Blue - the Loner

Blue joined us a year ago as one of a group of cats from a shelter on the Sunshine Coast.

For a while they were all in Pen 6 together, but the pen is too valuable as a limited space suitable for accepting new cats who need outdoor access, and since these cats were all used to human contact and to being handled – in fact, several of them went to the 5 Road Shelter for adoption – the gate was opened and they were allowed to merge with the rest of the back pens population.

For some cats, this sort of release is not always comfortable, and they prefer to stay around the area they know.  We see this with the Pen 5 cats: Adam and May, Rudolf and Salish and the rest – they could go anywhere, but they prefer to stay on their own turf. For other cats, this sort of release signals Opportunity – and this was the situation with Blue.  He was never a very cat-social cat with the other Pen 6-ers, and an open gate meant that he had unlimited space to explore.

I was brought up reading the Kipling “Just-So Stories”, and always loved the one about the cat. “The wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.”
That’s Blue! He’s a true loner – he doesn’t particularly care for people and certainly not for other cats – all he’s concerned about is finding a comfy bed, and some food when other cats aren’t around.

His favoured cosy-corner is the papasan chair on the Newcomers Deck – especially in cold weather, under the heat lamp, that is a favourite bed for half-a-dozen cat to snuggle together. But when Blue claims it, everyone else backs off and goes to find somewhere else to snuggle.

I don’t think he’s a nasty cat. We have to keep a careful eye on some cats like Digby, who throw their weight around and are known to attack other cats.  But Blue just exudes the “I want to be alone” aura, and without much being said, other cats avoid his space. He will accept attention from humans, though he doesn’t really seek it out; when he’s in the right mood he likes to sit behind me and play with my hair.  But he doesn’t snuggle and he doesn’t usually come looking for petting.

He has everything he wants – comfy beds, a space to wander, food and water as needed – and all without being bugged for attention.  Life is good for Blue!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by 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

Update from Pen 6

Last summer I introduced a group of cats who had come in to us and had taken up residence in Pen 6. There has been quite a bit of in-and-out from that pen, and I thought readers might like an update.
The two big black girls, Cookie and Carla, came out of the pen. Crabby Carla was making everyone else’s life miserable, and it was hoped that we might be able to get their weight under control.  They were caged together for a while and then released. Sister-love did not prove a dominating force, and the two split up. Carla has established herself on the double-wide deck with the semi-ferals there; she continues as crabby as ever.

Cookie - MW

Cookie can usually be found in the volunteer tea-room, and appreciates human attention. Both are still large – it’s very difficult to restrict food in the Sanctuary set-up, and we rely mostly on getting large cats moving a bit more. Carla apparently likes to play, so volunteers are encouraged to use wand-toys with her.

Laredo - BC

Old Tana passed in the fall., but in happier news, a few of the original inhabitants have been adopted: Mrs Trotzki, Doodlebug and Rebecca have all got their own homes now, and we couldn’t be happier for them!   We were told that Rebecca and Laredo were a bonded pair, but saw no sign of it, and she was such a sociable people-cat that splitting them up wasn’t hard. Laredo is cautiously friendly with people, but is also known to swat occasionally, and he seems to have settled in with the rest of the Pen 6 inhabitants.

Sophia - MW

Grey and white Sophia went to the Shelter too, but had health problems, which have taken a while to deal with; medical attention has not left her happy to receive other attention, and she does not welcome the prospect of a good grooming, which she needs! She’s now living in the Moore House with the oldies!

Blue - MW

Still with us are Blue, Simba and PawPaw. Blue is not sociable with the other cats, but enjoys human attention on his own terms. He likes to be above and behind me when I am sitting with one of the other cats in my lap,  and he plays in my hair. He’s a lap-cat in a limited way; you can have him on your lap, but don’t touch too much!

PawPaw - MW

Simba - MW

Simba continues to be a greeter and a lover; he adores attention, except for the grooming kind, which, like Sophia, he needs. Some cats just matt very easily, and I suspect Simba may be sporting a lion cut when the weather warms,  Sweet PawPaw proved to be diabetic; now we have his insulin under control he is no longer looking so fragile.

Faith - BC

Other cats from the same source have joined them; they include white Faith, who tends to be the cat who walks by herself – for the first few months of her time with us she preferred to live in one of the outside kennels rather than mingle with the other cats. The cold weather has driven her in, and she’s tolerating them now.  Crackers is a calico, but one with a lot of black in her fur patterning, and cautiously friendly. The two tuxedos are handsome Troy, and the rather older and less glamorous (but very cuddly) Mabel.

Crackers - MW

Troy & Mabel - MW

All these cats came to us from a private shelter which is now closing down, and another six of them have just arrived at the Sanctuary, with the promise of at least a dozen more to come. We’ll be working to make more space for incoming cats – and more space to introduce them in the Neko Blog

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Michele Wright

January 2018 - Crackers, Troy and Mabel all went for adoption in the past year and are happily settled in their fur-ever homes. We were saddened to lose Laredo suddenly and unepectedly

Pen 6 Newcomers

Usually the Sanctuary cats come in to us in ones and twos – whether as trapped ferals or as owner-surrenders. The last time we had a significant group was back in the spring of 2012 when the ten Heinz cats came to us – all of them older cats from a gentleman who had gone into hospice care.  All those cats have passed over in the intervening years, with the exception of Bellestar, who was always the most fragile, but who is still hanging in there!

Pen 6 entry - BC

We’ve recently taken in another group from an owner going into care. Again, they’re mostly older cats, and therefore don’t have great adoption prospects, but it was felt it was better to bring them into the Sanctuary together and only move them to 5 Road if space opens up. This is a delightful bunch of cats. They are (mostly) sociable and enjoy interacting with humans; some are a little shy and many needed dental and grooming attention.  Today’s blog will introduce them, and I hope as we get to know them better that we may have some individual profiles.

PawPaw - MW

PawPaw immediately decided that we were a Good Thing – especially when he was offered chicken!  He was a little heartache for some of us – he looks so like (semi)feral Rusty in Pen 4, who died a few months back.

Tana - BC

Tana is probably one of the oldest of the cats; she was very matted and didn’t allow more than a patchy shave-job. This little girl undoubtedly needs more dental care to feel comfortable.

Carlie (on guard); Cookie - BC

There are two short-haired black cats in the group, similar in general body-shape (i.e. tubby), but very different in personality. Cookie has a shorter tail and is shy but quite friendly; Carla, with white whiskers, is not a happy camper and has decided that attack is the best defence. She wanders round grumbling to herself when she can’t find another cat to growl at; she’s taken to sitting at the gate and swatting at curious cats peeking in. I think it was Fred’s fur in her claws last.  We suspect it’s mostly because she feels unsettled.

Simba - MW

Simba is the most friendly of the bunch and is eager to leap into a visitor’s lap. He lost an eye to a sharp twig while on a leashed walk with a former owner, and apparently has experienced some abuse, but you wouldn’t know it to meet him. However, he’s a cat that likes to be outside, and pees when he can’t get out, so the Sanctuary may be the best place for him, however adoptable he is in other ways.

Sophia - BC

Sophia is another cat that likely has dental problems, and we’ll need to have that seen to before anything else. She’s quite shy – she reminds me in both personality and appearance of Samantha, and also of May, in Pen 5.

Mrs Trotzki - BC

The tortie in the group is named Mrs Trotzki, for a friend of the owner – she’s a delightful little girl, chatty and sociable, but typically tortie, is quick to establish her space.

Blue - BC

Blue (not sure where he got that name) is a big black and white boy who doesn’t really like the other cats very much – he’s the cat who walks by himself, unless there’s a human around to fuss him.

Doodlebug - BC

The long-haired black boy in the group actually doesn’t have long hair right now – he was very matted and needed a pretty drastic lion cut. We can remember both poor Matt and Henrik who had the same problem in previous summers and looked very sheepish for a while – they can reassure Doodlebug that it really does grow out, and that he will look handsome again!

Rebecca - BC

The last two are something of a bonded pair, and though adoptable, would really need to go together. Both are very friendly with people, and love attention.  Pretty Rebecca is tabby; her boyfriend Laredo is much larger, and obviously enjoys posing.

Laredo - MW

As with all the closed pens at the back, we ask that Sunday visitors don’t just go in, but request entry with a tour guide or a staff member. Not only is it easy for a cat to slip in or out if we’re not careful, but we always need to remind visitors that not all cats care for a lot of human attention, and many don’t like being picked up.  However, this group does love attention, and many are potentially adoptable, even if they are older, so we’re glad to make visits possible.
Welcome to the Sanctuary, guys!

Blog by Brigid Coult
Pictures by Brigid Coult & Michele Wright