July rainbows

Neko, from the Leukemia pen  (KN)

One of the hard things about involvement in the Cat Sanctuary – and I think it has to be particularly hard on the med-staff – is the number of cats we lose through the year. The cat population at the Adoption Centre constantly changes, but it changes because Adoption Centre cats are gone to new homes. The majority of our Sanctuary losses are the cats we lose to age and illness, and it hurts to come in and find that a beloved friend has gone.

Denzel always sat with his paws neatly turned out  (BC)

Often this seems to happen in waves. We had a couple of months earlier in the year when we had only a couple of passings – but this past July has been painful: 12 cats gone in 26 days.  And somehow, to have them cross the rainbow bridge in this lovely weather feels all wrong.  

Jerry, from the Val Jones pen  (KN)

The first to go was sweet battered-looking Jerry in the Val Jones;  Jerry was one of the few FIV cats that showed the effects of the virus; he struggled with skin problems and mouth problems.  But he loved his feline buddies and his human friends, and was never happier than when having cuddles. Three days later we lost Neko from the Leukemia pen, and Denzel from the DW deck. Handsome Neko had been a very spooked feral for some time after coming to us, spending most of his time in the overhead walkways, but in the last couple of years his reserve had thawed, and he came down to enjoy petting from staff and volunteers.  Denzel was the last cat trapped at the old 5 Road shelter, before RAPS left it for demolition and rebuilding; he was a good buddy of Luke and Bodhi, and of Hamlet, now gone – the three tuxedos formed the core of what Daphne called the Mafia cats in the Catsino - and Denzel was the honorary consigliere.

from the gremlin Autumn was when she first arrived....

to the flirt who loved everyone   (KN)

The following day, sweet Autumn crossed the bridge. Autumn had been with us since 2012 when she arrived with her kittens; the angry hissy girl of those early days turned into a floofy flirt who enjoyed nothing better than human attention. She’d had mouth problems for at least the last year, and a lot of cage time while the vets tried to sort out what what happening with her.

Chumley, lounging in Pen 1 (MW)

Paula, exploring outside Pen 2   (MW)

A surprise passing was Juliette, one of the cats from what we call the Newton hoard. Most of that colony is doing well, but one of our concerns with them is how inbred they likely are, and it’s probable that Juliet was carrying a genetic timebomb.   Three days later, we lost four cats in a single day.  Two of them were seniors: Chumley (kidney disease) had been with us 14 years, and Paula (cancer) for a bit less; she was one of the Pen 2 cats who came to us in 2016. As we lost the older cats from that colony, Paula stepped up to become quite the bossyboots, changing from a hide-away girl to one who roamed the courtyard.  Lloyd in Pen 4 has gone to be with his beloved buddy Len across the Bridge, and with him was one of the Hotel cats from the past winter's trapping;  we never really got to know Kimpton well, and he was not a happy Sanctuary dweller, unlike his companions Westin and Wyndham.

Higgins, in the DoubleWide  (KN)

The following week, sweet Higgins passed;  he came to us as a battered boy, and he never really recovered his health, constantly struggling with skin conditions – possibly an auto-immune situation. He rarely ventured outside, making his home in the Double Wide, where there were always people around to make much of him;  he was pretty wary of other cats.|

Would there be any chicken for me?  (KN)

Two more shocks – little Nova, from the SingleWide, was gone at the weekend; Nova had arrived with her kittens, and been a very ferocious mama until they went for adoption;  once they were gone she settled into Sanctuary living, becoming a chickaholic and a happy dancer. The SingleWide seems very empty without her determined begging!  And sweet semi-feral Fletcher, who came to us with his buddies Fonzie and Flynn, had been hiding away and losing weight; both of them had cancer.  Fletcher had been learning that humans were not so bad, but the feral instinct is not to show weakness and by the time he was seen, it was too late.

We had all too little time with Fletcher   (BC)

So July was a pretty brutal month – and all that on top of losing Willow, Charlotte, Sylar, Flash, Marble and Adam in June. Four of those were seniors, and anticipated – the loss is never welcome, but the passing of senior cats has to be accompanied by gratitude for their long lives with us, and for all the love that was shared with them. And even for the relative newcomers like Juliette, Fletcher and Kimpton, we take comfort in knowing that their time with us was lived in safety, and with much love and care from staff and volunteers. Rainbows at the Bridge mean there was rain, and tears – but their light was so beautiful... 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Sweet GeriCatrics

Senior Hannah still looks young!  (KN)

Volunteers and staff working in the Adoption Centre are used to a steady flow of cats and kittens coming in from fosterage, and leaving when the right adoptive family comes along.  We can celebrate these departures, knowing that they are going to loving homes, and more kittens will always come along.

We've just lost Amelia Earheart  (KN)

But the volunteers and staff in the main Sanctuary area get used to checking the calendar when we sign in, looking for names of cats who have crossed the Bridge that week – sometimes very suddenly (because cats are so good at hiding what is wrong) and sometimes inevitably, as we watch the med staff increase the care for a failing body. Sometimes the losses go in waves – I remember a particularly hard couple of weeks in the spring of 2021 when we lost a dozen cats in a very short time – and sometimes we have weeks of peace and hopefulness.

Under all that fur, Autumn is getting very old-cat-bony  (BC)

The cats I always worry about are the old ones. Age, of course, is relative;  like humans, some cats continue into chronological age like Energizer bunnies, and other are frail at 14 or 15. Early aging may be a factor of the adolescent years; a cat who has been malnourished as a youngster may not have the same stamina as a cat who has enjoyed good health all its life, and many of our seniors are little old ladies who may have used their early growth in nourishing their first (and last) litter of kittens.  Appearance is not always the tell-tale of age; our oldest cat in the Sanctuary at the moment is little orange and white Hannah (sometimes known as Hannah-Banana) who is regularly assessed at being half her age. In fact, she has lived here more than fifteen years, and the vets estimate her as being about nineteen!

Queen Hannah rules  (BC)

Recently we lost little Amelia Earheart from pen 4; Amelia lived most of her life as a touch-me-not feral cat, and only made a sudden U-turn to being handleable two years ago when she had to come into a cage for some medical care.  Amelia’s sister, sweet Willow, is still with us, but is definitely more fragile.  She had a bout with vestibular disease awhile ago, and remains a little tottery, though she doesn’t let it stop her from visiting around the back pens. Usually she can be found on one of the shelves in Waldi’s hut, and we have to be careful to leave furniture where she can safely make the ascent to her favourite bed.

Little Willow gets snugs with her buddy Basil   (BC)

Sometimes aging can produce a change in behaviour. I don’t think we’ve got anyone currently exhibiting vocalizing, but we’ve had a few oldies who wailed when they were confused about where they were, where their friends were, where they should go....  Sweet old Vesper in the Connor building is more vocal, but in his case, it’s probably because he is getting very deaf, and can’t tell how noisy his voice has become. His two much younger girlfriends (Dominique and Butterfingers), keep him active, and don’t seem to object to his loud voice.

Flash is slowing down  (KN)

Flash, in the SingleWide, is sleeping more and more; typically cats will sleep 12-16 hours a day, but that figure increases for both very young and very old cats.  Flash used to live up on the cage-tops, but her disability (she had been attacked by a dog), made it harder and harder to manage ascents and descents, and she made the transition to floor-level last year, and can usually be found sleeping comfortably on one of the lower shelves, or, if she can get there before anyone else, on one of the easy-chairs.

Sweet Pea is interested in contact from "her" people  (KN)

Currently there are two little old ladies on my Front-Courtyard radar – both of them around 16 years old, but looking more frail than the older Hannah. SweetPea came to us as a semi-feral at the far end of the spectrum – “you may look at me but not touch!” Over the years she has become accustomed to us, and especially loves Sunday volunteer Alison Murphy who has taught her that good things come from humans; the trust she gave to Alison now extends to many other people. 

At last, Bricklyn is seeking petting from us  (CM)

The other senior is little Bricklyn who for years could only be seen at dawn and dusk, and hid under the drapes in the Old Rabbit Area. In the last few years she has become braver, and more ready to hover close enough to field her share of tidbits – though only if tossed to her; hand-feeding has not been a possibility, and actual touch was no-go.  In the past month I have found that I can sit beside her and pet her. This situation always gives me conflicting feelings: gratitude that she is allowing contact at all, and sorrow that this is mostly a factor of her senility – she has forgotten that humans are scary creatures.

The boy who allowed grooming in the cage... (BC)

There’s very much the same sort of situation with my sponsor-cat Sylar – I’ve spent more than nine years offering treats and coaxing him into accepting attention, but generally the only time I’ve been able to touch him has been when he’s been caged, and as soon as he’s released, he forgets all about what it feels like to have a human friend. Recently he was again in cage-care to receive meds, and rather than greeting me with hisses, he was more inclined to meow when I visited.  He rubbed and bunted against me, and allowed me to groom him – and I wonder how much of that was because he had moved past feral behaviour, and how much was being old and forgetting his fear. Now that he's out, he is hiding again - though less from me, than from the other pushy cats, who also want treats. When tucked away on his shelf in Waldi's Hut, he allows petting and talk. He’ll probably never be fear-less, but I think his age has much to do with his change in behaviour, and I hope that he will continue to allow physical contact. from the people who love him.

...is now back to hiding in the courtyard  (KN)

We’re always sad to see these signals of aging – but grateful that they give us a chance to make loving moments to hold in our memories when the favourite old cats finally pass.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coulr, Courtney Milburn, Karen Nicholson

November 2025 - Barely 6 months later, and they've all crossed the Bridge. Why do the pets we love have such short lives...?

KC Afternoon

Shy Vonda  (BC)

One of the joys of volunteering at the Sanctuary is that once the shift is done (sometimes, even while the shift is in progress) there is time to interact with feline friends, to pet and to play, to treat and to groom. Even the hard-working staff will take time out when cats ask for attention. But just to ensure that it’s not just the extroverts that get attention, Anne coordinates the team of Kitty Comforters, and we have a list of cats we need to watch for, as well as spending time with the caged ones.

Bricklyn - you may look, but not touch... (KN)

My usual Kitty Comforter shift is on Thursday afternoon. I tend to miss the Adoption Centre possibility when I know there are cats with whom I need to spend time – the kittens need socializing, but everyone that goes in there ends up playing with kittens!  Last Thursday I headed right for the Connor building;  I had done the feed-&-scoop shift the previous Monday, and there had been seven cats in cages there, mostly being very vocal about unfair imprisonment! By Thursday, things were quieter. 

Leo  (KN)

Blond Leo was one of the noisiest on Monday; caged for a gut problem, he's now out. He could probably do with being on a special diet, but for an outdoor cat at the Sanctuary, that’s impossible. Currently he's spending his time sitting outside his friend Caleb's cage. Caleb is caged for an asthmatic problem and the med staff are trying to see how his medication can be sorted so that he's more comfortable. New boy Maverick had left his cage and gone to hide somewhere – we’ll need to track him down and find where he’s gone to ground, so that we can coax him out.  

Autumn being noisy  (BC)

Pretty Autumn has been having mouth problems. She was very vocal from her cage, but dealing quite well with food as long as it was well watered down. She's now out., and still being very vocal!  Bricklyn is in for some TLC. She's an elderly lady and pretty fragile; she’s not actually very keen on the offered TLC unless it involves chicken – and that, preferably when we can’t be seen.

Frank  (BC)

Frank is our new one, a very pretty gray and white boy. He's very friendly and vocal and eager to get out; he's probably got another couple of weeks in the cage, so visiting with him has to be about climbing into the cage with him.  Big Celine was caged on Monday so we could check her litter box. She's very happy to be out now, but throwing her weight around with old Vesper. She leaves us in no doubt that she's the dominant female in the room.

Kia - regal and smacky!  (BC)

I moved on to the Hill House where I visited with Kia and Vonda. Kia is still fairly unfriendly. She allowed me to pat her very briefly and then the paw started coming up to smack me. Vonda is still caged. She's spending a lot of time in her cave underneath the chair and is very shy. However, she likes chicken, so that gives us a bargaining tool.   
I made a short visit to the Val Jones pen, where Jim, Magnus, Merrin and Minuet shared a patch of sunlight, and decided that they wanted its warmth more than attention from me!

Tubby boys Mojo & Licorice   (BC)

In the SingleWide there was no one caged in the main building, but in the office room in the back I spent some time, as I do regularly, with Mojo and Licorice. These two big boys are kept separate so that we can monitor their food intake. There is a cage in the office which is currently the home of newcomer, stubby-tailed Darjeeling. She is acutely allergic to many types of food and is on a restricted diet. She really needs a home where she can be a solo cat.

Darjeeling has a forbidding stare!  (BC)

It’s all too easy to spend time in the SingleWide, but the main room cats get a lot of attention, and despite constant begging for treats and laps, they’re not high on my regular Thursday priority list. I headed over to the DoubleWide, where we have the greatest number of caged cats, because of access to the med staff. Sierra has had dental surgery, and her neighbour Skye is waiting for it, so both needed little more than reassurance, and a little coaxing to eat some wet food. 

Skye's mouth hurts...  (BC)

Root Beer has been having a good time outside - 
as long as it lasted...   (KN)

Grumpy Root Beer is caged for some time out. Shortly after I wrote his blog, the med staff moved him from the Front Courtyard to the Back to give him more room to roam.  Though he has found a few quiet corners he likes, he does NOT like other cats, and he picks fights not only with the ones who can also be aggressive, but with some of the more timid cats. There is probably some discussion around medication, but nobody really wants that to be necessary. He was OK with my presence in the cage, and with the sound of a voice, but he let me know very clearly that he did not want physical contact, even at back-scratcher length, and when he got grumbly, I let him be.

Newcomer, Burt Reynolds  (BC)

Newbie Madonna does not want to be seen, nor black Keno, and Charlotte used some very rude language when I came to her cage, so I moved on to handsome tuxedo Burt Reynolds.  Burt came in labelled as a feral, but it didn’t take long before he was allowing petting, and even rolling over to show his tummy, so there may have been human contact in his past. He’s been on a wet-food only diet, with possible mouth problems, but gobbles his food at mealtimes, and is always ready for second helpings. Without knowing much about his background, I would say that he certainly has signs of food insecurity, and when I offered chicken without enough caution, I wasn’t prepared to be grabbed with sharp claws; not from nastiness or fear – just anxious to get at the food.

Guacamole getting braver  (BC)

Having mopped myself up, and band-aided as necessary, I took a little time in the back courtyard with “my” boys – shy grey Sylar and tabby Quinn, the increasingly approachable trio of Betsy, Zoey and Cleo, and the pushy ones: Pumpkin, Walker, Jasper, Lindor, & Cassidy. Both Sylar and Quinn will take food from my hand, but are easily deterred by the pushy crew.  Our new tripod Guacamole is getting braver and closer, but is not seriously food motivated – or if he is, I’ve not found the right bribe yet. Old Clementine in Pen 7 sees that the others are gathering for treats, and is vocal in claiming her share of the goodies at the gate. 

Clementine - "where's my share?"  (KN)

I know as I end my KC afternoon that the feeding team is arriving soon, and that nobody will waste away before dinner is served!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult  Karen Nicholson

Bricklyn

Bricklyn (KN)

It’s very easy to overlook yet another black cat or another tabby among a hundred other cats in the Cat Sanctuary front courtyard – but somehow, the striking-looking Bricklyn also gets overlooked.

Bricklyn (BC)

I have to admit, for many years she worked very hard at it! Bricklyn came to us in August 2012, trapped by Carol at BC Brick. She came to us with kittens, and was fostered out until the kittens were old enough to go to the Shelter for adoption. Like Autumn, who came around the same time, the kittens were ready for new homes, but no way was Mama going to approve of this new life. Autumn was a particularly angry girl for a while, joining the ferals in what was then the Val Jones corner, but within a couple of years she’d changed her thinking and began enjoying contact with humans.

Autumn, scared - in 2012 (PH)

Autumn the flirt, now  (KN)

Bricklyn was also not ready for human contact, and certainly not for adoption, and she vanished into what we call the Old Rabbit Area. This is a covered courtyard, with all the shelves draped so that scared ferals can remain out of sight. In theory, we’re ready for ferals to be ferals as long as they please, but we do try to bring them round to our way of thinking – and that can be very hard when they have such a great place in which to hide!

Bricklyn, seen only at a distance  (MW)

So for years, all we got was the occasion flash of Bricklyn emerging and vanishing again. Cats are crepuscular, meaning that they are most active at dawn and dusk.  Like many of the shyest cats, she could often only be seen by the early morning or late evening staff and volunteers. She hung out with similarly shy cats, like the older Lora and Lorelei, and as they gradually allowed more contact with us, Bricklyn would look on but not venture any closer.

Bricklyn (BC)

She’s now around 14 years old, and I don’t know whether it’s part of the aging process – as some cats become senile, they forget that they’re scared – but more and more we’re seeing less feral fear from Bricklyn. She can be spotted exploring around the north side of the courtyard, and sometimes venturing onto the climbing frame. She is cautiously interested in us (especially if chicken is offered), but not ready to accept food from the hand or to allow touch. But if she thinks the chicken donor isn’t noticing her, she can get quite vocal.

Bricklyn, hoping for handouts  (BC)

Bricklyn’s also something of a cougar, flirting with the younger male cats. She particularly likes blond Leo and big Kenji, and will head-bunt them happily. They have many other friends with whom to interact, and sadly, the older lady is not big on their radar – but she doesn’t give up hope!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman, Karen Nicholson and Michele Wright

Favourites

 

Everyone loves Cornelius (LBF)

Most of our volunteers fall into one of two categories. The first one loves the cats, and comes faithfully to scoop or clean or feed; the second not only loves the cats but bonds closely with individuals, looks for extra cuddle time, worries when “their” cat is under the weather, and frequently does extra shifts to have more cat-time. Some of these volunteers end up turning into staff members – others are just long-term Sanctuary devotees.

Holly  (KN)

Ann works various shifts, adjusting to her own schedule – she knows and loves many cats in many areas, but she will always make a point of visiting in the SingleWide in order to spend time with Jimmy. Jimmy came to us some years ago, and was living in the Moore House until it closed down;  he is still very wary around most people, but he knows when Ann arrives that she is his safe person. Rather than hiding in his usual way, he emerges to dance on the shelf, looking for her attention; he has recently started to add little vocalizations in his excitement.

Jimmy adoring attention  (MD)

Barbara and Waldi are among the most long-term volunteers. They have recently ceased the cold, wet, Saturday night feed in the back courtyard, though Barb will continue a daytime shift;  they always look for chunky grey Rookie in Newcomers. They actually brought him in to the Sanctuary, as a feral that had moved into their care-zone, and he settled well – initially in pen 5, though now he prefers the warmth of Newcomers. He always comes running when Waldi chirps to him.

Rookie   (KN)

Justin has many favourites, especially adoring the orange cats in Pen 6; Justin sings to Bentley (and to other cats as well) but can usually be found visiting with Roe. Roe particularly loves Justin, and will lie on her back having belly rubs as long as time allows. She is jealous of the fact that other cats, especially Cher, want Justin's attention too, leading her to sulk if someone else steals her Justin-time.

Roe  (JS)

Carol is another who has volunteered for at least ten years; she always arrives laden down with bags containing tasty cat-food other than the standard cans we offer them. She knows who loves chicken and who prefers the fish; she generally spends a good bit of time in with the Leukemia cats, who can sometimes be overlooked. She particularly loves front-courtyard Solar, who is the only one of a quartet of ferals who came to us from VOKRA to have warmed to human attention (though I’m working on his brother!). And she always looks for Autumn, who is the mother of her own Ben, who came to us as a little kitten called Treat – it’s because of him that she is still one of our most devoted volunteers.

Autumn  (KN)

Debbie started as a volunteer, served on staff, and now that she’s retired, is back to volunteering. She has a very close relationship with old Tugboat; she was there when he was brought in, she remains in touch with his family, and regardless of where she is working in the Sanctuary, she will always go and find him for some cuddle time.  He seems to know when she’s around and his demand to be picked up can be heard around the back courtyard. He divides his time between the TeaRoom where he’s often found in the bed close by the heater, and the DoubleWide, where he shares cuddles with Colin and Plum.

Tugboat with girlfriend Plum  (KN)

Karen came in as a student volunteer and is now on staff; she works all the areas, knows all the cats, and has an uncanny gift for seeing the personality of the animal through her camera lens. She’s the creator of many of the blog photos, and half of those in this year’s calendar. She’s a cat-whisperer with a gift for approaching the most scared of cats; like many of us, she knows what it is to have her heart broken by the loss of a favourite. She’s particularly attached to our “bad boy” Jasper, channeling his intelligence into learning tricks and keeping that brain busy!

Jasper in action  (KN)

Lisa also came in as a volunteer and fell in love with the place – she is part-time staff, fosters kittens, and waits patiently as a trapper to bring in strays and ferals. Some of her work was featured last February in the blog. She spends endless volunteer time socializing ferals – Sierra, Lloyd and Len in pen 4 have progressed under her care. Cornelius loves everybody but adores her, and she sponsors little tri-pawd Marmalade in the front courtyard.

Marmalade   (LBF)

I have so many favourites, it’s hard to limit the list!  I’m having a love-affair with Elvis, who gives the best snuggles.  I always make time with pretty Holly in pen 3, who really needs a home and a person to love and groom her. Bossanova knows my voice and is always ready to come for attention (and for treats). I’m known as the chicken lady – a bag of chicken tidbits is the best tool for making friends with ferals – and not-so-ferals as well. The DoubleWide deck cats hover hopefully – Bodhi, Hamlet and Luke are as keen for cuddles as they are for food. I’ve a longstanding lure out with the feral boys in the back courtyard – Sylar, Quinn and Midnight – and am excited that Midnight is finally taking food from my hand. 

Midnight waiting anxiously for treats  (BC)

So many personalities, so much love – and so many lives that would not have been possible without the no-kill principles of RAPS, promising hope for our furry friends.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint