Our Sweet Buddy

MW

With so many felines to blog about, it’s rare that there’ll be a repeat on one particular cat unless there is a significant change in circumstances – usually that the said cat has progressed from feral to friendly.  But blogging about the Pen 2 tabbies last week reminded me of other tabbies I love, and I did a little visiting around – both personally and on the blog – with that in mind.

PH

I was particularly struck by the blog entry Claire wrote back in 2010 to introduce Buddy. Long-term volunteers will remember that we used to keep the rabbit hutch in the Double-Wide, just outside the med-cage and Buddy would sit on the shelf and visit with Amy and Kringle (and with Kris, after Amy passed). The rabbits were eventually relocated to the New Aids pen (they have now been adopted out), and their hutch was replaced by a set of shelves with cat-beds.

ML

Buddy chose not to relocate. There are a few other cats that you will always find on those shelves – Spike and his BFF, Princess, often Lincoln and Luigi – but you will almost always find Buddy there. Whether it’s proximity to the med cage and the goodies that come out of it, or the fact that very few people go past without offering petting and cuddles, Buddy has decided that this is His Place.

Buddy dressed up for potential adoption - PH

In our recent Adoption weekend, in which Hannah and Birdie, Poosie and Gracie-Mae, and several others all found loving homes, we had Buddy on the list. He’s an older boy – he came in to us fully grown in 2009 and we think he’s probably about 14 years old.  There have been a few nibbles at adoption and they’ve never worked out – and once again, on this weekend, Buddy was passed over for younger, livelier cats. Many of us have mixed feelings. We’d love Buddy to have a home where he has a person of his own, and much love and petting.  But he also has much love and petting with us, and he would be sorely missed.

MW

The majority of the cats at the 5 Road Shelter are looking for adoption – they don’t want to stay in that space, which is a place of transition. Most of our Sanctuary cats feel they have a home; they’ve learned to interact with other cats and they have a lot of human fans. Buddy has made his home on the shelf by the med cage, and we would need to be very sure that any alternative home will give him something better than he already has with us.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Phaedra Hardman, Moira Langley, Michele Wright

Analyzing the tabbies

Checking into the genetic modifiers for the dilute cats got me started on analysing some of the other cat colourings we have around the Sanctuary. It’s frequently been noted that we have a number of black cats, and that they’re not always easy to tell apart – but the same is true with some of our many tabbies. A little Googling led me to identify the four main types of tabby markings, and then it was off to the Sanctuary to match cats up. I quickly realised that the markings were most easily seen in the short-haired cats, and that in longer-haired ones, distinct patterns were blurred by ruffled fur.

Most common would probably be the MACKEREL tabby – distinguished mainly by the clear stripe markings on the sides, and almost always by the clear “M” marking on the forehead.  Apparently they’re also called “fishbone tabbies”, though it’s the markings on the side of the mackerel fish that gives the feline patterning its name.  Our clearest mackerel tabbies are probably Whisky and Cloverleaf

A Whiskey stretch - MW

Cloverleaf - MW

But mackerel markings can be seen in some of our other coloured tabbies too. Little Orange`s fur shows lovely stripes.

Little O, snoozing on a hot day - MW

The CLASSIC tabby is also known as a “blotched” or “marbled” pattern – rather than clear stripes, the colours appear in swirls, and sometimes in a bullseye pattern on the side.  I think our most beautiful classic tabby is timid Quinn who hangs out in the back courtyard. He’s often found in Waldie’s hut, but when approached by humans, scuttles away to hide.  He can be tempted by a bit of chicken, if you can do it when Owl’s not watching!

Quinn - `now, which way should I run...`- MW

This handsome boy in the barncat pen shows the clear bullseye.

BC

Pumpkin is a relative newcomer to the back courtyard, but making himself at home. His pale orange shows the markings in the right light.

Pumpkin is gradually becoming tamer - ML

The TICKED tabbies have fur that changes colour along each hair, called an agouti pattern, which gives the effect of a salt-and-pepper mixture. For the most part, the cats with this sort of patterning also show faint remnants of the other patterns as well. In many of them, it's their contrast colour, with black patterns.  

Piper says "This is MY shelf!"

The SPOTTED tabbies are actually a sub-set of the Mackerel or Classic tabbies – the stripes in the original genetic pattern are broken up to form spots.  The clearest examples of this are Lucky, our Bengal, and Emery, who clearly has some Bengal in him.

We can see how in a wild cat this would be protective colouring.
One of many wonderful Lucky pics by Michele..

But this is probably the most common marking, with the remnants of spots or stripes showing through the agouti fur for both long and short-haired tabbies.

Birdie showing his pretty markings - MW

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Moira Langley & Michele Wright

Calendar time!

The new RAPS Cat Sanctuary Calendar for 2016 is out - and it's beautiful!  First copies will be seen at the Halloween Gala, and it will be available at all three RAPS locations - the 5 Rd Shelter, the 6 Rd Sanctuary and the Thrift Store.

In order to see the photos that were selected, you'll need to get a copy (or more than one - they make great Christmas gifts!), but today's blog offers some of the pictures that didn't make it - always a very hard decision, but we try to select a good cross-section of cats, and preferably cats that haven't been featured in the calendar before

handsome Bear lives in the Leukemia Room

Birdie has gone from being a wary cat to being everyone's friend

Michele's wonderful picture of Bobby was *almost* this year's cover...

Dodger was interrupted in the middle of his yoga exercises

This lovely picture of EngTeng went head-to-head
with the picture of the black-and-white cat that was eventually chosen

We never know whether handsome Jingles will purr or growl

Head-tilt Kenya always makes us smile

Sweet King George lives in the New Aids pen

Everyone loves Latte

Fluffy MiuMiu is one of the "gericatrics" in the Moore House

Yale is known to his friends as "crazy eyes"

 

 

As always, thanks to Michele for the wonderful pictures!

 

Now - go and buy the calendar and enjoy the pictures that were eventually chosen.

 

 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Pictures by Michele Wright

The Sound of Mew-sic

Visitors to the Sanctuary are often surprised by how quiet the place is. Other than the occasional plane passing over, and some distant traffic noise, all is very peaceful. Unlike dogs, who are often very vocal, most cat communication lies in body language – both posture and touch.  There are, of course, sounds we would prefer not to hear – the hiccupping noise of an incipient hairball, the occasional spat as Treacle warns someone out of her space, the muttering of grey Leland telling us he’s in one of his bad moods. 

 

There are one or two particularly noisy cats, chief among which has to be Booster, who perches in the corner of a cage and yells until someone comes to pay attention to her.

 

Josie waits impatiently for Doug (or any other Josie-fan) to come and pat her bum – whereupon she trills her little Josie-song.

Other cats are noted for more subdued vocals.

Bubba, in Old Aids, talks to his favourite people until he is hugged, as he wishes.

 

Lucky is pretty quiet for a Bengal – but when he raises his voice, you hear it!

 

Cisco (on right, with Yoda & Fred) is vocal in his impatience in the tea-room as he waits for someone to pour coffee, and give him a little taste of cream.

 

Max, in the Val Jones, talks in a whiskey baritone.

On Sundays the vocals are dialed up as afternoon visitors arrive, and cats swarm the gate, saying “Feed me!  I’m starved!”  Wayne appears with his chicken offering, and the clamouring gets desperate. The same phenomenon occurs every evening as the feeds begin – there is always a chorus of already-well-fed but hungry cats.

Back courtyard Owl is particularly vocal when chicken is about,

though in this case it was a small moth he was after!

Pictures of cats with open mouths got me thinking about what they might be singing

O Solo Meow - Dodger

 

Purrrfidia - Esme

The (would-be) lion sleeps tonight - Achilles

 

Stray Cat Strut - Birdie

 

My purr will go on – Little Orange (PH)

 

(Everything I mew) I mew it for you - Skye

 

You got a fur-iend  - Skouch

 

Good vibrations - Arnie

 

 

What does YOUR cat sing?

 

Blog by Brigid Coult
Photos by (mostly) Michele Wright
with Brigid Coult & Phaedra Hardman

 

 



Spring sun at last

Finally the sanctuary cats (and their minders) are getting to enjoy some warm, spring-like weather in the afternoon and early evening. And the cats waste no time in making the most of it. Here are a few photos from this evening.

Lana & Whiskey

Quinn (?)

May & Adam

Shelley

yawn~*

Chatter 

Josie

Dusty

Even the cats who stayed indoors managed to soak up the sun coming through the windows!

Lincoln

Birdie and Creamsicle