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