Tabby beauty

Cadbury  (KN)

We all have our favourite types, when it comes to cats – as well as our favourite individual cats.  Some people favour the ginger ones, or the black ones; some look for the cuddly ones or the spicy ones.  I have a weakness for the long-haired tabbies, especially the sad-faced ones. I loved Dickens, who I got to know early in my time in the Sanctuary, and I still miss my beloved Skittles, who began as a feral and became a loving lap-cat.

Skittles & Cadbury - brother-love  (KN)

Skittles came from a group we called the Candy Cats, and the others are all still around – tabby SweetTart in with the barn-cats, Purdy, Hershey and Butterscotch hiding out in Pen 8, and the beautiful Cadbury, based in Pen 2.

Our beautiful boy  (MW)

Cadbury is one of those cats that the camera just loves – you almost can’t get a bad photo of him.  He and Skittles were particularly close in their early days in Pen 6, but Skittles gravitated towards people, and Cadbury remained very shy. 

Keep your distance, please   (MW)

He is something of a loner – he shares the cabin with a pretty cat-social bunch, but he can usually be found on his own shelf, keeping himself to himself.  He’s not hissy-shy; he just pulls away from contact until he’s certain that he’s safe.  Sometimes he can be very affectionate, but he rarely solicits petting.

Showing off his highlights  (LBF)

He's one of those fortunate long-haired tabbies that seems to be able to keep his fur in good condition. With some of the others the med-staff have to go in and shave mats off - or, in a worst-case situation, give them a complete lion-cut.  No such indignity for Cadbury - he keeps himself well-groomed, and his wonderful neck-ruff is like a halo.  In company with pretty Autumn in the front courtyard, Cadbury's ruff becomes more blond, and it looks like he's been to the salon for highlights.

Is this my best side?...   (LBF)

Unlike a lot of the other back courtyard cats, he’s not particularly food-motivated, and when treats are on offer and the others crowd around, he stays out of the way. When I clean the Pen 2 cabin on Friday mornings, I bring a baggie of dental kibble, or some of my own cat’s “healthy” food as treats, and the other cats get very excited;  Cadbury holds back, though he’s happy to crunch in, as long as nobody else is crowding him. 

Wand-play  (KN)

He comes across as a solemn, serious boy – but he can be playful with the right incentive: a grass stalk or a feather wand will have him batting at it like a kitten.  But it needs to be solo play; when someone else wants in on it, Cadbury backs off and lets the more assertive cat win. Looking at his photos, I realized how few of them had other cats in them; he’s an expert at finding comfy places to settle where he won’t be disturbed by the rest of them.

finding his quiet place  (LBF)

The back courtyard is home to about 200 cats – probably more, when the weather is fine and the inside cats all come out to explore. Cadbury still manages to be The Cat Who Walks By Himself. Like most introverts, he needs a lot of alone time to support him through the times of togetherness. We’re glad that he has that choice.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Hidden Sweetness

Four years ago, we brought in a colony of ferals to into Pen 6, and named them collectively “The Candy Cats”.

Hershey, Butterscotch & Purdy - KN

Some of our feral pens remain closed – pens 3 and 4 are examples of closed pens where the majority of the cats want no contact at all with humans. We’re always pleased and excited when one of these ferals “turns” and becomes handleable, but most of them just want to be left alone.  However, with other pens, the staff may decide that it’s time to open the pen and see how the cats manage in a larger arena.

Cadbury - LBF

So when pen 6 was opened, the Candy Cats split up. Skittles, who we lost very recently, hung around the back courtyard and enjoyed contact with humans, becoming one of the most dedicated of lap-cats.  His brother Cadbury relocated to pen 2 area. Cadbury is one of the most beautiful of fluffy-tabbies.  

Cadbury sunbathing - KN

He is erratic in his relations with us – sometimes he is spooked and wary, sometimes he comes for petting and playing.  He has never developed the comfort of his brother Skittles, but you can’t quite put him in the feral category either. Most of the pen 2 cats are former ferals as well, so there is a common wariness – but they know the volunteers who come bearing treats, and the ones who have feather-toys and catnip!

SweetTart - MW

Pretty little SweetTart showed an early fascination with the cats next door in Pen 7.  This is the farm-cat pen, and they have been kept separate, mostly because they have some genetic quirks in common – mostly around eye problems – which are more easily treated by the med-staff when they’re in a closed pen. 

SweetTart and Rodan - KN

Normally we wouldn’t add to this pen, but SweetTart SO wanted to be with them that we relented and added her in. Because they’re well up on the feral scale, she has adopted their ways, and has gone from being a cat that could occasionally be petted to being wary. One-eyed Rodan is the only one of this colony that really enjoys human attention. 

Purdy - LBF

The remaining three have relocated to pen 8, which was also a once-closed, now-open feral pen. They seem to have settled comfortably into sharing with Hailey, Johnny and co, with no territorial issues. Again, there is a common distrust of humans in the cats of this area, but Purdy, Butterscotch and Hershey are at least comfortable with us being around them; they will sit and listen to our voices as we work, and they no longer run to hide as soon as we appear.  Purdy is probably still the shyest of the three. There is a distinct resemblance to Cadbury in the sad-tabby face, but the short fur makes him look quite different. He does not want to be touched; his smacks are full-claw and offerings of treats are not sufficient to change his mind.  

Butterscotch likes to perch on the rafters - KN

Hershey and Butterscotch are less aggressive, but equally wary. If in company with Kermit or Gigi, both of whom love to play, they are ready to relax a little and chase a cat-toy or to wriggle around in a bit of catnip. 

Hershey watching warily - MW

But they’re both touch-me-not cats, and we don’t know if that will ever change. The most important thing, though, is that they are safe in our care, and they are no longer constantly fearful – we have a guarded truce, and can wait for their choice in timing. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Progress in Pen 6

Eighteen months ago we took in a group of cats that had come from another shelter.

I understand that they had been gathered up as part of a hoarding situation; we were pretty surprised to hear this, because all six exhibited feral behaviour, and it’s hard to see how they might ever have been homed. When released into Pen 6, they did as only scared cats can do, and found a small hole under the cabin where they could wiggle through and be thoroughly hidden.  It was hard to find a way to get them all out while it was blocked, but once being in the dark under the cabin was denied them, they took up residence in the cabin itself.

Butterscotch - MW

There was nothing wrong with their appetites – they ate all the canned food they were offered and left polished plates. And they all seemed to be in good condition. There were two long-haired tabbies, two agouti tabbies, a little tabby with white markings and a larger one with strong classic tabby markings - and they were nicknamed the Candy Cats: Skittles and Cadbury, Hershey and Butterscotch, SweetTart (or Sweetheart) and Purdy. We let them be for the first little while, and allowed them time to adjust.

Skittles - KN

The first overtures were made by the biggest boy, Skittles. He and SweetTart were curious, and Skittles was very food-motivated, so the Kitty Comforters were able to establish contact, and regular visits got the two of them in the habit of emerging whenever the gate opened. The other four stayed resolutely out of sight.

SweetTart  - TV

Because we felt there was room for a couple more, two more cats were added – tabby Kiko who had come from the Moore House, and grey Wylee, who had come from another shelter. The Kitty Comforters ramped up their efforts to familiarize the cats with humans.

Hershey - MW

For a good part of last year, most of the group preferred to stay in the hut most of the time, emerging only in early morning and late evening. With the coming of spring this year they have all started coming out more frequently, and interacting with volunteers.
Skittles remains the boss-cat, the one most interested in humans. He was the first to discover that humans were A Good Thing – especially when chicken is on offer. He is happy to be petted while sitting on the shelf around the pen, but he is still wary of contact on the ground, and frequently very hissy while in the hut.  SweetTart, who was his faithful sidekick at the beginning, has regressed to shyness – I think it’s partly that she is less in his company these days.

Fuzzy-buddies Skittles & Cadbury - BC

Her place has been taken by Cadbury, who adores his buddy Skittles; he is now starting to enjoy human company (especially when play with a wand toy is offered) and he accepts two-handed petting once he knows you.  Now his confidence is increased, he’s starting to throw his weight around, and we need to watch that he doesn’t bug old-lady Kiko too much.

Kiko

Kiko, who was very cranky in the Moore House, is emerging more often, and enjoying petting from volunteers. Wylee is also more confident, and once he gets to know you, he is anxious to jump up and lap-sit. He’s still pretty young, and has a spark of Gizmo naughtiness about him, but he's the most obviously affectionate cat in the colony.

Wylee - MW

Hershey and Butterscotch are now happy to wander round the pen even when humans are visiting, but they’re not yet ready for much in the way of contact. A little wand-play is sometimes accepted, and they play solo, but are not food-motivated. The barest finger-to-nose touch is permissible as long as you’re not actually looking at them.  Purdy, the shyest of all of them, does not want to be touched at all, but is ready to sit in the sun and watch, just as long as you don’t come too close.

Purdy - BC

The work of the Kitty Comforters in gaining the confidence of this little colony is consistent and steady. This team of dedicated volunteers is briefed each week on the cats that need attention, on those that have made contact with us, and on which techniques work for which cat. The Pen 6 cats are certainly not ready for Sunday visitors, but Skittles happily follows people around the perimeter of his pen, ready to accept through-the-fence petting.  It's lovely to see such progress being made!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Tanisha Vincent, Michele Wright

Meet the Candy Cats

Skittles - MD

In the fall of last year, the Sanctuary had a call from another shelter in the Lower Mainland – they had recieved a group of cats as part of a hoarding situation, and were unable to give them space. All six cats were pretty feral, and most shelters have to focus their work on the cats that may stand a chance of finding an adoptive home. Single ferals can sometimes be accommodated, but a small colony like this is a much harder prospect.  Ferals, of course, are one of the groups that comprise the Sanctuary inhabitants, and so a deal was worked out – we took on their six cats, and they found room for some potentially adoptable dogs from the 5 Road Shelter.

Snickers - MW

Pen 6, which had housed cats who had come from the Sunshine Coast, was cleaned out, and its former inhabitants (including Simba, Paw Paw and Faith) found new places they could call home in the back courtyard.  The new cats were established in the pen, and promptly excavated a hole underneath the cabin, and disappeared out of sight!  Very occasionally they would be spotted, usually in the early evening, but the sight of a human was usually their cue to vanish.  Plates of wet food were licked clean – they infinitely prefer wet food to dry – and it was probably food that was the main incentive for the bravest ones to venture out.

Cadbury - MD

It was decided by the med staff to give them candy names, but for quite some time they were just known collectively as “the candy cats”.  The staff took advantage of a spell of good weather to get them all out from under the cabin, and to shore up the perimeter with sturdy mesh – much to the cats’ disgust. Four of them retreated into the hut, but the largest and the smallest began to make their presence felt.

Skittles - PH

The big boy has established himself as the ambassador.  For quite a while I called him Mr Big, for the candy bar, but that made people think Sex and the City! He was renamed as Skittles and his smaller companion became Sweetheart.  The other four include two agouti or abyssianian tabbies and two classic tabbies, one of whom has a blond ruff like Autumn in the front courtyard.

Butterscotch & Hershey - MD

They have been given the names of Hershey, Butterscotch, Cadbury and Purdy, but they have not really emerged enough to be able to establish their personalities. (They have also recently been joined by a non-candy cat called Wylee, who has been in the office cage waiting for confirmation on a leukemia testing.  It’s now proved negative, and since he’s a shy boy, pen 6 was a good place to put him.)

Skittles - MD

Skittles is very much the dominant cat, and has tons of personality!  He comes to the gate, looking for attention from humans and other cats alike. He rubs against the mesh of the adjoining barn-cats pen, and interacts with them in a friendly way; when courtyard cats come to investigate, he’s investigating right back.  He is a confirmed chickaholic; he now knows that I usually carry a bag of little chicken bits and he is right there demanding treats when I open the gate.  For some time I had to drop the tidbits in front of him or court some annoyed swatting; gradually he has progressed to accepting treats from my fingers, and finally to allowing himself to be touched.  Touching through the mesh of the pen is entirely acceptable; direct touch still has to be done with caution, because that swatty paw is ready. But increasingly, it’s an investigative paw rather than a punishing one, and he is more and more confident that he’s in a safe place.

Skittles showing off for visitors! - MW

He is almost always accompanied by Sweetheart. We don’t know if they’re littermates or BFFs, but she actually proved herself more ready than him to accept human touch.  Kitty-Comforter Mel has spent a good bit of time in the pen with them, and they love to play with wand toys.  Sweetheart was quick to respond to Mel and allowed herself to be petted and handled.  She has white socks on her feet, and her two tabby toes are distinctive.

Snickers - MW

We hope that with the return of warm weather, an open cabin may make it harder for the other cats to hide all the time, and they will learn that they’ve landed in a good place. Till then, Sweetheart and Skittles will have most of the attention from volunteers and visitors – both from those passing by, who will be wooed by Skittles on his favourite perch, and from those who venture in for closer acquaintance.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Phaedra Hardman & Michele Wright