Krissy

MW

We often joke about the problems of distinguishing between all the little black cats in the Sanctuary – the same is occasionally true for the tabbies – especially now that Pen 2 is open, and Calvin, Celeste and Chase are making the rounds!  In the front courtyard, most of the tabbies are a little easier to identify, but there are a few that we have to take a second look at, to be sure we have the right cat – specifically Baloo, Cricket and Krissy

Baloo (L), Cricket (C), Krissy (R) - MW

Krissy came to us about three years ago. Her owner had gone into care, and Krissy was very obviously a one-woman cat, because she was deemed unadoptable. She may well have been a feral who had bonded to her owner, but being moved into a new space was a very difficult experience for her

Krissy hiding - DW

As with all our new cats, we had her in a cage for some time, hoping to acclimate her to the sounds and scents of other cats. Krissy did not approve, and spent most of her time hiding.  When the cage opened, she still hid, and in fact for the best part of a year she stayed in the Connor building.  Other cats were not welcome in her space – she wasn’t actively aggressive, but made it quite clear that this was reserved seating only, and she wasn’t interested in social interaction.

MW

As you will see from Baloo’s blog entry, she’s also not a social cat – and nothing has changed there since she arrived! Cricket, on the other hand, is now a social butterfly, with cats and humans alike – having come to us as a feral kitten with her brother Beetle. Krissy is moving between the two – increasingly often she’s found out and about in the courtyard, and is starting to solicit petting and attention from volunteers and visitors.

MW

Krissy’s outstanding features are her beautiful smooth coat and her striking green eyes – eyes that have watched us with wariness for some time, and are now beginning to warm to us. She is listed with the adoptable cats at the Sanctuary, but would probably need to bond with a potential owner for an adoption to be a comfortable experience for her. Until then, she has a safe home with us, and many patient humans to let her know that she is well loved, and can relax and enjoy her time here.

MW

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Debbie Wolanski & Michele Wright

Letting Sleeping Cats Lie

When Sunday guests arrive for the first time, almost inevitably they will ask “Can I take pictures?” and the cell phones come out and start clicking away.  Staff and volunteers also have cell-phones to hand – sometimes to try and verify the identity of yet another black cat, sometimes to catch an exchange between cat and human – and always to watch for that moment where, even in sleep, the cat’s personality shines through.

This week’s blog is a sampling of sleeping cats from Michele, Phaedra and Moira – and undoubtedly there will be more to come…

The Stretch
Elliott loves this position on the front steps on a sunny day. (ML)

Emily has recently taken to being an indoors-only cat  (MW)

The Ball
Cheetah is long and lanky, but loves to sleep all curled up  (MW)

Mikey is our blind cat who still manages to find his way to the med cage for treats.
His curl-up sleeping position tells other cats "Don't bug me!"   (MW)

The Sprawl
We all have pictures of Fred in one or another of his inelegant sleeping positions (PH)

 

The Sun-Seeker
Though usually a bathroom cat, Baby enjoys the chance to catch a few rays (PH)

The Box
Baloo is not a fan of other cats - and is never happier than when she can curl up in a box alone (MW)

 

The Face-Plant
Sadie has obviously had an exhausting day exercising her claws on everybody's pants legs (MW)

 

 

  

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Phaedra Hardman, Moira Langley & Michele Wright



Baloo

Baloo is a female cat who spends most of her time in the Teen house sitting atop the counter.  Baloo is one of those cats that could easily get overlooked if you weren’t seeking her out.  Although very pretty, as a tabby there is not much to distinguish her between the countless other tabby cats at RAPS.  She is not particularly driven to make her social presence known and didn’t really have much time to entertain my notions of getting to know her better.

Recently, Baloo decided to redesign her little piece of the sanctuary and that has garnered her a lot of two legged attention lately.

Turning her nose up to the abundance of cat beds and blankets throughout the sanctuary and demonstrating a most remarkable sense of ingenuity, Baloo started to pull down sheets of paper towel from a nearby roll holder and line the top of a bucket of cat food that sits on her usual counter top with these paper towels. Essentially, Baloo built herself a little nest.  This mysterious new behaviour that came straight out of the blue caused that staff and volunteers more than a few ooohs, awhs and chuckles.

Baloo was allowed to keep up her nest for a little while but the staff had to eventually put an end to her architectural inspiration as she was using up all the paper towels.  Unfortunately, when I came to take pictures, she stubbornly refused to give me any photographic evidence though I did manage to sneak one picture of her on it while her back was turned.

I visited the Teen house this past Wednesday to see Autumn's kittens and check on Baloo.  I noticed that someone had strategically placed an empty water bowl on top of the bucket and her little nest was no longer.  So much for ingenuity Baloo.