Rescue is not a Fast Process

Plantain, Tomatillo and Oxford  (KN)

Anyone who has followed activities at RAPS in the last couple of months is aware of the difficult situation our rescue team encountered at a home where there were too many cats, a totally inadequate living situation, lack of spay/neuter, and toxic chemical hazard.  I won’t go into it in detail – you can find it on the RAPS website HERE and HERE.

Bartlett is not happy with human contact  (KN)

Rescue is not a single event, important as that rescue day was, though.  Between the RAPS Hospital, the Adoption Centre, the Sanctuary and a dedicated team of fosterers, places had to be found for all the cats. Some have needed medical attention; all have needed spays and neuters, and cage space has been at a premium as they recover.  At the Sanctuary, the back of the SingleWide was turned into a Ward for quiet recovery; other cats were placed in single cages as available. As the patients recover from surgery, they have been transferred into Pen 6 to rediscover the feeling of being a colony, and to get to know the humans who are now part of their lives.

Opal  (KN)

Pen 6 has historically been a pen of transition into Sanctuary life; it held the cats who came from a closing shelter on the Sunshine Coast in 2016; it held the Candy Cats from Coquitlam in 2017; it held the McLeod cats who were a local out-of-control feral colony in 2019; and it held the mostly orange colony evicted from their farm home near Kamloops in 2021. It’s a bit small for all our hoarded 2025 refugees, but we hope that the ones who are open to contact with us may tame enough to be transferred to the Adoption Centre, and we will work on making space in other pens.

Bronx is venturing out  (KN)

Most of them are white with orange or blond markings; there are a few tabbies. Now that some of them are starting to settle, the Kitty Comforters are going in and spending time with them, showing them with tidbits and play and calming music that they’re in a good place, and all will be well. These are all unsocialized cats, so it’s a joy when we discover that one cat is responding to advances, and likes contact and play.

Tomatillo relaxed and happy  (KN)

As cats were trapped and sorted during the actual rescue, the rescue team gave them food names – starting with a whole lot of apple and pear varieties, and then moving on to grapes and other more unusual foods.  Our brave little would-be tame cat is called Tomatillo; another began as Muscat (grape) which transformed to Muskat, which has become Muskrat!

Muskrat has just moved to Pen 6  (KN)

Medical records show pictures of terrified cats – nobody looks their best when they’re scared, after all – and staff member Karen, who is also one of our best cat whisperers, has been spending calm time with them and also getting some really good pictures of Newton cats who are beginning to feel more comfortable with life, as they recover from burns and chemical fumes. They may always show marks on their bodies, or through their neurological systems, but now they have good food and clean water, safe places to curl up and room to climb and play, and the potential to learn trust and perhaps eventually go to safe homes of their own.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Karen Nicholson