The Pen 1 Club

Fable & Roland - KN

Pen 1 in the back is the one closest to the Tea Room, and is a favourite for some of our shyer semi-ferals. It’s the only pen that has never, in my ten years at the Sanctuary, been closed (other than for the occasional catching of a cat for medical care) and one where many of the Double Wide cats wander in and out to visit, or to bug someone, or to find somewhere special to curl up for a while.

Roland - MW

Most of the permanent residents are feral and wary of human attention. At the core is a trio of orange cats. Roland has been with us since he was very young, and has a reputation as having been a brat – behaviour that led to his nickname of  “Juvie” (Juvenile Delinquent) . These days he’s a mature gentleman, and long past his brattish ways (though he’s quite capable of dealing with the brats who come visiting).   He’s no lap-cat, but he will allow human attention, enjoying a little petting when he’s in the mood, and very happy to play when the right kind of toy comes out.

Chumley & Siskel - KN

I think a lot of Roland’s hesitance is that he hangs out with Siskel and Chumley, who are much shyer and more wary with visitors. Inside the cabin they will cuddle together, and though they will tolerate people bearing tidbits, there’s always a paw ready to smack. Outside the cabin they tend to stay away from us, though as with Roland, toys are usually acceptable.

Three orange boys & their black buddy - KN

There is usually at least one black cat, sometimes more, in their vicinity. The usual companion inside the cabin is hissy Twyla, who would prefer to stay out of reach.  Out and about, you’re more likely to have the orange trio teamed with black Fable (not to be confused with Siamese Fable in the front courtyard).

Zivko - KN

There are sometimes another couple of black cats in pen 1, but they're not interested in the orange guys. Booty and Kevin are often found in here, but their interest is with tabby Zivko.  All three have (mostly) relocated themselves from Pen 2, and Zivko has turned out to be another Salty in that he is a cat-magnet.  He was always shy in his old location, and that’s not changed much – he doesn’t have the outgoing personality of Calvin and Chase, who have both remained in their Pen 2 territory. But with other cats, it’s a different story,  Often, sitting in the tea room, you can hear Zivko calling, and see Booty and black Kevin and all his various buddies come to find him, and rub up against him.

Booty getting a little grooming from Zivko - KN

The other permanent resident of Pen 1 is tuxie Rocky – known as Rocky Slippers.  Like his sister Twyla, he’s been at the Sanctuary since he was a kitten, but has never warmed to humans. Approaching Pen 1’s cabin in the morning to open it up and remove the dirty plate, I find that it helps to talk to any cats outside.  If Rocky is at floor-level, he panics when the door opens, and there’s a mad scramble to escape; if he hears me coming, he can hide, and pretend he’s not there, taking his time to get out later. He’s actually happiest in the kennels rather than the cabin, safely out of our way.

Rocky Slippers - KN

Because it’s the closest open pen, it gets quite a lot of casual traffic in the way of feline visitors. The local residents, though, are just that – very much resident, and rarely venturing much further than the immediate courtyard area. There’s no place like home!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright