Two Tabby Toms

Henry  (BC)

It never fails to astonish me that, given all we know, people still persist in adopting cats and then don’t get them spayed or neutered!  Sure, there are enough of us who may have grown up in rural communities where colonies of barn cats were encouraged to flourish in order to take care of rodent control – but we probably know how many of those cats went missing, and didn’t live long lives. But especially in a city environment, the life of a feral cat (or a stray) is usually a short one: traffic, poison, coyotes, extreme weather, parasites – all keep life expectancy short. The RAPS trapping team keeps our fostering program well supplied, and many wild-born kittens who come to us would not have survived their first year without that rescue.

Quincy (KN)

Any reputable rescue will adopt out only with the promise of spay/neuter – that cost is built into the adoption fee – but we all know someone who knows someone whose cat has just kittened, and is ready to hand over a youngster to “a good home”.  All is well for a while – and then a young female goes on heat and all the local strays come calling, or a young male gets the urge to find his lady and before you know, he’s out the door and somewhere there’s another litter of kittens.

Henry on guard at Waldi's Hut  (KN)

In early June this year, two tabby tomcats came into our care. They came to us from Prince George, where they had been picked up by Animal Control. I’m not sure of the origin of Henry’s name; Quincy was found on Quince Street. He is the darker of the two, with clean black mackerel markings, and black lynx tips to his ears; Henry has a paler chin than his buddy, and more agouti fur to offset his markings. The Prince George Shelter assessed them as feral and knew they didn’t have long-term space for them; they could have been released to a colony (TNR) but they deserved a chance; a call went out to RAPS and they arrived with us.

Quincy preferring to watch from above  (BC)

They were caged, as all newcomers are, for an initial assessment period – they were housed on the DoubleWide deck, which is usually a quiet area. Their chubby cheeks made it pretty clear that they had both been unneutered males, and that had been remedied in Prince George, as well as initial vaccinations and some entropion surgery for Quincy. They weren't caged for long; all the necessary medical stuff had been done, and neither of them were particularly happy about the situation. Cage aggression can always make things worse; there was quite a bit of hissing and swatting, and when it came to release time, they quickly took to the cage-tops in order to remain out of reach. Because of the cages now on the DW deck, there is more hiding-space up there, and we got used to seeing the two of them vanish into the darker corners.

Henry - you may look, but not touch!  (BC)

But among the Deck cats, there are a number that have got quite used to accessing the great outdoors via the cat-door in the corner, and Henry took his cue from them, proving himself the more daring of the pair, and made his way outside. He went the length of the passageway and on into the south courtyard where he could often be found on top of Waldi’s Hut. A number of the ferals like to gather high on the roof (under the mesh) and it often looks like they’re having committee meetings there – probably plotting against the management! Henry actually preferred to perch on an adjacent storage cupboard, from where he would peer down at us, and hiss when addressed. Through the late summer, this was his favourite spot.

Happily on the deck, he says "Come pet me now!"  (BC)

But summer inevitably ends, and with the cooler days and the occasional rain, Henry needed to rethink his housing. He made his way onto the Newcomers Deck, and discovered that there were cosy beds, and places to hide, but also that the humans who passed were really not so bad after all. He has become almost aggressively friendly; his little chirp of a meow calls for attention, and he loves being petted, though I think he sometimes gets overwhelmed with sensation and reacts with a quick paw.

Quincy's first approach  (BC)

Quincy remains based on the DW deck. Initially he remained a “touch-me-and-get-smacked” boy, but there are other cats on the deck who are hanging on the cusp of sociability, and he did a lot of watching and listening. Sitting on the deck after evening feeding, I was approached by a tabby boy obviously looking for attention; initially I thought it was Rockford but this cat was a little bulkier than Rockford, and a mackerel tabby rather than a classic tabby.  Quincy was getting brave!

Warily social with the others  (BC)

All the early petting happened on the main deck, but it was not long before he followed me out, and joined the group sitting with me on the small deck outside the Tea-Room. He was cautious (with reason!) around Gwen and Treacle, who were full of tortitude, but ventured to accept tidbits from my hand, and allowed a bit of petting.

Relaxed and happy  (KN)

We think of them as Henry-and-Quincy, but I don’t think they’re actually all that close – they just happened to be flown down at the same time. Henry could look out from his home on the Newcomers Deck and see Quincy when he comes out to visit, but so far we’ve not seen them opt for any sort of “reunion”. I do think the Prince George staff were correct that these two deserved a good chance, though – it’s not often we see such friendliness (if somewhat wary!) from feral cats, and it’s likely that they both have encountered humans – perhaps as kittens – and had memories of good handling that lay under their more fearful recent experience as strays. The vets guesstimate Quincy’s age at around 3.5 years, and Henry about a year older.  Potential adopters will need to go very slowly and patiently, though – our recent experience with the adoptions-and-return of Bello and Guacamole reminds us that even for cats who appear comfortable with human contact, the fearful feral remains close to the surface.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Ursula

Ursula (KN)

Weekend visitors are always amazed at the fact that we have 400+ cats in the Sanctuary – plus a fluctuating number of cats in the Adoption Centre and in fosterage.  And sometimes they are a little disappointed when they have those numbers, but don’t see the place actually swarming with cats. What they don’t take into account is how many of those cats are ferals, or are at the feral end of the spectrum.

Ursula lurking anxiously  (MW)

I would guesstimate that about a quarter of the Sanctuary cats prefer to have very little to do with us, at least, unless they know they can trust us as individuals. And when visitors arrive on Sundays (the last Saturday opening till next spring is October 31!), many of those cats go into hiding – in the closed pens 4, 7 and 8; behind Waldi’s Hut; out of reach in the back sections of pens 1-3; in the building that are closed to visitors.  It’s the Kitty Comforters’ job to ID some of those cats during a quiet afternoon, and coax them into accepting a little human attention.

Not a safe life for Ursula's original colony (VW)

Ursula is one of our tiny-tabbies – small perhaps purely from natural genetics, but perhaps also from malnutrition as a kitten. She originally came to us from Kamloops six years ago, from a feral colony which had grown out of control in dangerous conditions.  A group of local rescuers moved in to trap,  neuter and rehome all that they could; that operation created the organization called Sammy’s Forgotten Felines, with whom we continue to work. Some of the younger cats were fostered and adopted, but for slightly older cats who have only known a feral life, that was not a simple option. RAPS took a number of these ones from both the Cariboo cats and from a rescue in the Shuswaps, giving them time to decide whether to give in and socialize, or to stay feral.  These cats included Barbara, Baxter and Bruley, Ariel and Aspen, Sailor, ZsaZsa and Ursula.

Relaxed in play  (KN)

She and Aspen are the last of this group to remain with us – a few have passed, but most were tamed and adopted. Ursula held firmly to her feral principles: humans were treated with wariness, and smacked hard when they got too close – Ursula was a cat’s cat. 

Bodhi is a cat-magnet  (BC)

Unlike Aspen, who prefers the back of Pen 1, she opted to remain with the DoubleWide deck group, and has attached herself particularly to gentle Bodhi (who actually prefers the company of his buddy Luke, but who will tolerate having a tabby girlfriend following him around.

May I come on your lap?  (KR)

Until recently humans were mostly no-go – volunteers on the DW Deck for cleaning or feeding were avoided or ignored, unless appropriate bribery was involved. But when KC Karrie opted to spend some of her time sitting up on the level that holds the mattress and the heat lamps (both intended for cats, not for humans!), Bodhi came for attention – and where Bodhi went, Ursula followed.  Before long, Karrie’s KC vibes had done their work, and Ursula was lap-sitting and accepting gentle petting.

Enjoying garden time  (KN)

She is still pretty suspicious of most people, but we have a lot of patient KCs, and other Deck cats who can model enthusiasm about treats and petting.  She’s unlikely ever to be a really tame cat, but at least now she has accepted that we are no longer The Enemy.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, 

Karrie Radford, Valerie Wilson, Michele Wright

The Missouri Cats

Clover & MonMon - mother and son  (BC)

Most groups of cats that come into our care do so as a result of a crisis situation – hoarding, or an existing colony being evicted. We had a variant of that in the summer of 2025, when Mandy travelled to Texas to bring back a group of cats who had been a bequest to us under the terms of the owner’s will – she had researched to find them all a good home, discovered us, and left money for their care. I introduced them that fall: first, the ones who were housed in the SingleWide, and then the group in the Front Courtyard.

Liko is still wary  (AC)

More recently we’ve had another colony come to us under similar circumstances. This group is already well travelled – they had actually originated in Hawaii but the family relocated to Missouri. A second long journey to BC, and new surroundings left them all feeling pretty disoriented. The back of the SingleWide was cleared for them – while the DoubleWide was being gutted and refurbished last year, the med-staff relocated to the small office at the back, and it had also functioned as a temporary ward for some of “the Newts” to recover from upper respiratory infections during the winter. Now it became a home for the Missouri cats.

Juju prefers to stay high up, out of the way (AC)

Initially all they wanted was places in which to hide, and KittyComforter visits to them were mostly about quiet talk, offering treats, and not pushing them too quickly into interaction with us. Family bonds are strong here. The matriarch is Clover (originally Chloe, but renamed so as not to confuse her with the Chloe living next door). Clover started out as feral, and remains wary – she would rather not have humans around, but tolerates us as long as she is with one of her youngsters.

Latte - with Liko hiding behind  (AA) 

Her four are MonMon, Juju, Liko and Latte. Juju and Latte (orange and white/orange) are both very wary and prefer to hide away, high on one of the shelves or on a cage-top. Liko is calico, and gradually becoming more accepting of our presence. Big MonMon (orange/white) is a mama’s boy, but also the most social of the four; he likes play, loves treats, but has only so much patience with petting – he’d rather be cuddled up with Clover.

Emma is not shy! (KH)

The other sibling group (not quite so bonded) comprises Scooter (M), Cora (F) and Emma (F). Scooter and Cora are both big tabby cats, but they are shy, and need lots of time and patience; their sister Emma is much more social, and loves to have attention from visitors.

Kimba (KH) and Bruno (AC)

Unrelated, as far as we know, are Kimba and Bruno. Light brown tabby Kimba is Mr Social – both with people and with cats; he loves play, petting and treats in any combination!  Bruno is less well known to most of us; he’s been in a cage for medical attention, but now he’s out, he’s making up for lost time - exploring and interacting happily.

MonMon (BC)

This week has seen a step forward for many of the group; their area of the SingleWide has been opened, and they are starting to explore. Not surprisingly, it’s Kimba and Bruno who have taken the lead in investigating; more surprisingly, shy Abby-the-tabby has taken a liking to Kimba and started following him around. We do need to keep an eye on things – Oscar and Winston persist in claiming the “new”(to them) area with copious amounts of pee, and there’s a lot of extra cleaning happening! And BeeBoo, who is generally anti-cat and anti-human, is objecting to the invasion of “her” deck area and needs a little time-out while everybody adjusts.

Mama Clover (BC)

Obviously, the shyer cats will probably do best remaining in the quiet of the SingleWide, while staff may be ready to consider homes for the more social ones. But, as we have discovered with Bello, Guacamole and Gwen, all of whom were adopted and have now returned to us, cats with feral roots may easily revert to that behaviour unless they feel a bond with their adopter. Both cats and humans will be taking time to feel settled before any relocation happens.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Alicia Almeida, Andy Chiu, Brigid Coult & Kim Howe

News of the Newts

Anjou - white with pale markings, like so many of the Newts  (KN)

Visitors to the Sanctuary – and in particular, to the back courtyard – have learned that the only pens open to cats and humans alike are the left-hand ones: Pens 1, 2 and 3. Most of those visitors are very understanding of the need to give the cats some safe space without strangers to frighten them. They accept that most of the feral cats in Pen 4 will remain totally hidden during visiting hours (oh, we miss Ranger!), and that the cats who live in Pen 8 (from a Victoria hoarding situation) are still very wary. They enjoy coaxing the semi-ferals with medical issues to the gate of Pen 7 for treats. Pen 6 is currently empty, but will soon be reassigned.  The pen that fascinates many of them is Pen 5, currently housing “the Newts”.

Muskrat (began as Muscat) likes to climb!  (KN)

These sweet cats came to us early last year, rescued from a bad hoarding situation in Newton (hence the nickname). I blogged about them last spring, when they were living in Pen 6. Our original hope was that they would become more used to us and to safe living, that some of them would prove to be adoptable, and that they could be assimilated into the general population. What we have discovered is that their upbringing has left them more fragile than we would like, and that in all likelihood, that they are immune-compromised to various degrees.

Handsome Chicago is the darkest, and the only tabby  (KN)

Sadly, their bathroom habits are pretty messy – not having learned about litter-box use in their kittenhood, they just poop anywhere. They have lots of litterboxes to choose from, but their pen needs regular patrolling (one of the less exciting part of volunteering at a cat sanctuary!). And judging from occasional offerings, there are a few of them who have gut issues – handsome tabby Chicago is currently caged and on a limited diet. 

Yarlington & Mutsu - also known as Thing 1 and Thing 2  (KN)

Last fall they began a round of upper respiratory infections (URIs), and of course, like any good family, they shared them around – no sooner did we get one cat caged, treated and returned, than another would have to be treated – and then the first cat would get another variant of whatever was going on.

Merlot's torby colouring makes her easy to recognize  (KN)

In any sanctuary, URIs are going to be inevitable, but by winter we had all the Newts in cages – some in twos and threes – monitoring their health and tracking what medication was working for them. In the meantime, their Pen 6 was scrubbed out and sanitized, hoping to get rid of all the germs from snotty noses.  Pen 6 had never been considered as a long-term home for them, but it was apparent that most of these cats were unlikely ever to be adoptable, between their bathroom habits and their health issues. Pen 5, next door, had been an open pen for years. It was initially known as Packers Pen, for the feral cats who came to us when Steveston Packers closed, then as the Five Road pen, for the influx of felines from an overflowing 5 Rd City Shelter (back when RAPS ran it), then just as Pen 5, taken over by a group of the Kamloops cats, with a number of ferals occupying the back reaches.

Sungold - from the very dark to the very pale  (KN)

Cleaning that out was a big job, but it gave us a good area to place this group of recovering invalids, and it gave them space to keep their distance if they chose, or to have room to play and interact with staff and volunteers. They have done well with this resettling;  there are still some issues, but as we get to know them better, med staff are more able to identify and isolate as needed. Many of them still show the scars of their origins: the bleach burns, the neurological issues that affect their back-end movement, and the fragility that has taken some of them away from us. But they love it when someone comes and plays with a wand toy, and there are several who are fast on their feet, and quick to catch the feather target with athletic leaps.

Kyoho is one of the most affectionate cats  (JS)

Currently we are treating them as if they are all immune-compromised, sanitizing before we go in to them as we do with the FIV cats. We may eventually allow limited numbers of visitors in under careful supervision, but for now they look on longingly as the younger cats outside have their fill of wand play as well. We try to watch out for visitors who want to reach through to them, or to poke a wand toy through the mesh, but the requests for care frequently lead to good discussions about the reasons for the rules, and increased interest among those watching.

Tobiko shows the Newts how to play;  when they
get the wand, he's the one outside the pen, looking in (JS)

With the removal of Chicago to a cage, the shoal of white and orange cats becomes harder and harder to identify as individuals. They definitely have their favourites – Sean, who cleans their pen on a Friday, generates a lot of interest; Selena will often come in and wand-play during visitor hours, much to their delight; Justin will do the same both in and out of their pen for their entertainment; most of the Kitty Comforters make regular visits. But they are unlikely to be able to join the general population, for their health’s sake, and we will do our best to enrich their lives as much as we can.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Karen Nicholson and Justin Saint

Chloe-the-Cat

Queen Chloe on her throne  (KH)

The Single-Wide has a history of being the residence of many of our dilute tortoiseshell and calico cats. Dilute colouring occurs when a cat receives copies of the dilute gene from both parents. The gene changes how pigment distributes along individual hairs making strong colours appear faded. Black cats produce grey offspring, orange ones produce cream. Mostly we just accept these colourings, but the dilute gene is most striking in the mixed-coloured cats – tortoiseshells who are black with a lot of red; calicos who are while with red and black. With the dilute gene from both parents, they can be a wonderful variety of blue-grey, peach, and buff colours.

considering her options, following her return to us  (BC)

I wrote about them first in 2016, and then specifically about the Single-Wide dilutes in 2022. The older ones have all passed – though we are delighted that LittleCat is now living her best life with staff member Karen.
Chloe-the-Cat is a worthy successor to LittleCat, Flash, Noelle and Marie. Without the dilute gene, she would probably be very orange-y with dark markings, but she does have some white patches, which mark her as calico rather than tortie. She certainly has “tortietude”!

Chloe has a real presence!   (AM)

Chloe came to RAPS in 2024 after her owner died, and her family surrendered her. She was not happy with us, and was fostered out with a lady who has given loving care to several of our needy cats over the years.  Sadly, it was not a good match – the fosterer is a fragile senior, and Chloe, though senior herself, is anything but fragile!  She was aggressive, and sent the fosterer for medical care on a couple of occasions – cat-bites can need IV antibiotics sometimes.

(BC)

She was finally returned to us about 6 months ago, and was caged in the Single-Wide with a warning on her cage that she was a very cranky lady, and needed to be approached with caution. We discovered that the crankiness was mostly in connection with visits by the med-staff; like all self-respecting cats, Chloe dislikes being made to do anything, and being medicated is high on her don’t-do list. Visits from KittyComforters with treats and gentle attention were graciously accepted.

You may kiss my paw...  (SM)

She became one of the senior ladies (we reckon she’s c.16-17) who required her own cage to be kept available for her. Like LittleCat before her, she moved into the window-cage, where she holds court for admiring humans, and lets visiting cats know they are not welcome. Most of them have learned; Whiskers and Jinx persist in pushing her boundaries, and her bathroom is no longer private.  On a good day she will descend from her cat tree for some lap-time, and a little gentle grooming; she has her favourite people, but she is a champion at ignoring folks she doesn’t want to see.

(KH)

She is Chloe-the-Cat because we have a Chloe already on staff;  in fact, one of a group of cats who came to us recently as a bequest and are living next door in the SW office area, is also a Chloe, and has been renamed as Clover to avoid confusion.
If you’re visiting and have not already made her acquaintance, please come and do so. Like many of the reactive cats, when things slow down to her pace, when she can decide on whether it’s a petting moment or not, it’s possible to have a very pleasant encounter with her.

(KH)

Photos by Brigid Coult, Kim Howe, Anne Marchetti, Shaelynn Melnyk 

Blanket Therapy

Karrie in action - with fans gathered round  (BC)

Mornings at the Sanctuary are busy with people scooping and sweeping, scrubbing and making laundry changes – and always taking time for the little stops to visit with cats.  Evenings are similar, when the canned food comes our and anxious faces await plates – and once again, volunteers arrive early or stay late to visit with feline friends.   

Boots & Reefer

But in the afternoons (unless there’s a work party labouring on a project), all is quiet, and the Kitty Comforters are present.

Max has found the fresh catnip

The KCs were the brainchild of the late Marianne Moore, and after her passing their leadership was taken over by Anne Marchetti. Their focus is primarily the caged cats who may need more one-on-one interaction with humans than they will get in the normal way. Anne will alert us to where attention is particularly needed. Currently, that includes a number of cats who have not yet settled enough with us to have their own blogs – so you will have to wait to hear about Orange Julius who began very cage-aggressive and is learning that we’re not so scary, about a group of cats who came to us via a bequest from Missouri, about Tumble who is recovering from surgery and may possibly go to the Adoption Centre.

Both blankets occupied

But many of the feral or wary cats are out and about, and sometimes the best way to approach them is to let them approach you.  Especially in the summer months, that’s the mode for KCs Karrie and Catherine, who begin their shift by spreading blankets in the sun of the front courtyard, and waiting to see who comes.  Food may be involved, but more often it’s touch and grooming and gentle voices and a little catnip.

Boots has become a lap-cat with Karrie

The blankets are magnetic for the cats – there are some of them that will come immediately to be part of the sit-in, and other that gradually let themselves be coaxed into it. We suspect Boots was a stray, and he’s been considered for adoption, but he’s wary with a number of people. Summer afternoons on the blankets are his favourite thing, and he loves it so much that he will cuddle with Karrie instead of maintaining a cautious distance.

Max the cat-burglar

We worry about Max, who really needs a tolerant home with no other cats, but who doesn't show up well when we have visitors; normally he stays clear of the others, but he knows that Karrie’s bag usually has catnip in it, and he will venture closer for her gentle attention and for the ‘nip!

Spooky's snooze is watched over by Boots

Sweet Spooky is one of our older cats now – wary of people, as her name implies, but cautiously trusting with a few. She is one of the cats that Karrie will go and find in wherever she has hidden herself – just a few treats and a little petting reminds her that life’s not so bad. Just occasionally she will venture out with the others and make her own space on the blanket.

Our former Mexican street lady has presence!

Like Max, Kia is not a great fan of other cats, and mostly she prefers humans to leave her alone as well. She’s doing much better this year and venturing out more consistently – with her, the draw is less the ‘nip and the food, and more just the quiet time in the sun, and the softness of the blanket. She doesn’t want much in the way of attention, but she’s beginning to enjoy being present as long as the others don’t bug her.

Bingo: all the 'nip in this bag is for me!

Bingo is one of the Texan cats that came to us last year; they have assimilated themselves well into the front courtyard crowd, and love to be part of the blanket party. He loves the fresh catnip, and wiggles his way into contact with it. His brother Wilbur is more of a sit-around-in-the-sun type.

Wilbur, Leo and (of course!) Boots

Xena is a relative newcomer, and not very comfortable with humans – so it makes us very happy when she joins the blanket sun-bathing crowd.

Xena, looking disapproving

While Catherine and Karrie are visiting caged cats in the DoubleWide and the shyer cats in the back courtyard, the blankets remain in the front courtyard until the end of the KC shift, with cats coming and going as they please.  As the feeding team begins arriving for the last shift, the blankets are folded up to be taken home for washing, and preparation for the next afternoon of feline basking. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

All photos (and inspiration) by Karrie Radford