Home At Last

LittleCat has such a sweet face  (KN)

Cats are surrendered to us for a variety of reasons – most commonly because of bad bathroom habits, but reported aggression, or aging owners, or any number of other factors may bring them in to us.  Nearly three years ago, a pair of females came into our care, aged around 12 years. They had been adopted from a Seattle shelter at the age of 6 months; they may have been littermates. We were told there were allergy issues and dog-stresses and a new baby, but whatever the formal cause, they lost their home and found a temporary hideaway in the SingleWide building at the Sanctuary.

LittleCat with her best buddy, Menjosie  (BC)

It was rapidly evident that they really were bonded. The SingleWide is home to several cats who have come to us as pairs - Winston and Oscar, Marie (now gone) and Noelle, Whiskers and Jinx - but all seemed to be as happy on their own as with their partner, and are frequently found separately.  Not so with these two!  Menjosie was the more social of the pair – a tubby little tabby with a hint of torbie colouring – her partner LittleCat preferred to hold back and hide behind the drapes or under the bedding. But the two of them were always together, and refused to leave the cage that they had made their home.

Happiest making a cave to hide from sight  (KN)

In the last half of 2023 we lost eight of the SingleWide cats for a variety of reasons, and Menjosie was one of the eight, succumbing to a tumour in November. LittleCat struggled with her sudden isolation.  She didn’t have to live solo – lots of other cats wandered in and out of her cage, but she didn’t want them, and in true Garbo-style, told them firmly that she wanted to be alone. Staff and Kitty Comforters made a point of visiting with her, but her tolerance level was limited, and though she was vocal about wanting attention, she was also dramatic (and accurate!) in letting us know when she’d had enough, which was usually after no more than three or four pets.

We learned to take her warning collar seriously  (KN)

Weekend visitors would come and interact with her, and occasionally she would show her nice side – but more often than not, she would disdain human attention with all except a few selected people.  The trouble with a personality like LittleCat’s is that she needed a very cat-savvy home – and most of the cat-savvy homes already have cats in them. And she needed a home with NO other cats – in fact no other animals at all.

Christmas in new surroundings  (KN)

But LittleCat had her Christmas miracle.  Staff member Karen (the eye behind so many of our wonderful photos in the blog and the Calendar) is not from an animal-free home – her family has two cats and a pretty lively dog. But the opportunity to move into her own apartment meant decisions about leaving the animals in their own home, and the possibility of offering LittleCat a space and a human that would be all hers.  What a Christmas gift!

Exploring in the new home  (KN)

LittleCat is chatty in her approval of the new surroundings.  Karen says
LC has only been with me for three weeks but it feels like she has lived with me her whole life. The transition from bustling Singlewide life to being an only child in a quiet apartment was nearly seamless. She is quite a polite little princess, though if I try to only give her a few head pats and walk away, she is quick to give me a (gentle) swat to let me know that she did not dismiss me. I'm still learning about her food preferences, since the sanctuary diet is so varied, it was difficult to discern what she actually liked. Given her somewhat troglodytic lifestyle at the sanctuary, I did not anticipate how playful she would be once she came home. She loves chasing and pouncing on wand toys, but she also plays independently and carries her toys all over the apartment. It's wonderful to see her finally relaxing enough to enjoy life again.

Play with me some more!  (KN)

We tell most of our weekend visitors that the majority of our cats are non-adoptable, and people certainly can’t point and say “I want that one!” - the adopting staff need to know a lot more about the surroundings a cat is going to, and the handling they will get in that home.  But there have been many successful adoptions of Sanctuary cats by Sanctuary staff and volunteers – they know the quirks of the cats in question, and love them even when they’re difficult (I’m thinking of dedicated volunteer Daphne who took on the care of Smokey, who was one of the feistiest cats we’ve had, and gave her a loving home with so much patience...). 
Karen is a true cat-whisperer and in her care, this pretty old lady will have the best possible home, with no feline competition, and lots of love for the rest of her days.

Nose boops from the hand she loves   (MK)

Blog by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson
Photos by Brigid Coult, Mike Kossey & Karen Nicholson