The Winter King

The Winter King (KN)

In May 2025 a large long-haired cat came to us as a transfer from Shuswap Paws. The vets think he's about 8 years old.  He was pretty shut down while he was at the Adoption Centre, but accepted pats while first in the cage at the Sanctuary. Sadly, it didn't last! 

Feeling safer under a table  (BC)

He’s named for the title character in a wonderful trilogy by writer Bernard Cornwall. The Winter King is an alternate name for Arthur – romanticized in mediaeval chivalry, but much more likely to have had an origin in 5th-century Britain, after the Romans had withdrawn. There are so many re-tellings of the story, but I particularly loved Cornwall’s gritty view. Sadly, the TV series based on it was a major disappointment – I was left wondering if the screenwriters had actually read the book... 

Sometimes cleaning is better done upside down  (KN)

Our own feline Winter King was finally released from his cage, and like many feral cats, promptly vanished into the back courtyard area around Waldi’s Hut, where there are lots of places to hide.  And hide he did – we might occasionally see him in the early morning or at dusk, but he didn’t want to be touched, and like beautiful Plateau, even looking in his direction could spook him. I always kept an eye open for him, because of his resemblance to my beloved Kojak who we lost ten years ago.

Good hiding places behind the cabin  (BC)

A couple of months ago the med-staff noticed that he was looking pretty matted. Many of our long-haired cats struggle with mats – if they don’t want to be groomed (and the ferals rarely want that) the only option is to sedate and shave them. Ideally, this happens when they’re already at the hospital for tests, but our med-staff are great at getting them woozy enough on gabapentin that the job can be done in a cage – it may not be the close shave they’ll get from the vet techs, but it gets rid of the mats. We’ll be seeing more lion-cuts in the course of the next month, with the improved weather and the skills of Gracelyn, who’s back with us for the summer.  Our boy spent a few days in a cage – to give the meds time to work, to have the mats cleaned up, and then to recover. And in those few days, we think a light-switch went on – perhaps humans weren’t too bad... 

Getting pets from Karrie  (BC)

Once back in the courtyard he began to be a bit more daring about being out and about while we were around. He didn’t actually ask for attention, but he accepted it when offered, and was obviously more comfortable with touch than he had been since arrival. He found a few favourite beds, and used them often enough that it was possible to find him. He prefers to put himself under a table or a chair, but if you’re ready to crawl to him, he doesn’t back off, but accepts petting with dignity.

Quiet conversation with Basil  (BC)

He’s on good terms with most of the Waldi’s Hut cats, and can often be found in company with Basil, who is missing Smithy – Smithy disliked most humans and let us know it, with bad language, but he always had feline friends in the cabin). The one cat he is wary about is Gwen, who is Smithy-in-reverse – likes humans and hates cats – and who gets jealous if someone like Winter King is getting all the attention.

Winter King (BC)

If visiting day is not too busy, he will even come out and interact with a few of the visitors; he places himself right at the boundary, so he’s ready for a quick escape, but the lure of caressing fingers keeps him from making a break too soon. I remember how scared Bello was last year, and how he made the transition to a tame boy that found a loving home. I don’t know whether Winter King has any experience with a home, or if he’s a feral that has made that enormous jump from fear to cautious trust – he’s certainly not tame yet, but perhaps, with lots of patience...

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Feline Daddies

Biggie is happy to snooze his days away  (KN)

We have our share of Mom-cats who arrived into our care with kittens on board or already born, and who have remained in the Sanctuary because they’re too feral or too shy, while their kittens go on to being socialized and finding their own homes.  It’s harder to ID the Dad-cats when fatherhood for most cats is a moment’s urge and not accompanied by any real bonding with the female in question – in fact, a fertile female cat can be impregnated by more than one tomcat, and her litter of kittens may have multiple sires.  So celebrating Father's Day at the Sanctuary is not as easy as celebrating Mother's Day! Having said that, there are a few instances where we’re pretty sure about both parents – and the certainty comes down to genetics.

Domino still has a tom-cat attitude;
he's probably sired his share of kittens! (BH)

Most of the cats in both New AIDS and the Val Jones are male, and most of them have come to us as unneutered tomcats – that, of course, being the reason they carry the FIV virus, which is conveyed in blood from bites. These boys lived their pre-Sanctuary lives fending for themselves, struggling to establish their territory, their food sources, and their potential mates – and, still ramped up with testosterone as they were, that inevitably involved fighting. It’s likely that many of them have sired litters of kittens before they came to us, but typically, cats are deadbeat dads, and have no concern for their offspring. The first thing that happens when they come into our care is that crucial vet appointment when they’re neutered – which means no more kittens, as well as reducing their urge to fight with each other. 

Simon & Biggie having a private son-and-father moment  (JS)

We’re pretty sure that Biggie, in the New AIDS pen, is the father of Simon and Smalls. The three of them, with female Marble, came to us last year from the Island. We think Marble is the mother of Simon and Smalls;  Biggie is older than the two boys, and likely sired them, but it’s possible that he may be both Marble’s son and her baby-daddy – cat colonies being what they are, there is often a lot of in-breeding. The orange colouring is a strong genetic marker, and Smalls’ black colouring is the most common alternative to a dominant orange gene.

Zeus (MD) and Pax (LBF)
both now adopted.

When in 2019 we brought in a large colony of cats created by someone who was feeding ferals, it was obviously a multi-generational affair – pregnant moms, kittens, teenagers, and a couple of older males who had clearly sired most of the younger ones.  These two males proved to be FIV+, but both were friendly and handleable; probably strays rather than ferals;  Pax and Zeus settled in easily to the Val Jones area, and both ended up being adopted to their forever homes.  

So like their dads! - Nyx & Juno (LBF)

Their genes can clearly be seen in some of the cats still living in Pen 1 – Nyx, Juno, Atlas and Mercury have a real resemblance to their sires, though all four, having grown up feral, have remained wary with people. And it’s quite likely that both Kenji and Allan, in the front courtyard, have the same genetics - though not gathered up at the same time, they came from close by.

Tamale enjoying the heat lamp (AM)

More recently, our trappers were involved in rescuing a colony from Shell Road. Most of these cats were tuxedos or blacks – and not from the same genetic pool as the earlier group, whose more pointed faces are a clear contrast to the broader heads and bodies of the newcomers. One of them proved to be FIV+ and is now living in New AIDS – he was introduced in an earlier blog as Boston. Two other males are in the front courtyard; Tamale is clearly related to Boston – father? brother? son? - and Chicharron (Cheech) has the same stocky build, though he’s tailless and all black. Staff and fosters were able to socialize many of the younger cats trapped at that site, and they were adopted, so we have no clear families to identify.

Percival Snugglebutt - also known as Daddy (JS)

Percival Snugglebutt is the other cat that we know for sure has fathered kittens. He was one of the colony of cats who came from the Kootenays in 2022, and the two little lynxpoint girls, Curious and SweetPea, both arrived pregnant. Rather than coming directly to us, they went into fosterage, where their kittens were born. Both litters had some tail-less kittens, a clear genetic link to Percival.  All the kittens were adopted out, and SweetPea also found a home; Curious is still with us because she’s not as friendly as her sister. 

Majestic (and shy) Basil  (KN)

The rest of the colony has a much more Himalayan look, though in a variety of colours; it’s likely that either shy Basil or friendly Owen (now adopted) was responsible for the younger cats. Percival is sometimes known as Big Daddy, though he has largely detached himself from the rest of the colony, and has moved on to socialize with the floofy Kamloops cats, and especially his buddy Thorne.

Percival with his best friend, Thorne  (JS)

The sentiment that powers the concepts of Mother's Day and Father's Day celebrations falters when it comes to felines.  For the majority of male cats, “love ‘em and leave ‘em!” is the primary urge – not necessarily something we want to celebrate! Whatever their paternal shortcomings, though, we love having them at the Sanctuary.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Melanie Draper, Brielle Hutchinson,
Anne Marchetti, Karen Nicholson. Justin Saint

Percival Snugglebutt

Percival Snugglebutt  (LBF)

When the first group of cats from the Kootenays came to us in 2022, it was clear that we had a pretty bonded clowder with strong genetic ties. It’s impossible to say how any specific cat in the family is related to another, but the majority of them are Himalayan in appearance, with blue-point or (more commonly) seal-point colouring.  I still have problem telling most of the girls apart!

Betsy, Zoey, Cleo  (BC)

Three cats stood out as different; two little lynx-points, and a blond boy with no tail. The two girls – Sweetpea and Curious – were both pregnant when they came to us, and in all likelihood, the sire was blond Percival Snugglebutt, (sometimes known as Big Daddy) because there were a few kittens who had his tailless gene.

Percival  (JS)

Like all the group, Percival was shy, and in fact only two of the group – little Sweetpea, and sweet Owen – have proved to be sociable. SweetPea got a lot of handling while in fosterage with her kittens, and has been adopted;  Owen has just decided that he likes this place and enjoys making friends, both feline and human – when the visitors return in the spring, it is possible that he will find a new home.

Percival with Owen    (LBF)

Percival actually seems to be closer to Basil than most of the others, but Basil’s a very timid boy around humans, and in his company, there’s a lot of hiding.  

Percival with Basil  (KN)

Luckily, Percival is food-motivated (if not to the same extent as Owen!), and when there are handouts, he can often be found hovering nearby. He’s still pretty tentative, and is one of those cats who takes awhile looking at the tidbit in question before deciding to eat it – which means that pushy cats like Pumpkin and Parry will often dart in to secure the prize.

Percival  (BC)

So far, I've not been able to get more than the occasional touch – he doesn’t much like petting, and he really doesn’t want to be touched with grooming tools, which is a pity, because he’s one of those cats whose fur mats. Like a number of other cats this winter, he will probably have to have a shave-job when the weather gets warmer. But the fact that he’s so often part of the handout crowd makes me hopeful that initial progress has been made, and 2024 may be the Percival Snugglebutt year to let go of some more of his feral fears.

Admire me!   (LBF)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, 

Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint

July 2024; We lost our sweet boy this week to an intestinal tumour.  He was greatly loved...

Finding Sanctuary

Percival & Owen  (LBF)

We are getting to know the Pen 8 newcomers, and vice versa – they are getting to know us in turn, and learning that life is not really as scary as they had thought when they arrived.

Cleo & SweetPea  (LBF)

This little clowder of 12 cats came to us all the way from the Kootenays.  They had lived semi-feral, and when their caretaker died, the local shelter knew that they would be too much to manage, and reached out to us. Some of them are touchable, but most still shy away from contact.

Owen & Bailey (LBF)

When they first came to us, they were caged in ones and twos to allow them to decompress after a stressful journey, and to give us time to make medical and behavioural assessments. We were told they were ragdolls, but they don’t have the characteristic inverted V on the face; there’s more Himalayan or Balinese in their appearance. 

Percival Snugglebutt   (KN)

Three males are at the heart of this little colony.  Handsome blond Percival Snugglebutt is also known as Big Daddy, and is responsible for some of the kittens that have gone to the Adoption Centre. He is tailless – not Manx breed, but one of those cats that just have the genetic mutation for no tail - in fact, some of his offspring are also tailless.

Owen  (BC)

Owen has settled well, and is starting to allow contact. He hangs out with Percival quite happily, but can mostly be found among all his darker girlfriends. He is easily distinguished by the little blaze on his face. He is playful and food-motivated.

Basil   (BC)

Basil is paler in colour and his blaze is more prominent. He’s a little warier than Owen and not as easily coaxed by food offerings.

Betsy   (BC)

Learning who’s who among the girls is almost as hard as distinguishing among the courtyard black cats.  Most of them have the characteristic dark face and dark stockings of a Himalayan. They tend to stay together by preference; a visitor entering the pen is often greeted by the scurrying of little sealpoint shapes.

Skye  (LBF)

Betsy, Cleo, Zoey and Skye have the classic sealpoint markings.

Bailey  (KN)

Bailey is both larger and paler – bluepoint rather than sealpoint.  She seems to prefer to hang out at the back with Basil. Myrtle is also bluepoint, but is currently under care for dental problems. The other cat missing from the photos is Kali, a very shy calico who is rarely seen.

Sweetpea & Curious  (LBF)

The smallest (and probably the youngest) two are both lynx-point – gold-eyed Curious and the longer-haired blue-eyed SweetPea.  Both arrived pregnant and had their babies in fosterage. At least some of the kittens were sired by Percival (we can tell from the missing tails), but there may be more than one father involved in creating a litter. These two have had home-care and are more comfortable with being handled than the others.

Owen, Zoey, Betsy (and Curious hiding at the back)  (KN)

The Kootenay rescuers did valiant work in keeping this colony together, and getting them to us, where they can be safe. It’s rare that “breed” cats like this come into our care, but having lived feral for so long, it is likely that the Sanctuary will be their home for the rest of their lives.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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