Julius (OJ2)

Julius - or OJ  (BC)

When I began volunteering with RAPS, we were the Richmond Animal Protection Society – developed from Richmond Homeless Cats, which was founded by Carol Reichert in response to our city’s feral cat problem. With the local cat numbers under control, the RAPS umbrella reached beyond city limits to team with other rescues as needed, helping them save feral and stray and sometimes tame-but-with-problems cats, and the Regional Animal Protection Society took in feline refugees from the Island, from Prince George and Kamloops, from the Shuswaps and the Kootenays and sometimes beyond provincial boundaries. One of our rescue partners is in Grand Forks, and from them we have taken in several groups of cats, including Fonzie and Flynn, and the three “Westeros” cats in the front courtyard – Beric, Rhaenys and Laena.

A suspicious glare from the floor of his cage (BC)

This past July, they were going to send us three cats, but one of them had an adoption prospect, and in his place they asked to send a problem cat. Actually, all three of them were problems, but Jack Daniels and his mama Maxine were regular feral cats, and have ended up in Pen 4 (the feral pen) with the other touch-me-not felines. The cat we were asked to take was one who was around eight years old, had had a home, but was just unhandleable. His name was Orange Julius, also known as OJ, and he hated everyone.

Our first OJ, resident lion in Pen 4 (MW)

He immediately became a focus of attention for the Kitty Comforters. We’ve had an OJ cat, also initially an angry boy in Pen 4, who mellowed over the years into accepting petting (if not grooming) – he passed in 2022 (search the blog for lots of mentions of him!)  I wasn’t ready for another OJ, so I call the new boy Julius – he needs a new name for a new life with us!

Julius before arriving at RAPS: scared and very scary

Julius had an owner throughout his life, but I understand there were some instabilities – lots of changes of houses, bad circumstances – and Julius was not getting the care he needed. He ended up in the loving hands of the people at Boundary Helping Hands. At that stage he was grumpy but handleable; unfortunately the lack of care he’d received showed in his very matted condition, with mats down to the skin. He was sent to the local vet for a shave-down, and Dr Jeckyll turned into Mr Hyde. The cat who returned was unmanageable. We don’t know what happened – whether it was something about the sedation (or whether there was not enough); he did come to us with a tail injury, but we don’t know whether that happened at that time, or was something he did to himself. But he just hated everyone.

Julius's first outing  (AM)

Any cat caged with us is attended by the med staff initially – a cat who’s on the attack is not an easy prospect for a volunteer (and in fact any volunteer can ask for staff help with a cat who is aggressive). When Julius’s cage was made available to the Kitty Comforters, we discovered that he preferred to nest on the floor rather than on the shelf. He’s a big boy – probably 20lbs or so – and probably preferred not to make the jump via the chair; instead he hid behind the lower drape and growled. Like Tigger, he would sometimes go for ankles, and initially we needed to be very careful with hands. My guess is that he’d had some bad encounters, and was expecting the worst. But he was bribable with Temptations, and could be coaxed into wand play, both from outside the cage and then inside; as he discovered that we were weren’t going to do anything nasty to him.  He was caged much longer than most cats are, but it was that period and the constant gentle care that turned the corner for him. Sometimes we have cage-aggressive cats like Rockford, who leave the cage and become everyone’s friend. Julius actually needed the cage to allow him to decompress fully from whatever had alarmed him.

Exploring on the Deck  (BC)

In mid-October, almost three months after arriving with us, Julius had his first outing, under Anne’s careful supervision. Given his history, we wanted to make sure he wouldn’t attack other cats; in the event, it was Julius who needed a certain amount of protection from a very sassy Mrs Noodles. It is possible he’s not had experience living with other cats, and encountering the DoubleWide and Deck cats may be a bit daunting! When he was finally released, he moved onto the Deck and found himself places to hide. For awhile, there were only glimpses of an orange lump tucked away into a corner – and then he began to appear. Last week I was having some cuddle time with Tumble, and Julius came around the corner and sat and looked at us – I could practically hear him thinking “I wonder....” Two days later he approached me and accepted petting, in a way that I don’t think I would have dared a month before. We were surrounded by other cats hoping for a handout, and Julius backed out, a little overwhelmed, perhaps. 

An outing beyond the Deck door (BC)

Half an hour later I met him outside the Deck cat-door, exploring outdoors just a bit. We had a good petting session a day later, with him stretched out on a shelf-top.  We hope that he’ll get moving outside, and perhaps take a bit of that poundage off – but we also know he likes to play, so there’s a challenge for anyone visiting the Deck.

Such a different cat!  (BC)

We may never know what made him so fearful, so angry – but it’s heart-warming to see him emerge from whatever trauma he’s been through, and discover safety and loving hands on the other side. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Anne Marchetti & Michele Wright