withdrawn. There are so many re-tellings of the story, but I particularly loved Cornwall’s gritty view. Sadly, the TV series based on it was a major disappointment – I was left wondering if the screenwriters had actually read the book... 

Sometimes cleaning is better done upside down  (KN)

Our own feline Winter King was finally released from his cage, and like many feral cats, promptly vanished into the back courtyard area around Waldi’s Hut, where there are lots of places to hide.  And hide he did – we might occasionally see him in the early morning or at dusk, but he didn’t want to be touched, and like beautiful Plateau, even looking in his direction could spook him. I always kept an eye open for him, because of his resemblance to my beloved Kojak who we lost ten years ago.

Good hiding places behind the cabin  (BC)

A couple of months ago the med-staff noticed that he was looking pretty matted. Many of our long-haired cats struggle with mats – if they don’t want to be groomed (and the ferals rarely want that) the only option is to sedate and shave them. Ideally, this happens when they’re already at the hospital for tests, but our med-staff are great at getting them woozy enough on gabapentin that the job can be done in a cage – it may not be the close shave they’ll get from the vet techs, but it gets rid of the mats. We’ll be seeing more lion-cuts in the course of the next month, with the improved weather and the skills of Gracelyn, who’s back with us for the summer.  Our boy spent a few days in a cage – to give the meds time to work, to have the mats cleaned up, and then to recover. And in those few days, we think a light-switch went on – perhaps humans weren’t too bad... 

Getting pets from Karrie  (BC)

Once back in the courtyard he began to be a bit more daring about being out and about while we were around. He didn’t actually ask for attention, but he accepted it when offered, and was obviously more comfortable with touch than he had been since arrival. He found a few favourite beds, and used them often enough that it was possible to find him. He prefers to put himself under a table or a chair, but if you’re ready to crawl to him, he doesn’t back off, but accepts petting with dignity.

Quiet conversation with Basil  (BC)

He’s on good terms with most of the Waldi’s Hut cats, and can often be found in company with Basil, who is missing Smithy – Smithy disliked most humans and let us know it, with bad language, but he always had feline friends in the cabin). The one cat he is wary about is Gwen, who is Smithy-in-reverse – likes humans and hates cats – and who gets jealous if someone like Winter King is getting all the attention.

Winter King (BC)

If visiting day is not too busy, he will even come out and interact with a few of the visitors; he places himself right at the boundary, so he’s ready for a quick escape, but the lure of caressing fingers keeps him from making a break too soon. I remember how scared Bello was last year, and how he made the transition to a tame boy that found a loving home. I don’t know whether Winter King has any experience with a home, or if he’s a feral that has made that enormous jump from fear to cautious trust – he’s certainly not tame yet, but perhaps, with lots of patience...

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Tri-paw'd Alert

Kicks  (KN)

Most of the cats that come to us from outside the Lower Mainland do so through contacts with a number of rescues around the province, but especially in the case of FIV+ or FeLV+ cats, we will take cats from further afield; there are very few places where there are specific facilities for them, and where they can continue to get ongoing medical care and attention. Mostly, they don’t need it – FIV+ cats can live long lives, and can also co-exist happily with FIV- cats, but keeping them separated means greater safety from anything that might compromise their immune systems.

Checking from the upper walkway  (KN)

Fans of the cats in the New Aids pen will probably remember Trooper, who survived a bad winter experience with a leg-hold trap in Saskatchewan, and who came to us with his right front leg amputated. We are delighted to welcome another tripod cat to join the other FIV cats – this time without his left front leg.   Kicks arrived from Manitoba – part of a large fostering situation that needed reducing. The original email from the rescue that sent him said, "Our vet thinks he lost his leg to a leg trap but it has healed over. How did he survive??? Only Kicks knows the answer to that." 

Favourite place to lounge  (BC)

Kicks came to us last fall. It was obvious that he was not a feral cat – he was certainly very timid, initially, but having overcome his shyness, he was quick to respond to petting and treats from the Kitty Comforters. Once out of his cage, progress was swift. Initially he would take himself into hiding up on the walkways, but rapidly realised he had little to fear from us. 

Slightly more wary at floor level  (BB)

Climbing the ramps is a bit of a challenge when you’re a cat with three legs, but Kicks worked out how to do it without much jumping, and he now spends much of his time lounging on the table by the big window. Angus is usually the inhabitant of one of the beds there, and can be a bit of a bully, but Kicks has learned to stand up to him without any actual fighting, and Angus will mostly stay out of his way. Other cats like Obelix are quite comfortable around him.

Sharing the table with Obelix (BC)

From his table-bed he summons his fan-club – he likes attention not only from volunteers and KCs, but is happy also to interact with weekend visitors.  When we have particularly crowded days, some of the cats may get stressed, and band-aids are produced for the unwary. It doesn’t take much petting for Cypress or Dahlia to let people know not to touch! Kicks has a much higher tolerance for petting hands, and when it gets a bit much, his reaction is to remove himself quietly up the ramp to the upper levels.

Enjoying the sunshine (BB)

FIV+ cats can make good adoption prospects; the retrovirus in their systems often affects them only  minimally, and several of the New Aids boys – including tripod Trooper – were adopted last year. I think we’re all hoping that the right person will come along for a mutual love affair with our sweet Kicks.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brit Burant, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson

Royal Progress

Princess (KN)

Princess came to us late in 2021 all the way from Iran, and for much of that time she has been clearly characterized as a cat you might admire, but one you shouldn’t try and touch. I first blogged about her in 2023, by which time she had a pretty solid grasp of Sanctuary life. She based herself in Waldi’s hut, which she shared with a number of other cats without actually socializing much with them. She had regular visits from her sponsor, and interacted with him quite happily; he would talk with her in Farsi, and she would flirt in response. Occasionally a visitor might admit to speaking Farsi and would be taken past the rope barrier to chat with her, or even to sing to her.

Hanging out near the SW  (KN)

Her relationships with other cats have markedly improved. She prefers to maintain her distance with most of them, and is quick to use bad language to smack someone down.  But we have caught her actually playing with some of the ones she knows; orange Sprocket holds his own with her, and they will chase and tumble happily.

Sharing a shelf with Sprocket (KN)

Often when I work in the back pens, Princess will follow me (or precede me) from pen to pen. It doesn’t have anything to do with the lure of food  (I rarely bring the bag of treats out until most of my work is done) but she is curious about where I am going. She lurks on the roof of the outdoor litterboxes in Pen 3 while I scoop, and frequently has arguments with black Odin, who is equally curious.

On inspection patrol  (LBF)

Since we opened up the renovated DoubleWide (Hauser House), her explorations have taken her there as well. She’s not enthusiastic about using the cat-door, but when the weather’s fine, we will prop the outer door open, and she runs in and out. She’s not settling in – Waldi’s Hut is still “home” – but she’s poking her nose into new spaces.

Investigating cage-tops in Hauser House (KN)

A lot of her changed attitude to people is due to the work of Brad and Marty.  Brad knows a little Farsi, and has always made a thing of visiting Princess and talking to her. Marty’s a true cat-whisperer, and has had immense patience in coaxing her to accept food from his hand, and eventually, gentle touch. Her behaviour is markedly different now. The first time she asked me for pets, her goal was quite clear. She offered the slightly sideways head-bump Louie used to give, and pushed her head under my hand, asking for the stroking to continue.  There are conditions: she has to be on a shelf or something raised, and there needs to be NO other cats in her line of sight,.

On a shelf, and ready for pets  (MW)

Currently we’re encouraging volunteers, who may have held back because of her spicy reputation, to coax her to a place where she feels comfortable with touch – and not just the “safe” version around head and ears, but now the full-body stroking she is beginning to request. I don’t know if she’ll ever be a lap-cat, and like many others, she vanishes into hiding when visiting days get too busy.  But with visitors gone, dinner served, and the peacefulness of a Sanctuary evening evident in the Back Courtyard – along comes Princess, ready to put aside her feral upbringing and allow humans to adore her.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Tubbitha

Tubbitha  (KN)

Late in 2023 we became Sanctuary for a group of cats who were already an established colony at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook. Their back story can be found in the blog in which I introduced them, but they have settled in and made themselves at home in their own feral way. They have very little liking for humans, but like the mostly-orange Kamloops cats, they remain a self-defined group within the Back Courtyard cats, moving around like a shoal of fish.  For the most part, they hang out in Pen 3; the Calgary cats have the cabin, and the College cats use the kennels and small structures nearby. They enjoy the sunshine from the pen boundaries and from rooftops. For the most part, they prefer to have little contact with us, but they will often be out and about in the early evening, and a few of them, like Lil’ Bit, will allow minimal touch.

Tubbitha with Twiglet, hiding in their
early cage days with us   (BC)

Most of them are long-haired and distinctly end-of-winter shaggy; grooming is out of the question, and when the mats are too bad the med-staff use a bit of gabapentin and the clippers. There are a few-short-haired cats among them – Bernadette, Purrl and Tubbitha.  The latter came to us as Tabitha, but her name evolved as her size increased.

The other College Cats happily sunning themselves
at the back of Pen 3  (BC)

Tubbitha stands out because she has exiled herself from the rest of the group. When they first came to us, they had their initial cage-stay time in the DoubleWide, and when the doors were open, most of them moved out to the Deck, before relocating in the spring to the back of the pens. Tubbitha preferred to stay in her cage; she was quite happy to share it with one or another (non-Cranbrook) cat, but she liked her comfort and resisted the temptation to move. Kin sometimes occupied one shelf where he was easily accessed by the med staff;  occasionally one of the four orange cats (probably Valencia) would share space.

You may NOT touch me!  (KN)

Tubbitha also resisted approaches by humans, but she was not so scared that she felt the need to be out of reach – she just hissed and smacked. She didn’t quite get DoorDash food service, but she never had far to go to find a warm supper – I guess you could call it a hot-and-a-cot.

Tubbitha and Guthrie  (BC)

At the end of last summer, the DoubleWide was emptied – first, of all cats, and then of all cages – and serious renovations began. The old cages were still needed, and they were moved – two to the Newcomers deck, one to the TeaRoom, and four to the DW deck. All the displaced cats had to find new homes, and the previously quiet deck got very crowded. Four cage-tops gave us more space for ferals who feel happier up high, and the deck cat-door began to get a whole lot more use.

The deck buddies, enjoying some fresh air 
Luke, Hickory, Iris, Tubbitha, Mitzi, Guthrie (BC)

Tubbitha was one of the cat-door users. She’s not the most enthusiastic climber, because of her size, and when indoors, is generally in one of the draped shelves near the exit. But for the most part, her preference is to be outside, on the small porch outside the cat-door. She will occasionally use the cat-tree there, but her favourite thing is to take the base of the tree and make herself comfortable. She tolerates the company of Mitzi, Guthrie, Hickory, Luke and the others, and continues to prefer hissing at any human who attempts to make contact with her.

Hickory (on L) with Tubbitha  (BC)

I don’t think she’s made any effort to reunite with the rest of her family; by her standards, they’re sleeping rough, after all – Tubbitha would rather stay in the hotel.  She does occasionally venture down the pathway, but not far; we’re more likely to find her investigating possible cage vacancies in the DW (not likely to happen!) or contemplating life at the top of the steps to the TeaRoom. She prefers the family of choice to the one of genetics.  But with the return of the sunshine, there is a lot more feline movement from one area to another, so we’ll keep an eye open to see if she prefers to remain in (comfortable) exile.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Vonda & Vinnie

Vonda (KN)

There are many rescues across the province who know that when they have a feral cat problem, RAPS is a place they can turn to for support. This is particularly true in a situation involving FIV cats; with other cats it is possible to TNR (Trap, Neuter and Return) the colony, and then maintain it while it no longer increases. But when FIV is present, those cats should not be in a situation in which there is any risk of continuing to spread the virus, and many of them will end up at the Sanctuary.

Vinnie in the back cabin (KN)

One of the rescues we have strong ties with is Sammy’s Forgotten Felines, in Kamloops. The biggest group we had from them was a large farm colony in 2021, many of them orange, and flourishing in our care. I blogged about them last summer in a four-part series featuring The Bonded Ones, Lots of Orange, Blondes Have More Fun, and No Oranges Here. We tend to talk about them as “The Kamloops Cats”, but we’ve had many more from Sammy’s: Len, Lloyd and Crinkle, now passed, as well as Ariel and Aspen, Deelia, Petunia, Vonda and Vinnie.

Vonda (KN)

Vonda was the first to arrive, with Petunia and Spike – the latter was quickly adopted, and Vonda and Petunia went into fosterage to have their kittens. Vonda’s kittens were named Kilkenny, Donegal, Galway and Dublin; all were initially adopted, but Kilkenny was returned to our care with urinary and gastric problems (and passed last fall). It was thought that her issues were probably a result of inbreeding, and when the last cats from the colony were trapped – including Vinnie – the conclusion was that he was probably the baby-daddy, and may actually have sired the other young adults as well. In a colony, the dominant tomcat will often leave his strong genetic imprint; fertile females may be mated by more than one tom, but the strongest sperm will get through! Strong genes are good; however, too much inbreeding increases the chances of genetic problems as well.

Vonda (BC)

Vonda is a front courtyard cat, and usually hides out in the Old Rabbit Area, and sometimes in the Yellow Shed. She is very shy around people and tends to appear early morning and late evening, like many feral cats – the typical crepuscular/twilight pattern that suits creatures who are both hunter and potential prey. Her ears have a flattened Scottish Fold appearance rather than the crumpled haematoma ear that we see more often. We hope she isn’t a true Scottish Fold, because the genetic markers also include hearing problems, polycystic kidney disease and various forms of arthritis, and the formal breeding of Folds is now discouraged (and actively banned in many places).

Vinnie with his buddy Charlie  (BC)

When daddy/baby-daddy Vinnie arrived, somewhat later than Vonda, it was to a place in New Aids, as an FIV+ cat.  He initially established himself in the more distant of the two Prince of Wales cabins, and preferred not to interact much with people.  Over the time with us, he has made friends with the other cats in the area, allowed contact with volunteers and visitors, and has now accepted a role as a lap-cat. Vinnie is a Big Boy, and the owner of the lap needs to be ready for the weight – and for the mountaineering that gets him up there!

Happy lap - blissful smile

Vinnie’s favourite buddy is Charlie (another Big Boy), and the two of them can often be found sunning themselves on the cabin porch, or on adjacent chairs in the PoW courtyard- volunteer Meaghan calls it Preparing for Chonk Boy Summer. We’re going to have to keep an eye on that boy – white cats and sunshine are not always a good combination, and cats are not fans of sun-hats! Perhaps we make life a little too easy for them – Vinnie has gone from fighting to keep his place as Top Cat and hunting for his own dinner to a luxurious lifestyle with comfy beds, clean litterboxes and food delivered to the door. I’m sure he feels he’s earned his retirement!

Charlie & Vinnie soaking up the sun  (BC)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson