Garth & Sierra

Garth  (KN)

It’s more than 10 years ago that the Merritt cats came to us from a cat population explosion to which many BC rescues responded.  We took in about a dozen cats initially, but the stresses of a feral existence can carry into later life, and all those years later, we now have only three of them left: Desmond, Michonne and Garth. When the reduced group was moved to Pen 3, for a while we had two clear colonies: the Merritt cats and the little tabbies. In the last year, the group became much more fluid, and there was more social interchange.

Garth (KN)

Garth is a laid-back gentle giant. Like all the Merritt cats, he’s wary of humans, and too quick an approach results in a rapid retreat to the hiding places. But he’s happy to lounge around in the back section and let himself be admired – and when the right human approaches in the right way, he will allow limited contact and the consuming of treats.

Garth in the middle of the cuddle pile
with Annie and Desmond  (LBF)

For a long time the anonymous little tabbies (I could never sort out who was who) were the other part of the population, presided over by our beloved Dell.  Then we added Annie and Nikki Sixx Toes, ferals from Semiahmoo, with Nikki, like Dell, being diabetic. Sadly, that didn’t work out – Nikki was feral enough that medicating him in the pen was almost impossible. Annie and Nikki were split up, and Nikki was brought into the SingleWide, where he is flourishing and no longer feral.  Annie took a while to decide whether she was in the tabby party or the Merritt one, but decided that the latter was more interesting, and can often be found hanging out with her new buddies.

Hickory, Mitzi, Sierra   (LBF)

Enter Sierra.  Sierra came to us last year from CATS rescue on Vancouver Island – she arrived with Hickory and Mitzi – though not from the same situation. The other two adapted fairly quickly – Hickory is the tamer of the two – and based themselves on the DoubleWide deck with the other semiferals. Sierra, however, was NOT going to be friends with anyone. She spent her time huddled in a corner of her cage, all her body language conveying that she didn’t want to be touched, or even acknowledged, despite all the Kitty Comforters could do to coax her.

Sierra in hiding (KN)

Sometimes you just get cats like that. There are places where they would say “she’s not able to be tamed or adopted; put her down”. At RAPS we have the space to be able to say “she needs to be a feral and take her own time”. Sierra was put into Pen 3 and allowed to make her own decisions. For a long time she huddled in a bed in the cabin, or found herself a cosy straw bed in one of the kennels. Very occasionally she would sniff at an extended fingertip before pulling away.  

Garth & Sierra (LBF)

But in the last few months she seems to have attached herself to Garth – perhaps recognizing a bigger version of herself, and a source of comfort.  Initially she hovered on the edge of the group, but increasingly she can be found with him, and since he will accept a little petting from feral-charmer Lisa, she is also accepting it, especially when she’s cuddled next to him. 

We're letting her take tiny steps, trying not to force her to anything before she’s ready. 

Recently we've transferred the Pen 3 cats into Pen 4 - the latter is a larger space, and we needed to make room for another group of young cats that shouldn't be kept caged, but who need to be limited in range until we find who might be tamable.  The original Pen 3 cats seem to be settling down, and Sierra and Garth are finding new places in which they can hide or hang out together.  Many cats need the comfort of a familiar space, and if we ever opened the feral pens, these ones would likely never come out. And so what? - the RAPS Cat Sanctuary is their home, as long as they need it.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Karen Nicholson

Video by Lisa Brill-Friesen

Nikki Sixx-Toes

One of the hardest things for our med staff to deal with is offering treatment to a feral cat who just wants to say “No way!”

Nikki hiding from us - BC

Nikki came to us with his tabby friend Annie via VOKRA (Vancouver Orphan Kittens Rescue Association) from a reserve in Semiamhoo.

Nikki and Annie in Semiamhoo - JC

He’s a polydactyl, with six toes on his front paws, and was named ‘Six Toes’ prior to arrival at RAPS. His name was tweaked to Nikki Sixx-Toes, after the Mötley Crűe bassist Nikki Sixx.  We caged Annie and Nikki together, hoping they would comfort each other; Annie was not happy with humans encroaching on her territory, but Nikki eventually allowed us to touch him.

The famed six toes on each foot - BC

Nikki was diabetic, and he needs insulin to get his body chemistry balanced. But as a semi-feral cat, we also knew we couldn’t keep him in a cage. So the decision was made to release Nikki and Annie into Pen 3, and take it from there.

Hiding in his tunnel - KN

Like many feral cats, when released, Nikki and Annie decided they wanted nothing to do with humans. They took shelter in the little kennels around the pen; Nikki’s favourite place was in a long metal tunnel. Every day the med staff would come with a snack and the insulin; the snack would be consumed, but all too often Nikki wouldn’t allow the injection. With insulin, it’s virtually painless – the insulin needle is very thin, and most cats don’t notice it, but Nikki didn’t want to allow the med staff to get close.

In his new home - BC

The decision was made to relocate him to the single wide trailer where he could be treated more easily. Whilst caged during the initial transition from outdoor pen to building, Nikki became more relaxed with people and enjoyed attention from humans. When his cage was finally opened, he decided that the area was his, and he refused to leave. His appetite is good; he loves petting from the people he knows; since his cage is right next to Shelter Manager Lisa’s office, he gets a good traffic flow and lots of attention.

Enjoying attention - BC

Annie has remained a feral out in Pen 3 – she seems to have bonded with the other little tabbies, and with Dell

Annie watches warily - LBF

Nikki will probably remain an indoor cat; it will be interesting to see if he ventures out of the cage to explore the territory, or whether, like KeKe in the DoubleWide, he feels that all good things happen in his own space.

Nikki holding court in his cage - BC

Blog by Brigid Coult, with input by Leslie Landa and Louise Parris Rupp

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Janet Cox, Karen Nicholson