Creampuff & Malibu

Siblings Creampuff & Malibu  (JS)

These two gorgeous floofs were part of a trapped group from Surrey in the fall of 2023 – a situation that was partly hoarding, partly a badly-maintained colony.  Many of the cats were semi-socialized – not so much that they could be scooped up, but not so fearful that they refused to enter well-baited traps. And several other rescues were involved in the project, so that nobody was overwhelmed by numbers.

Creampuff when she arrived (AM)

Looking at these two, it’s very likely that they are siblings, though they’re not strongly bonded. Initially Creampuff was caged in the Connor building, as was orange Cornbread;  the two of them could often be seen together on the north side of the courtyard. Malibu was a Hill House cat;  I suspect the two of them were separated because neither had been spayed/neutered, and by the time they re-encountered each other, they’d forgotten family ties.  

Malibu's markings were clearer when he was young  (AM)

At first glance they’re pretty well identical – Malibu’s ears are a little more orange, and he has white markings on his face, where Creampuff’s fur is more even.  Currently it’s easier to distinguish them;  like many of the semi-feral cats, they dislike being groomed, especially given the mats that are common in long-haired cats, and they were among the first customers that Gracelyn tackled in the salon-project.  

Malibu's lion-tail is furring out again  (BC)

Unlike Alfie, who had a complete lion-cut, these two just had a remedial cut, zeroing in on the specific problems.  Their shaved patches are in different places, and the most useful identifier is that Malibu now has a lion-tail, down to the little tuft at the end, while Creampuff still sports her beautiful plume.

Creampuff enjoys lounging on a high shelf  (BC)

Weekend visitors are always struck by these two, and we are often asked about their adoptability. They still fall in the semi-feral category, which ranges through a spectrum from “look, but don’t touch!” to “pet me, pet me!”.  Neither one of the pair comes looking for petting; they will tolerate it for a while, but they’d rather not have much contact. As cats that have lived wild, their bathroom habits are erratic; some cats settle to using litter-boxes easily, but from the mess around the courtyard in the mornings, it is clear that some do not. We could probably have adopted out orange Cornbread, but she is definitely not bathroom-trained!

Malibu  (KN)

So until either cat demonstrates a strong bond to a human, AND is seen to be a consistent litter-box user, they remain on the unadoptable list – they get to enjoy life in the front courtyard with their feline buddies, and we get to admire their beauty.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Anne Marchetti, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint

Cool, if not Classy

Mats necessitated a full body shave for Betsy

 

Betsy at her most beautiful - before she got matted

The Cat Sanctuary lies about as far north as it’s reasonable to consider placing a largely outdoor facility for felines.  Cats like their comfort, and most of them don’t care much for rain and wind and snow – and the rain and wind is something that we do quite well in BC winters, so cats and humans alike look forward with great anticipation to warm spring days.  Unfortunately, part of getting through cold weather, for cats, consists in growing more fur, and for some unfortunate felines, that means matting!

Kenji was not cooperative about having his much-needed haircut!

We see mats suddenly becoming more obvious in the spring, when shedding undercoats may be affected by humidity, and the hairs refuse to shed, clumping together.  This happens particularly in some of the long-haired cats, but short-haired cats can mat as well. The interesting thing is that one long-haired cat may have no problems at all, while another is a furry disaster – in the Front Courtyard Caleb remains fluffy and elegant, while Kenji is a mess (even after his haircut!)

At least Baker's back-shave is pretty smooth

Sometimes matting is a factor in feline shape – many cats will twist themselves into yoga-like postures to groom themselves, but when you’re a little on the tubby side, those contortions are just not possible.  Poor Baker is short-haired, but his stocky body meant that not only did he need a sanitary cut, so that he wasn’t walking around with a dirty bum, but he actually needed most of his back fur trimmed. Fortunately, he was due for dental surgery, and the vets did a very thorough shave job on him while he was fully sedated.

Adam & May just got spot-trims
- they look a little tattered, but the mats are gone.

With the elderly cats who are matting, we tend not to do more than make sure they are comfortable; if a mat is pulling on the skin it is removed, but otherwise, we don’t want to stress them more than strictly necessary. Some of them like being groomed; others prefer that the grooming is gentle and soothing, with a soft brush, rather than using any sort of de-shedding tool.  Volunteers are asked not to try and cut mats out – it’s too easy to damage fragile skin – but to report bad ones to the med staff.

Smithy managed to get his own mat off

The problem with mats is that they do pull on the cat’s skin, and if not spotted and removed, they can be quite painful or uncomfortable in the way they hang.  But simultaneously, we have to deal with the fact that we’re often talking about feral cats who resist human touch, let alone any attempt to groom them. In order to deal with fur problems, the cat may have to be netted and given sedation, and we have to balance that trauma against their grooming needs. When Hissy Smithy gets a big mat, we will sometimes just watch him, and see if he can get rid of it himself – and quite often someone will report finding “Smithy’s beardy bit” lying in the courtyard, without us having to intervene at all.

Bailey LOVES her haircut;
she rolls and wiggles, enjoying freedom of movement.

If the cat is handleable, there is generally someone who will take time with grooming tools to prevent most of the problems. But with so many of our cats being feral, or at the “you may look at me, but not touch” end of the spectrum, a list develops as the warmer weather approaches, and the med staff get to work. This spring, this has been particularly true of the group who came in from the Kootenays three years ago: the three little Himalayans, Betsy, Cleo and Zoe, and their larger companions Basil and Bailey. All of them have needed salon care; none of them are entirely comfortable with being handled by humans.

Cleo had a saddle trim to remove specific mats; the rest of her fur was fine!

It’s not a good idea to give full sedation to a cat without a really good reason – like necessary surgery – and most of the cats who need shaving get their haircuts while a little zoned out on gabapentin. And because this affects different cats to different degrees, some of the haircuts are a little erratic!  Some will receive a full shave, lion-cut style, given at the hospital – with others, just the mats are cut out and the remaining fur covers the gaps.  Some of them are obviously embarrassed by their sudden nakedness; others love feeling free to move without discomfort.  

Alfie always mats badly, and needs a lion-cut

With the tamer cats, we can take the opportunity to do some gentle brushing of the new short coats, reminding them how good it can feel. If they get out of the habit of grooming themselves, or refuse to allow it, the haircuts have to happen all over again next year!

Blog & photos by Brigid Coult

Two Alpha Cats

Alfie - MW

For a while, the Sanctuary office was known as the home of the Grumpy Old Ladies, and Kitty, Mindy and Tammy (who were all much beloved by the Shelter Manager) took pains to ignore each other at all costs. There were rarely any real battles, but there was a certain amount of bad language.

Kitty-Mindy-Tammy - RIP

We also have our share of grumpy male cats, but putting them together in a room to grump with each other is rarely a good move. The grumpy guys tend to be much more aggressive than the grumpy gals, and we try to encourage them to locate in different areas, and hope they won’t encounter each other too often.

Alfie - KN

The particular grumpy pair I have in mind, are both called Alfred. To be precise, the front courtyard boy is named Alfie, which sort of sounds friendlier than Alfred – but his usual mood belies the name. Alfie came to us last year, a late-neutered tomcat; you can generally tell the males that miss an early neutering because they tend to bulk up, and the head and jowls are often blocky. He was initially brought in as a stray with an abscess (probably from fighting) and adopted last spring, but returned because of peeing issues. We think he is around 10 years old.

Alfie - LBF

Alfie is blond and beautiful, like Leo – but he doesn’t live up to his appearance, preferring to be the courtyard bully. Cheryl tells me that a little while ago he had a thing for Mozart, and followed him everywhere, stalking him and picking fights. For a while we relocated him to the back courtyard, but the big boys there gave him a taste of his own bullying behaviour, and we eventually moved a slightly more subdued Alfie back to his starting place.

Alfie waiting for Mozart to come out - CT

He’s definitely top cat, and can be very vocal when wandering around.  Kitty-Comforter Mel says “He loooooves catnip, tries to be close to you but he doesn’t know how to show affection. It’s like he wants to be petted but growls at you. He pees on everything.” He will occasionally “make nice” with a human, but don’t count on it! - he’s just as likely to swat. He and Winston can sometimes be found exchanging greetings at the window of the Newcomers door; Winston is pretty shy, so Alfie has no need to show off.  Cheryl thinks Alfie’s at his best when he’s sleeping – she says “He reminds me of the Lion in the Wizard of Oz!” 

The lion sleeps tonight! - CT

Alfred-in-the-back is a handsome tabby manx gentleman. He came to us with a “peeing” label; lack of urinary control is sometimes a manx thing, but equally it’s often a stress symptom. His former owners reported that he'd had urinary crystals, which can be very painful for male cats. During his caged period with us, he seemed to be managing just fine with the litterbox, and since emerging he’s not shown any real sign of problems in that area – other than where it comes to other cats. 

If it fits, I sits - KN

Mostly, he's an independent guy. He will tolerate a little petting before he moves off; he's ready to accept treats or to interact a bit with humans, but he's not a snuggle-bug.

Any treats up there?  LBF

But where Alfred's problem lies is with aggression. He has established that he knows who the other pushy cats are, and he pushes right back. Cats don’t have a social hierarchy in the way that dogs do, but we do know that males, in particular, will attempt to establish their alpha status with each other (and with us!). Alfred has a particular “hate” on for Licorice; Licorice is not really a fan of other cats, and his arthritis often makes him grumpy, so being bugged by Alfred can produce a lot of yelling.

"Helping" with the gardening - LBF

Grey Gizmo and Jasper come in for some face-offs with him as well, but it’s Alfred and Licorice that makes us keep the “Bad Cat” spray bottle on the table outside the TeaRoom.  Cool off, Alfred – life’s much better at the Sanctuary when you can get along with the other cats!

A little quiet-time...  KN

Alfie and Alfred are both alphas – and life for both of them can be a bit fraught. It’s a good thing there’s lots of space at the Sanctuary, and hidey-holes where they can take time-out when the stress of being social gets to be too much.

Blog by Brigid Coult (with thanks to Cheryl, Lori & Mel)

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson, Cheryl Townsend, Michele Wright

Note: as we go to press, Licorice has been transferred to the office area, where we can monitor his diet. Perhaps Alfred will be a little calmer without his bête noire around...