Desi

When I got to know Cecilia last autumn, I was told that she and a grey longhair named Desi were inseparable. Well, either they were on the outs or my timing was just unlucky, but for ages I never ever saw them together. In fact, while Cecilia would often come to say hello, I hardly saw anything of Desi, period.

And then this week, at last, I was able to see the duo for myself:

Although not nearly as outgoing and confident as Cecilia, at least not with someone he doesn't know very well, Desi did let me stroke him a little and appeared to enjoy it. Pretty good for a former feral! Leslie tells me he was trapped as an adult on Desmond Street in Richmond and that's how he got the name "Desi."

She also describes him as just a "gentle, gentle timid boy." He's a sweet guy - no wonder Cecilia is so fond of him.

Roly

Roly

Roly was found as a kitten along with his brother Poly.

Poly

With Roly, you may notice a bit of a resemblance to another orange and white longhair in residence, the ever popular Mario. As a result, the somewhat smaller Roly sometimes gets referred to by nicknames such as "Mini Mario" or "Mario Lite."

According to Marianne, Roly is "kind of shy, but it's possible to sneak in a quick pet in passing." She's been making an effort lately to spend time with him and work on convincing him that sitting on a lap and being petted is a good thing.

photo provided by Marianne

These efforts appear to be paying off, as when I introduced myself to Roly earlier this week, I didn't find him particularly shy at all. I didn't think to try picking him up, but he didn't need any convincing at all that being stroked on the ground was a Very Good Thing. He was soon trailing around after me and making it difficult to get a shot that didn't also feature my own feet.

Roly also gets along well with the other cats, I suppose another reason for the Mario nicknames to stick. In the midst of visiting with me, he had to take little breaks to say hello to Cecilia and wash Salty.
All in all, a very nice boy.

following Cecilia

hanging out with Salty

relaxing in the tearoom with Sadie and Phoebe (I)

Cecilia

A story from Leslie (first published in The Love Blog in July 2009)

"RAPS receives many calls from companies that have discovered cats and kittens living on their properties. Little Cecilia was found with kittens and 2 other black/white adults at a seafood cannery in Richmond. RAPS found homes for the kittens and the 3 young adults came to live at the sanctuary, where they became tame and friendly cats. Cecilia befriended a shy, long-haired grey male named Desi and the 2 are inseparable."

Desi was off doing cat stuff when I took the picture above, giving Cecilia the opportunity to lobby for a little MeMeMe! time, meowing, dancing and generally showing off from her perch on top of this storage unit where we keep our buckets.

From the RAPS website:

RAPS History

"Our organization was founded in 1989 by dedicated animal lovers who recognized the dangers to cats living on city streets, in alleys and industrial areas. There was no group helping the feral (wild) offspring of lost and abandoned cats. Cats that were wild, or tame but frightened, were quickly killed when taken to city animal control pounds throughout the Vancouver region that were then operated by another organization.

Volunteers took on the task and expense of trapping cats, spaying and neutering them, and providing veterinary care. Tame cats were fostered, and wild cats released where feeding stations were set up so that fresh food and water could be provided daily. Found kittens were fostered, tamed and adopted to loving homes."

The problem of feral cats living in industrial areas and other places they may be seen as pests or otherwise come to harm is one faced by humane and protection societies in many areas.
Here's a link to the Canadian Federation of Human Societies page on feral cats.

In the US, October 16th is National Feral Cat Day. An article by Stacy Mantle for About.com describes the experience of helping feral colony on a past National Feral Cat Day. I like the quote she leads off with:

Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.                                        -  Saint Francis of Assisi

Update September 13, 2010: I've just found out and sad to report that we've lost Cecilia. She wasn't feeling terribly well this summer and when blood work was done, everyone was shocked to discover she had leukemia. She was moved to the leukemia room, but her condition turned out to be already quite advanced, and so she was not with us much longer.