Lost and Found

Miller (KN)

After the celebrations of Christmas, we start anticipating the prospect of a New Year – and inevitably that includes some retrospection as we remember what we’ve been through in the past twelve months, and, particularly at the Cat Sanctuary, who we’ve lost in that time.

HoneyBear  (KN)

In fact, 2022 has been a year in which fewer cats have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but there have been some notable personalities among them. The list has to be led by HoneyBear, our blue-eyed charmer, whose neurological quirks caused both his incontinence and his “Ministry of Funny Walks” gait. Once visitors encountered our boy, we could be sure they would always ask after him again.

Marty, our love-bug  (LBF)

Lovers of the Single-Wide cats were particularly hard-hit in the summer, when we lost seven cats in less than three months. First was Bluebell, the Dowager who was transferred when the Moore House was closed; a week later we lost Siamese Presley. Little Marty put up a brave fight with a tumour, and was a central figure for some loving from both cats and humans; less than a month later we lost Mr Pink, another especially loving boy.  All too often cats hide their illness until it’s too late for any treatment.

Mr Pink (JS)

Cats with feline leukemia are almost always more prone to having something that seems small become fatal; their systems don’t have the resiliency needed to combat an infection. Since August we have said farewell to Nandor, Catalano, Banff, Brian and sweet Jane (who features in the 2023 Calendar which went to press just before her sudden passing).

Jane (LBF)

Rudolph & Salish (KN)

Bonded pair Rudolph and Salish in pen 5 have both gone. Rudolph had an anaesthetic reaction to dental surgery in January; Salish passed in June – she missed him so much.  Most of the Old Boys club in Newcomers has also gone; Albi and Woody passed on the same day, and Moxie less than a month later.

Ruff (KN)

We remember sweet Ruff with fondness – his extreme shyness when he arrived, his amazing floof, the way he bonded with Karen – and I still find myself looking for OJ when I enter Pen 4:  he was another feral boy who finally decided that humans were not so bad after all.  Onyx was one of our dowagers, at least 20 years old. Having been largely an indoor cat for years, she moved out to Pen 5 this summer, and then wouldn’t move back in when the weather turned. Med-staff Catherine took her home to fosterage for her last few weeks of comfort and loving.

Puck (BC)

And two other front-courtyard senior tuxedos have passed in the last month: little Puck was our beloved Marianne Moore's cat, and she has crossed the Bridge to be with Marianne again, and sweet Miller (at top) was beginning to age early in the fall, and became very frail and tottery in his last few weeks.

Oscar (LBF) and Gypsy (DW) - gone to new homes!

So we grieve their passing, even as we give thanks that the lives they lived were made possible by the love and care they received at the Sanctuary.  There are never enough homes for all the cats we take in – especially in a year like this one with a prolonged kitten season.  We are grateful to the people who have taken in Sanctuary cats like Oscar and Gypsy and given them hope for a new life, and also to all the supporters whose help allows us to give lifelong home-space to otherwise unadoptable cats like incontinent Jasmine or moody Jade or JJ, to the cats who come with Feline Leukemia, or the shy ferals who want nothing to do with us. Every life is precious, and RAPS will continue to offer Sanctuary to cats who have no other options.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, 

Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint, Debbie Wolanski

The Old Boys Club

Moxie  (MW)

More than a year ago I blogged about the Boys’ Club that much of the Back Courtyard has become – the little “families” of male cats that constitute their own small colonies, and how they interact. There are a number of females to be found there as well, but many of the latter seem to prefer the solo life. However there is one group in particular that I specially love. Strictly speaking, they’re a “Newcomers” group (not because they’re new, but because that’s what we call the area between the SingleWide trailer and the courtyard). Now that we’re finally getting warm days, they’re deciding that being out in the sun is a much nicer place to be.

Woody enjoying the warmth  (BC)

Woody was an adult when he came to us in 2006, so we estimate he’s around 17 years old – perhaps more. He is one of those ferals who doesn’t hide in terror, but just prefers to stay out of the way; he’s pretty sociable with other cats, and now tolerates humans – especially the med-staff, who bring him his medications in tasty food disguises.  He used to spend all his time in the Newcomers, but we now see him appearing in the courtyard on a regular basis.

Best buds - Moxie & Pumpkin  (KN)

Moxie is the last of his family; his brother Willi and sister Samantha have both passed. He's been at the Sanctuary since 2009; we think he’s more than 17 years old. I remember him as a dapper tuxedo gentleman, bonded with a little tortie called Vienna; in his senior years he’s looking a little more scruffy, and he prefers the company of his own gender, though he is tolerant of Alexandria’s tendency to do yoga inches from his nose.

Moxie is reluctantly willing to share space...   (KN)

Dark orange Albi was named for the sociable husband of a former staff member – but feline Albi was anything BUT social.  He arrived in the Sanctuary in 2012, and we think he’s now around 14 or so. At first he was a very shy boy, preferring to hide away, though allowing occasional petting - we think he was likely a stray rather than a feral.  In the last few years he has begun coming to us, looking for contact – he is one of those submissive cats who almost immediately rolls on his back, trusting his vulnerability to our hands. 

Sweet Albi - ripened to perfection  (MW)

All three senior gentlemen have slowed down considerably; they like a quiet pace of life, with occasional treats and petting, and a lot of sleep, cat-style. They are often chivvied out of it by the younger and more energetic Pumpkin.

Pumpkin  (KN)

Pumpkin came to us as a youngster in 2015, so he might be 8 or 9 years old. He was found near the 5 Road Shelter;  we don't know if he was dumped off or made his way there. At the Shelter he was very resistant to human contact initially, and brought to the Sanctuary as a feral, but work with the Kitty Comforters, and some serious food motivation have changed his outlook on life. Pumpkin is one of those cats who hears the chicken bag before it ever comes out of my pocket, and he is focused and athletic in intercepting treats intended for other cats. I love the Pumpkin blog that Kitty Comforter Moira wrote about him the year after his arrival.

Woody & Moxie, watched by Pumpkin  (KN)

Pumpkin adores the three older cats, and can often be found bunting and rubbing and tail-weaving with them – in fact, he is so enthusiastic about it that his strength sometime pushes them off balance. He can also be found sharing sleeping space with them in the Newcomers area, and I suspect his energy helps to keep them going. When the old guys appear in the courtyard, Pumpkin will not be far away, and we all love to see the affection among them.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

August 24: 2022 - it's been a hot summer, and the heat is hard on old tired bodies.  Woody and Albi passed the same day in July, and though Moxie appeared fine, he was missing his old buddies. What looked like an ear infection turned out to be a mass, and he followed them over the Bridge last week.

Pumpkin has moved his social activities to include Sylar and Quinn - the Boys Club is still in action!

Up Is Best

Emery surveys the world - PH

As all good cat-owners know, one of the keys to a happy cat-home is offering your cat a choice of levels on which to rest. Whether that means clearing shelves, installing steps on a wall, or just bringing in a good-sized cat tree, your cat will probably enjoy being above ground-level. For many cats, climbing behaviour is instinctive – it gives them a vantage point to watch for potential danger, and often offers a warmer place to rest.

Towels are warm - so Cole ignores the sign - TV

At the Sanctuary, it’s also one of the means of keeping the peace – cats who might not get on with each other can find different levels on which to co-exist, and the feral cats, in particular, like to stay well out of the way.

Even our handicapped Terry likes to go climbing - MD

All the space is set up with this in mind. In each of the main areas, cages are built with an extensive cage-top surface, well-equipped with bedding – and part of the morning clean-up involves volunteers and staff climbing up to check and change bedding as necessary. Every area has at least one cat-tree – often more than one – and we are most grateful to the donors who bring new ones in. Uninhabited cages are left open and provided with boxes and beds so that shyer cats have upper levels where they can hide.

Comet ready to launch from one cage-top to another - MW

In both the Double and Single-Wide, runs are set up around the room so that cats can choose to stay off the ground if they prefer. Some of the more feral ones may rarely venture down; food and water, litter-boxes and bedding are all within their reach.

exploring on the gazebo roof - BC

When the gazebo was installed in the front courtyard, it didn’t take long before some adventurous souls made their way up through the central lantern and onto the roof; that access has now been blocked

KitKat likes to be on a shoulder - TV

Some cats don’t wait for shelves or cat-trees – KitKat is one of our gate-greeters, and is quite ready to do a vertical take-off to land on an unsuspecting shoulder; she likes to be higher up than all the humans around her. If someone taller comes into range, she’s quite ready to transfer to the higher vantage point.

Skittles loves to show off on his shelf - MW

In all the pens at the back, the cabins contain several sets of shelves, well-equipped with bedding, so that cats can choose their preferred level. And out in the open there are also places where they can climb, and look out over the area with a greater sense of security.

Magnus, Duke and Max sunning outside New Aids - KN

One of the other functions of a cat-tree, of course, is to offer a surface for scratching – both to exercise the claws and to give the cat a chance to stretch their leg and back muscles. In many places around the Sanctuary untreated wood is used for stair and door posts, and there are a few places where there are signs that it will soon need to be replaced.

Albi gets in a good scratch - MW

The best scratching post, of course, is the tree in the back courtyard, and it is well-used both for that purpose and as a vantage-point by a variety of cats.

For a big cat, Leo is an agile climber - MW

Yma feels safer up high - MW

Pico loves to explore heights - MW

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Phaedra Hardman,
Tanisha Vincent, Michele Wright

Ho-ho-Horatio!

Another feral turns a corner...

First time for petting - LR

Last spring Horatio arrived in the Sanctuary parking lot – from where, we don’t know. Occasionally we have visiting cats investigating the Sanctuary perimeter – perhaps wondering what all these other cats are doing, seemingly happy behind mesh barriers.  Sited on the edge of blueberry fields as we are, there is probably good hunting of small mammals, and because we leave some crunchies out for the skunks and raccoons (so that they don’t try to come inside the pens), a visiting cat will quickly discover that there is food available if you get there in time.

Ears back! - PH

These cats will sometimes turn out to be wandering residents of neighbouring homes; occasionally they are tame cats that may have been dumped (though we try to encourage people to do formal surrenders at the Shelter on 5 Road). But often they are ferals, probably born on a farm, and used to a hard life to survive.
For several weeks staff and volunteers had noted this ginger cat sneaking around – most often seen early in the morning, or with eyes reflecting the comings and goings of the evening shift. Med staff Leslie got the traps out.  They can’t just be set and left; they need to be monitored fairly frequently so that when a cat is trapped, it doesn’t have to wait long.

Top: first warning reaction in the cage
Bottom: Oh no - my bluff's been called!   -  PH

Finally this orange boy ventured into the trap and was brought inside the Sanctuary.  As is traditional with the cats that find their way to us, he was named for a TV detective (Horatio Caine, CSI Miami). He was put into a cage in the DoubleWide, where he could be checked; he was vet-checked and neutered, and we hoped that would help calm him. But he was scared – he spent all his time cowering behind his drape, and when he was finally released into the general population, he vanished into the back deck area. I use the word vanished deliberately. Other ferals in that area are content to put themselves out of reach where they can watch us with suspicious eyes (Jolene, Yma, Ringo). Horatio made a bee-line for a comfy armchair and hid under it. And soon, under was not enough, and he managed to make his way inside the chair where he could be totally out of sight.

The three back deck "don't touch me" cats: Jolene, Yma, Ringo - BC

For a long time, it was anyone’s guess whether he was still under there, or if he’d managed a jail-break in some way. Evening med staff would occasionally catch a glimpse of orange fur. Leslie, who had trapped him, was most consistently aware of him watching her suspiciously. Through the summer, with open doors, he made his way out into the gardens; cleaning back pens on Fridays, I would occasionally notice a cat that looked a bit like Albi, but smaller. When disturbed in his flowerbed, he would stare with horrified eyes, and then dash away. He took up residence with some of the other ferals at the far end of the gardens, but seemed to be more willing to wander and explore. He obviously recognized Leslie’s voice, because he would occasionally be in the breezeway to check her arrival. I remember walking in one evening to find this talkative little orange cat telling me firmly that I was NOT the right person.

Ready to vanish into his chair - BC

In the colder weather, Horatio returned to his hidey on the back deck, but started being more ready to explore the DoubleWide when there are fewer people around. For the last couple of months he has been following Leslie around, and she has been working with him as often as she can, feeding him little bits of chicken, and getting little touches in from time to time (and her share of swats in return!)  Recently, she had breakthrough – the touches were getting easier, and he lowered his head and asked for head-rubs. Louise was on hand when he finally decided that real petting was going to be OK

The breakthrough - LR

Now he’s starting to share his rubs and wiggles with other people.  He has moved into the DoubleWide, to a bottom shelf where he can watch for Leslie but still be mostly hidden. He is ready to be petted by Kitty Comforters and other volunteers, and he will occasionally venture out for a bit of ankle-rubbing.

Enjoying headrubs - CP

Just like Dazzle, he’s not ready for a lap or for being picked up, but with love and patience from everyone he encounters, he has made enormous progress from the terrified feral who first came into our hands.

A newly confident Horatio!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman, Chris Peters, Louise Rupp

Update: February 2018.  Horatio has now decided that he is a lap-cat, with a little encouragement from Leslie and Louise.  Doesn't he look pleased with himself?

Spring 2021 - update:  Horatio is home!  He has been adopted by Louise, and is SO happy!

Pumpkin Cats for Halloween

Tradition holds that black cats are the symbols for Halloween – but with an abundance of pumpkins around, this Halloween I’d rather think about the Sanctuary's crop of orange cats.

Pumpkins - DW

Pumpkin is obviously a great name for an orange cat – in fact, I’m surprised we have had only two Pumpkins at the Sanctuary – one a feral leukemia cat, now passed, and our current Pumpkin, who was actually named more for his orange eyes than for his pale orange colouring

Pumpkin - MW

This Pumpkin is mostly an inhabitant of the Newcomers area; he’s an excellent example of a semi-feral cat who appreciates humans bearing food, but is not really happy about all the touchy-feely stuff – he will allow a little stroke here and there, and he’s a long way from being the angry feral that came in to us, but he prefers to stay at arm’s length, other than with specially favoured visitors like Moira.

Simba - DW

The intense orange of a good pumpkin is better echoed in the colouring of a cat like Simba. This sweet boy came to us as one of the first from a closing shelter on the Sunshine Coast; since the pen he was in has been opened, Simba has enjoyed the chance to wander and make new friends. 

Simba - MD

He excels at finding laps and making himself comfortable – and as all cat-lovers know, there’s no better therapy than a purring cat in the lap. Apparently he was initially surrendered as a pee-er – probably a protest against not being allowed outside. Here at the Sanctuary he has outside privileges in safety, and lots of friends to love him.

Simba lap-cat - MD

OJ is not only pumpkin-coloured, he’s also pumpkin-shaped! He is one of the few cats in pen 4 (ferals) who will allow touch, and it usually needs to be accompanied by treats. 

OJ - DW

We recently opened pen 2, all the inhabitants of whom had come to us last year from the Five Road shelter. Some of that colony have stayed safely in the area they know, but others have enthusiastically ventured out to explore. Parry is one of those cats, happily visiting with volunteers in the tea-room or poking his nose into the double-wide. His orange friend Pavel is much more wary about passing the gate...

Parry - BC

A long-time back courtyard feline pumpkin is Albi, though his solid-orange coat is a darker shade than Parry or Simba. Another semi-feral, Albi will cautiously allow touch, though he’s obviously not that enthusiastic about it. 

Albi - MW

Another pumpkin-shaped orange cat lives in the Single-Wide; Paylan came in with Mom Marisa (now passed).  After several years living with us, a vet-visit informed us that “he” was “she” and the renamed Sarah Paylan can usually be found tucked away on a shelf. She belongs to the school of cat behaviour that calls for as little exertion as possible – hence the shape! We do have several other orange female cats (statistically, 95% of orange cats are male) but most of them are orange and white, and only Blanche and Paylan are predominantly ginger

Sarah Paylan - DW

The front courtyard also has a good collection of orange cats – sweet Gilbert, shy Lucky, brothers Henrik (in the Val Jones area) and Daniel, as well as orange and white Tigger.

Fall in the front courtyard - DW

But a feature on our pumpkin-coloured cats wouldn’t be complete without a look at the not-so-small Little Orange, friend and protector of Merilee, worshipper of Sunday visitor Allison, and one of the softest-furred cats in the Sanctuary.

Little Orange - MW

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

The 2017 Calendar's Coming!

As we’ve done for the last five years, a selection of the Sanctuary cats will be featured in a calendar,  – this year, it will appear on 22 October at our fall pub-night fundraiser  and, for the first time, will be accompanied by a dog edition from the City Shelter.

And as always, it was hard to make a selection of pictures, and inevitably, to say no to this or that one. I always try to choose a variety of cats – so I’m looking for a black cat, a calico, a tabby, a grey, a pair, a group... and so on. We made the decision to allow some new photos of cats who had been featured in previous years, but not of any cat who appeared in the 2016 calendar.

Here are some of the pictures that just missed being selected – not because they were less worthy in any way, but because they just didn’t fit with the sequence that emerged.

Albi - the first of a series of orange boys on the shortlist!

Boomer - in New Aids

MiuMiu was going to be our January 2018 cat
- but she may just possibly be adopted!

The light on our lovely Rudolph makes this a wonderful photo
 - but he's already in another picture!

Ian Tom sent us a couple of lovely photos.
This is Autumn, who was featured in the 2016 calendar

We discussed making this the cover - but decided that
being stared at with horror by a feral was not a welcoming image!

Buddy has the most beautiful eyes!
He's another one on the verge of adoption...

Henrik was on the cover of the 2015 calendar.
This is his brother Daniel, another of the orange guys on our list

The calendar will be available at the Sanctuary, the Shelter, the Thrift Store, and at several other venues around the city - for more information check the RAPS webpage  

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Ian Tom and Michele Wright