The Second Bear

Bear lounging happily  (KN)

We’ve had two cats with the name Bear at the Sanctuary (as well as our beloved and greatly missed Honey-Bear) and they couldn’t be less alike!

Bear  (BC)

The first Bear was surrendered when we ran the City Shelter; he was found to be FeLV+ (feline leukemia) and lived in the small leukemia area at the back of the SingleWide for awhile before being transferred with his room-mate Smoochie to the main leukemia area.  Bear was a good name for a solid black long-haired boy; he was a dominant figure in the colony until he passed – way too soon, as do so many of the leukemia cats.

Leukemia Bear, now gone...  (MW)

Our current Bear couldn’t be much more different. He’s a slim short-haired tabby boy - easily confused with Sophie at first glance (until you note her warning collar!) - and he has a distinctive little kink at the end of his tail.  The vets think he’s about eight years old, and he’s been with us since 2022. He came to us from CARES Cat Shelter in Langley, and I was surprised to learn that he had been there for three years before his move to Richmond.  CARES has a similar no-kill policy to RAPS, though they work hard to have as many cats as possible adopted.

Bear exploring (KN)

So why was this sweet boy not finding a home? - well, sadly, he has no bathroom discipline!  He poops and pees wherever and whenever he feels like it!  We discovered a few places that are favourites and put down some pre-emptive towels, but when he’s gotta go....  He’s not incontinent, like some of our manxes – sometimes he’s joining the other guys in marking territory, or leaving a scent for a new cat (which is why new-cat cages are always towel-draped!), but mostly he just pees because he wants to!

Ready to jump  (BC)

The health issue he does have is nothing to do with his bathroom habits – he has stomatitis, which is a painful inflammation of the gums, and has had several encounters with the RAPS vets, and a number of teeth out. It doesn't seem to affect his appetite, and he munches small kibble with enthusiasm.

Bear's favourite place is a lap  (KN)

It’s not changed his attitude towards humans, though – he just loves people.  He is an enthusiastic lap-sitter, and with his favourite folks he will crawl up to rest against a shoulder, or climb up onto the shoulder. He and JJ are the two cats for whom a little extra shoulder-padding is a good idea – they will happily remain in place while their transporting slave carries on with their volunteer tasks.

Out for the count - do not disturb  (KN)

Almost as good as snuggling with humans is snuggling without them. Bear likes to claim the couch outside the tea-room, and sprawls happily to enjoy a snooze.  If it’s a little chilly, he will worm his way under the covers – it happens often enough that there’s now a warning sign about checking for a lump of Bear before sitting down.

Shoulder-lover   (KN)

Bear is definitely one of those cats that will never leave the Sanctuary, never know a place he can call his own home, or owners who will claim him.  And it doesn’t bother him in the slightest. He has lots of love from staff and volunteers, lots of places to snooze, other cats to interact with....  He’s not really cat-social, but he has lots of confidence.

Couch-lover   (KN)

And he has SO many places where he can pee – and people who will mop up after him! 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Kilo & Daphne

Kilo & Daphne - LBF

Old Aids (aka the Leukemia area) received quite a number of new residents this year. Grey and white Daphne came in during the spring. Long-haired tuxedo Cooper arrived, was caged briefly and was adopted within a week of release.  Short-haired Kilo arrived in the summer and appears to be a tuxedo, but on closer inspection has smoke tabby markings. Spry siblings Domino and Banshee were transferred over from the side room of the Moore House, and very shortly afterwards adopted. All were youngsters, and very lovable additions to the FeLV playground.

Kilo on the catwalks - PC

Kilo is a friendly boy with a happy outlook on life.  His pastimes include: exploring the catwalks and staring out the window, in hopes of grabbing attention, playing with or without the other cats, being held, and sneaking onto your back if you’re next to his perch.  He’s another oddball feline who likes being picked up and carried - most of the time.  With winter on the way, he makes a wonderful cuddle buddy and hand-warmer.

Enjoying the sun - PH

Initially, Daphne was known to be skittish, but super playful.  Now, she’s part of the door dasher club.  Want to be her favourite?  Bring her toy offerings.  Daphne’s hobbies include: testing out every toy in the room, looming behind you when you’re sitting on a chair, mooching for treats, giving humans leg rubs, and giving every cat a body rub, whether they want it or not.

Queen of all she surveys - PC

You’ll notice both cats bravely hover around for treats.  Daphne might even push her way to the front!  Most new cats stay wary and remain furthest from the treat dispensing hands. I have yet to find food they don’t like.  Maybe some duck or lamb?  And be sure to bring enough for everyone!

Come play with me....   MW

Playtime is always a thrill for Leukemia kitties!  Being young, Kilo and Daphne will try anything.  Wands, balls, catnip, crinkle toys, crumpled paper… they’ll chase and pounce on everything that moves!  As far as playfulness goes, Kilo competes with Daphne on who gets first dibs on new toys.  Smoochie might join in the fun, although he prefers one-on-one time.  (He’s a wise, older gentleman.)  While Kilo will share toys with other cats, Daphne prefers to keep them to herself.  Her favourite colour seems to be pink and she won’t hesitate to snatch those toys and carry them off.

With a favourite toy - PC

When visiting the new cats, it's only fair to devote time to the long-time regulars Smoochie, Bear, and Dexter.  It would be upsetting if they see the new guys stealing attention away from them.  Being keen observers, Bear and Dexter will make very loud complaints that your ears won’t soon forget.  Twenty or thirty minutes of visiting time is plenty to enough to spread around to the dozen plus cats.  We want everyone to be in good spirits, since stress is detrimental to their health. It's a good place to make a new friend or two.  Perhaps there’s room in your home and heart for a FeLV+ kitty?

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Pauline Chin, 

Phaedra Hardman, Michele Wright

Calendar out-takes

There were two Pico pics - this is the other one...

As the days grow shorter and the colours change, fall traditions are present at RAPS.  Our Fall Gala will take place on October 29, and is a particularly important event for us this year because all the proceeds will go to the funding of the new Regional Animal Hospital.
Traditionally we also launch our calendar for the upcoming year at this event, though all the busy-work of marketing it will occur in November and December.  And traditionally, one of the Neko Blogs for October is reserved for the Cat Calendar outtakes – the pictures that for one reason or another, just didn’t make it into this year’s selection.

we hope that Cookie is being adopted...

Once again, the photos for the Calendar were taken by Michele Wright, whose work you should know if you follow her Feline Friday pages on Facebook.  Michele doesn’t confine herself to cats – she’s done many wonderful dog photos too, and her guineapig Freddie is a seasoned model.  She has a great eye for a picture, framing her subjects with love and a sense of their personality.

Latte has had her share of calendar features...

I always start the selection process by trying to make sure that we have a good cross-section of colours and breeds – black, white, grey, various tabbies, orientals, pairs and groups. Everyone has their favourite sort of cat, but I hope that everyone will find one cat they particularly love in the collection.

Blue is striking, but he’s a loner – very much the cat that walks by himself

We had several black cats make the cut this year, to the point that it was hard to eliminate one to keep the balance.  Bear lost to two other blacks, and to the contender for cover boy

Fuzzy Bear...

Similarly, we had two lovely white cat pictures.  Lumi was the loser here – we loved the softness of the shot that won, and pretty as Lumi is, she’s a cat that will nip if things don’t go exactly as she wants; neither of us had the warm fuzzies for her!

Lumi is a diva...

Michele adores the cats in Pen 2, and in particular Calvin, who is distinguished by the brown smudges in his tabby M markings.  I think she would happily have had a whole Calvin calendar, but I would only allow her one selection – this is one that didn’t make it

Calvin - one of about eight pictures!

One of the things I discuss with the med staff is the health of the cats concerned – it’s very hard when a much-loved cat passes suddenly, but his/her photo will appear later in the year. Of course, there is no way of telling, sometimes, but I’m much more wary about selecting a leukemia cat, for instance.  This year two of our potential models passed without warning just as we were making the final selection. The picture of Vienna was a perfect one for fall colouring, and Salty and Dusty’s devotion had earned them a place as a pair – to lose both Vienna and Salty was very hard on us all.

Vienna in the sunshine

Dusty misses her Salty so much,...

There are still others that I'm thinking we might hold over to another year - though I am sure Michele will have come through with another batch of wonderful pictures by then, and hard choices will once more need to be made.

Please watch the RAPS website for news of the calendar launch; they will be available at both the Sanctuary and the Shelter, as well as online and through some of our pet-store supporters.  It's not too soon to plan your Christmas gift-giving to all your cat-loving friends!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Michele Wright

Reluctant Lions

Bear in full fur - MW

With the summer heat also comes a regular phenomenon at the Cat Sanctuary – lots of hair! Volunteers  regularly spend extra time with a variety of brushes and combs in hand, grooming blissful and grumpy cats alike. Some of them seem to be able to attend to themselves fairly well (bar the odd hairball); others definitely need human assistance. Our summer students (see future blog) are cleaning all the nooks and crannies where cat-hair accumulates; we could probably compile another dozen cats from the fur that comes off each week. Long-haired, short-haired, they’re all shedding like crazy.

Dell's fine hair mats easily - MW

But there are always a few cats for whom grooming is a problem. We have our share of tubby cats who don’t do so well at cleaning themselves because the rear end is so hard to reach – a little shave job around the tail area is usually enough to prevent messy backsides.  Often these are short-haired cats who otherwise have no difficulty in grooming.  However, there are several long-haired cats whose fine fur always seems to mat, and for whom being combed is a real problem.

For anyone who wondered if Bear was big or just fluffy... - DW

The first one this summer to get the traditional lion cut was Bear. Formerly an inhabitant of the Leukemia Room at the back of the Single-Wide, Bear and his buddy Smoochy have become inhabitants of the Val Jones pen (extended now, for Bear, to the Old Aids area). Bear is not always the most approachable cat, and certainly not an easy one to keep groomed; by late spring it was obvious that his mats were giving problems, and he was finally whisked off to the vet for a full lion-cut.  It was obviously something of a surprise to everyone to discover that this enormous ball of fluff was actually a scrawny little body underneath.  We offered him a sweater, which was not appreciated! When the summer heat finally arrived, Bear must have been one of the few who really approved.

MW

He’s now grown out a couple of months of fuzz and is looking quite good!

MW

One of the back-courtyard regulars, Matt doesn’t appreciate being groomed in the regular way, with the inevitable result that he’s a mess by early summer. Last year he got away with just having the worst clumps taken off; this year our lumpy fuzzball got the full treatment, and is now going by the nickname of De-Matt!

"Do you have chicken? Or shall I go back to bed?  -  BC

He’s obviously a bit embarrassed about it all;  he’s found himself a comfy bed to retreat to, and emerges only when he thinks it’s worth showing his face.

MW

Former Pen 6, now Moore House resident Sophia is a constant grooming problem.  She came to us from a closing shelter on the Sunshine Coast, and a volunteer there told us that she was always grumpy for them too – until she got her haircut.  Then she would be sweetness and light, soliciting petting and being very affectionate – for about three weeks, before she reverted to her “Don’t touch me!” mode.

Pet me, please! - BC

Sophia’s just had her summer lion-cut, and as predicted, she can’t get enough attention. The challenge for us will be to keep her enjoying being handled, and to prevent the mats recurring in the first place.

Undressed, but still handsome!  - BC

Handsome Dell in pen 3 is another with long fine fur that mats.  Two years ago we gave him a lion cut, and then managed to keep him groomed so that it wasn’t necessary last summer.  But during the winter months a fallen tree meant limited access to his pen, and his regular grooming partners couldn’t keep him brushed out, so that by the time the summer came, it was obvious that Dell would need attention. Leslie and I managed to get the worst mats off in a cuddle session, but it was not an elegant look!  So when Dell had to go in for a dental (five teeth out!) they took the opportunity of having him sedated and gave him the full lion cut.  Currently he’s in a cage while his mouth heals, so by the time he returns to his own pen, he should have a little protective fuzz.

Come in and pet me - I'm bored!  - DW

There are one or two others with clumps of fur that may need a bit of attention – though we hope not the full works – but for the time being, we’re all busy with combs, furminators, grooming gloves and the like, to keep ahead of the summer mats.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Debbie Wolinski, Michele Wright

Smoochie and Bear

Bear & Smoochie - DW

When new cats come in at the City Shelter – either as surrenders or as trapped cats – one of the first things that happens is a quick trip to the vet for a checkup.  Blood testing comes first, a spay/neuter if necessary, and then a decision about where the cat will go.  For a cat that has spent any time in the wild, one of the dangers is always that they may have contracted feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and if that is the case, we are just thankful they have come to us at RAPS. FeLV is transmitted in saliva, and is dangerous to the immune systems of other cats; our own FeLV cats live in an area separated from the general population, both so that we can ensure that nothing in their saliva can contaminate anything the other cats touch, and also so that we can keep their area as safe as can be from anything that might affect their fragile immune systems.

Smoochie - DW

Many other shelters and sanctuaries are unable to create this dedicated area, and it is a sad fact that a cat infected with FeLV is more likely to be euthanized because it’s considered unadoptable. Of course, is is possible to have a FeLV cat at home, but only knowing that it should never go out, never be in touch with an uninfected cat, and knowing that its life-span is likely to be much shorter than usual. Faced with that, most people shy away from the commitment.

RAPS is dedicated to a no-kill philosophy, and leukemia cats coming to us mostly live in what we call the “Old Aids” area, now extended to the Val Jones corner.  For some time there has also been a Leukemia room tucked away at the back of the Single-Wide, but with the death of our lovely Harry, the population there was reduced to two cats, and the decision was made to transfer them over to the Val Jones area, where we have also lost Jerry, Foxy and GusGus in the last six months.

Smoochie hiding - DW

Smoochie was trapped and brought to us some four years ago; the family that found him would have kept him, but for the FeLV diagnosis. His tidy black-and-white and little Charlie Chaplin 'tache disguises a very shy boy; he was pretty scared when he arrived; it’s taken a long time to get to the point where he will comfortably accept petting, and I suspect it was Harry that taught him that humans could be trusted to give good cuddles!  He’s still shy, but now he looks for his favourite people, knowing that he’s safe with them.

Bear - MW

Bear was one of two cats surrendered together at the City Shelter; it turned out that he tested positive but his housemate was negative, and the two were split up, with Bear coming to us at the Sanctuary. “Shy” is not a word to describe Bear; he is pretty vocal, not really cuddly, but ready to throw his weight around when needed.

Smoochie - MW

Moving the two of them to the Val Jones corner was much as expected; Smoochie found corners to hide in and had to be coaxed out; Bear swaggered around with lots of confidence. Their pen-mates are Mocha, Suga, Henrik and blind Chip, and all seem to have settled well with the newcomers.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Debbie Wolanski and Michele Wright

Black cat syndrome - or not?



One of my favourite jobs around the Sanctuary is taking new Sunday visitors around and introducing them to some of my favourite cats.  Frankly, I’m sometimes better with cat names than I am with people names, but I often hear comments about “how do you remember all those cats?”. A big part of it for me was this blog – Claire began volunteering at the Sanctuary shortly before I did, and she made a project of blogging about three cats a week. I was a regular Neko blog reader, and an increasingly frequent volunteer, and the two habits introduced me to many feline friends.

Belinda - MW

But one thing that people find surprising is the ability to identify the many black cats. There is a thing called “black dog syndrome” which describes the way big black dogs are often passed over for adoption at shelters. To some extent that’s also true for black cats – people don't see past the black fur to the personality;  and then there’s the superstition angle (though in some cultures, black cats are actually lucky!).  But it certainly explains why we have a fair number of black cats around the Sanctuary.

Bear - MW

To a certain extent, where the cat is may tell you who it is.  Big furry Bear lives in the small Leukemia area, and he’s the only black cat there, so it’s easy to pick him out.  Belinda (photo above) is a regular member of the dryer cuddle-puddle in the Single-Wide.

Mikey - MW

Mikey is our only blind cat; he came to us with some degree of sight, but an infection left him without vision. He has taken the med-cage as his sanctuary, but regularly makes his way out into the back pens where he can curl up and ignore the other cats.

Deety - MW

Deety can hardly be missed by visitors to the double-wide; he has his own place on the shelf next to the refrigerator. For some years he rarely moved from it, but threatening arthritis made Catherine start him on an exercise program (taking him to the far end of the Sanctuary and making him walk back), and he can now be found out and about quite often (though he still needs to be lifted back to his perch.

Skouch - MW

Sid - BC

It’s in the back courtyard that our biggest concentration of black cats tends to gather, and one has to be observant of quirks in facial structure or fur quality to be able to tell them apart.  Skinny Skouch is an easy cat to ID, and so is tubby Sid, trundling between visits to his friend Pancake on the double-wide deck and life in the open air.  Sweet Kilmer, with his somewhat bewildered air, is identifiable as our black Manx; Kenya has recovered from vestibular disease, but has a permanent head-tilt. 

Kilmer - PH

Kenya - MW



But there are several cats who take careful examination to make sure you have the right name.  Colin, Luigi, Mistletoe, CIL (named for the paint facility where he was found), Poosie, Ninja – all look fairly similar at first sight, and need careful checking. But once you’ve identified the cat, all the little quirks of behaviour start showing themselves, and the personalities blossom.  

Colin - PH

Colin is a feeding-time boy, a leg-rubber and a prancer when cans are being opened. Look for the lynx-tips on his ears. Friendly CIL has the same broad face as wary Mistletoe, but you can feel the difference in their coats.

Luigi - MW

Luigi sports one white whisker, and a little coloured marking in his right iris. Poosie has amazing dark pupils to her eyes, rather like Deety – and an intense dislike of other cats. Sweet Ninja is also a cat who walks by himself, but in a nice way; he has the softest coat and the most luxuriant tail for a short-haired cat – and true to his name, he loves rapid movement and can sometimes be found sprinting up the back courtyard to the tree.

Ninja - PH

 

Ninja - MW

It’s sad when potential adopters at a shelter can’t look past the “black cat” label to discover the shades of personality that we are able to enjoy here at the Sanctuary.

 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman & Michele Wright