Stevie

Stevie (BC)

For a while in February there was a draped cage in the Connor House with a warning notice that the cat inside was aggressive and reactive. Staff and experienced volunteers have learned to work around cats like this; a warning like that means that newer volunteers can miss the cage if they’re nervous and ask a staff person to do it.

Fur growing back round his injury  (BC)

Stevie had come to us in January. He had been hanging out in a Steveston back yard for some time, and was reported with a tail injury. He was a big unneutered tomcat with a chunky build and chubby cheeks, and on the basis of feral behaviour, he was trapped and scooped up by RAPS rather than the SPCA. We don’t know how he got himself into trouble – whether a bite or something else – but once safely trapped, the hospital took care of both his neuter surgery and the amputation of most of his tail before he came to us.

Slightly wary...  (CM)

Cats are always caged for the first part of their time with us;  it gives them time to recover from any surgery and to get used to the presence of other cats in the vicinity – though via smell and sound, rather than direct contact. The cage is initially draped so that visuals are limited; when the outer drape is removed, the inner drape still gives the caged cat a place to hide. Sometimes ferals will hide for the entire time of their cage-stay, and on release they quickly find another place where they can be out of sight.  Stevie began on the upper shelf, out of reach, but wanting to see what was going on rather than hiding from possible danger. Gradually he began using the main space;  he was actually easy enough to tend since he would retreat to the shelf when someone came to scoop his box and clean his cage. He was wary, but didn’t have the look of a feral cat – more the “I’m not sure I can trust you, but let’s see...” look.

Conversations with Celine   (CM)

He began to allow contact from the Kitty Comforters and we discovered that much of his “aggression” was actually about withdrawal – he liked petting, and the danger point was when the caressing hand was withdrawn – Stevie would lash out to say “How dare you stop!”  Once his cage was opened he remained in place – he could be coaxed into coming down, but was quick to return to his safe space. 

Loves wand-play!  (CM)

He seems to be cat-friendly; Celine regularly shares his cage, and he exchanges nose-bumps with Vesper, who lives on the adjacent shelf and loves everyone. His amputated tail distinguishes him from all the other tabbies – though he particularly reminds me of Spud, who is another large-headed boy with cattitude.

Lap-sitting with Courtney  (BC)

He will allow himself to be scooped up for some lap-time, and is quite relaxed about the whole process; when he’s had enough he calmly gets down, and scrambles back into his cage. He already has a fan-club – Courtney, who does the Connor on Monday evenings, has constituted herself its president, and adores him. He is obviously most comfortable in his own space and has not done more than explore the Connor building a little – I would guess that when he ventures outside he will become very popular, and may well make it onto the Adoptable list.  It’s pretty obvious that this sweet boy must have had a home at some time and was allowed out, unneutered, which increases the chance of a cat becoming a wanderer. Now he has security and people who love him, and just possibly, the potential of a forever home of his own. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Courtney Milburn

KC Afternoon

Shy Vonda  (BC)

One of the joys of volunteering at the Sanctuary is that once the shift is done (sometimes, even while the shift is in progress) there is time to interact with feline friends, to pet and to play, to treat and to groom. Even the hard-working staff will take time out when cats ask for attention. But just to ensure that it’s not just the extroverts that get attention, Anne coordinates the team of Kitty Comforters, and we have a list of cats we need to watch for, as well as spending time with the caged ones.

Bricklyn - you may look, but not touch... (KN)

My usual Kitty Comforter shift is on Thursday afternoon. I tend to miss the Adoption Centre possibility when I know there are cats with whom I need to spend time – the kittens need socializing, but everyone that goes in there ends up playing with kittens!  Last Thursday I headed right for the Connor building;  I had done the feed-&-scoop shift the previous Monday, and there had been seven cats in cages there, mostly being very vocal about unfair imprisonment! By Thursday, things were quieter. 

Leo  (KN)

Blond Leo was one of the noisiest on Monday; caged for a gut problem, he's now out. He could probably do with being on a special diet, but for an outdoor cat at the Sanctuary, that’s impossible. Currently he's spending his time sitting outside his friend Caleb's cage. Caleb is caged for an asthmatic problem and the med staff are trying to see how his medication can be sorted so that he's more comfortable. New boy Maverick had left his cage and gone to hide somewhere – we’ll need to track him down and find where he’s gone to ground, so that we can coax him out.  

Autumn being noisy  (BC)

Pretty Autumn has been having mouth problems. She was very vocal from her cage, but dealing quite well with food as long as it was well watered down. She's now out., and still being very vocal!  Bricklyn is in for some TLC. She's an elderly lady and pretty fragile; she’s not actually very keen on the offered TLC unless it involves chicken – and that, preferably when we can’t be seen.

Frank  (BC)

Frank is our new one, a very pretty gray and white boy. He's very friendly and vocal and eager to get out; he's probably got another couple of weeks in the cage, so visiting with him has to be about climbing into the cage with him.  Big Celine was caged on Monday so we could check her litter box. She's very happy to be out now, but throwing her weight around with old Vesper. She leaves us in no doubt that she's the dominant female in the room.

Kia - regal and smacky!  (BC)

I moved on to the Hill House where I visited with Kia and Vonda. Kia is still fairly unfriendly. She allowed me to pat her very briefly and then the paw started coming up to smack me. Vonda is still caged. She's spending a lot of time in her cave underneath the chair and is very shy. However, she likes chicken, so that gives us a bargaining tool.   
I made a short visit to the Val Jones pen, where Jim, Magnus, Merrin and Minuet shared a patch of sunlight, and decided that they wanted its warmth more than attention from me!

Tubby boys Mojo & Licorice   (BC)

In the SingleWide there was no one caged in the main building, but in the office room in the back I spent some time, as I do regularly, with Mojo and Licorice. These two big boys are kept separate so that we can monitor their food intake. There is a cage in the office which is currently the home of newcomer, stubby-tailed Darjeeling. She is acutely allergic to many types of food and is on a restricted diet. She really needs a home where she can be a solo cat.

Darjeeling has a forbidding stare!  (BC)

It’s all too easy to spend time in the SingleWide, but the main room cats get a lot of attention, and despite constant begging for treats and laps, they’re not high on my regular Thursday priority list. I headed over to the DoubleWide, where we have the greatest number of caged cats, because of access to the med staff. Sierra has had dental surgery, and her neighbour Skye is waiting for it, so both needed little more than reassurance, and a little coaxing to eat some wet food. 

Skye's mouth hurts...  (BC)

Root Beer has been having a good time outside - 
as long as it lasted...   (KN)

Grumpy Root Beer is caged for some time out. Shortly after I wrote his blog, the med staff moved him from the Front Courtyard to the Back to give him more room to roam.  Though he has found a few quiet corners he likes, he does NOT like other cats, and he picks fights not only with the ones who can also be aggressive, but with some of the more timid cats. There is probably some discussion around medication, but nobody really wants that to be necessary. He was OK with my presence in the cage, and with the sound of a voice, but he let me know very clearly that he did not want physical contact, even at back-scratcher length, and when he got grumbly, I let him be.

Newcomer, Burt Reynolds  (BC)

Newbie Madonna does not want to be seen, nor black Keno, and Charlotte used some very rude language when I came to her cage, so I moved on to handsome tuxedo Burt Reynolds.  Burt came in labelled as a feral, but it didn’t take long before he was allowing petting, and even rolling over to show his tummy, so there may have been human contact in his past. He’s been on a wet-food only diet, with possible mouth problems, but gobbles his food at mealtimes, and is always ready for second helpings. Without knowing much about his background, I would say that he certainly has signs of food insecurity, and when I offered chicken without enough caution, I wasn’t prepared to be grabbed with sharp claws; not from nastiness or fear – just anxious to get at the food.

Guacamole getting braver  (BC)

Having mopped myself up, and band-aided as necessary, I took a little time in the back courtyard with “my” boys – shy grey Sylar and tabby Quinn, the increasingly approachable trio of Betsy, Zoey and Cleo, and the pushy ones: Pumpkin, Walker, Jasper, Lindor, & Cassidy. Both Sylar and Quinn will take food from my hand, but are easily deterred by the pushy crew.  Our new tripod Guacamole is getting braver and closer, but is not seriously food motivated – or if he is, I’ve not found the right bribe yet. Old Clementine in Pen 7 sees that the others are gathering for treats, and is vocal in claiming her share of the goodies at the gate. 

Clementine - "where's my share?"  (KN)

I know as I end my KC afternoon that the feeding team is arriving soon, and that nobody will waste away before dinner is served!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult  Karen Nicholson

Cats Needing Comfort

Celine  (KN)

Any cat-lover will tell you that despite the popular image of cats as being aloof and independent, they also love, as we do, and grieve when they lose someone – cat or human – close to them. The Connor building has seen loss recently. I blogged about our beloved Hope, who was such a presence in that room, and then just last week we lost Hope’s little black friend Layla, who has been with us around eight years.  We are concerned about big torbie Celine, who was bonded with Hope, and the Kitty Comforters are now rallying around to comfort another little grieving cat. 

Spooky (BC)

We have so many black cats, and it’s easy to get them confused – especially in the Connor, where you can also encounter Nyla, Chicharron, Luka, Alvin, Bellatrix and many others.  Anne, who coordinates the Kitty Comforters, has asked us to look out particularly for Spooky (and for her lookalike, Emily).

Spooky with her buddy Layla, now gone  (BC)

Spooky came to us with Layla, so they have been companions for a long time. They were part of a group that came from a hoarding situation in the Kootenays which was more than the local rescue was able to manage. They were not in good condition – in fact, some of the larger group died – and the med staff had to get used to climbing up to the Connor cage-tops, where the three of them hid themselves, in order to medicate them.  Spooky is a special favourite of volunteer Laura, who says that she doesn’t put herself forward for attention unless chicken is on offer. She’s also one of our snuffly cats with permanent congestion, and has occasionally been caged for treatment.  Layla would make sure Spooky had company while caged, even trying to get into the cage with her when Laura was visiting.  

Spooky has beautiful eyes   (KN)

She may be shy, but once Spooky realises that you’re offering gentle petting, she drools with happiness. Now that the weather’s warmer, she can often be found on the porch of the Connor, and is less concerned about staying out of reach, though she’s an active climber on the ladder, the cat-tree, up the sides of the cages – she’s happier communicating with us at our head-height.  

Emily is reactive  (BC)

The other little black cat – who was less close to Layla I think – is Emily. She’s easily mistaken for Spooky until you pet once too often and then she swats; I don’t think it’s nastiness so much as getting easily overstimulated. The danger is that black cats like that may get avoided, and then they’re lonely. Emily likes attention, but you just have to read her body language very carefully, and leave her wanting more rather than saying “that’s too much!”  She used to have a stocky little body with a little round head on it – she’s lost some weight recently, and now looks more in proportion (and more like Spooky!).  Look at the eyes to differentiate them – Emily’s eyes are quite round, and yellow, they pop against her dark fur. Spooky’s eyes are gentler and an almost translucent green.

Sad Celine  (BC)

And sweet Celine – for so long a cage-top cat, holding aloof from us, until Hope offered her company and the two began to share the table-top bed.  Now she seems a bit lost – not close to any of the other cats. She sits on the cat-tree for a bit, and then wanders outside; she doesn’t interact with the other cats except for hissing when Cricket gets too bouncy.  She accepts gentle petting, but doesn’t lean into it.  Treats are ignored. When dinner is offered she has a few mouthfuls and then moves to the top of the cages.  Grieving takes whatever time it takes – all we can do is to keep an eye on how she’s doing, and let her know with touch that the humans around her are there for her. 

Ringo is learning to trust other cats again   (KN)

I am heartened by watching shy Ringo in the back pens; we lost his good buddy Zivko more than a year ago, and Ringo retreated to his hidey-place, unwilling to venture out without Zivko to be his protector. But time heals, and Ringo is starting to hang around with the current Boys’ Club – Thorn and Percival and Chaga are making him feel more confident, and he head-butts with Midnight, who is also shy.  Time – and having good friends around – it works for cats as it does for humans.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Farewell to Hope

Hope was a gentle presence  (MW)

There are a number of cats who have lived with us since they were feral kittens, since the days when the focus of the Sanctuary was rescue alone, and adoptions rarely happened. Many of those cats grew old with the Sanctuary as their home, and in their later years, it was considered better not to uproot them unless they clearly bonded with a specific person.

Hope was definitely one of those cats.

brother GusGus with Hope (BD)

She came to us with her family from Marpole – papa-cat was named Hudson, for the street where he was trapped. Mama was a shy feral called Joanie who was never very comfortable around people. She lived in the back courtyard, but Hudson and the three kittens were front courtyard cats.  The other two kittens were boys – shy Domino, with his striking ‘tache markings, and beautiful GusGus, who was one of my sponsor cats, and dearly loved, till he passed of feline leukemia.  

The younger Hope was a solid cat!  (MW)

Hope, in her teenage years, got into everything – she was described as the fastest cat in the Sanctuary, and you had to watch the gates when she was around. She was one of the cats who loved grass, and looked longingly at the clumps of greenery just outside the entry. All her life she had the softest fur – velvet-smooth and a pleasure to touch. But petting her was all about her timing – if she didn’t want it, you couldn’t get her up on your lap!  Luckily, as she aged, the agenda changed, and Hope went looking for laps and for petting.

with age, she became more frail,  and her eyes a darker topaz  (KN)

She always attracted the visitors, who were drawn by the big eyes and the pink nose and that plushy fur – repeat visitors would ask for her, and nervous newcomers would become cat converts under her attention. You could count on Hope for visiting days – sometimes visiting laps on the benches, sometimes holding court in the Connor.

Carly made a comfy cushion  (CT)

She was one of our more social cats. We have our share of loners, and cats who prefer to be by themselves, but Hope loved her girlfriends, Carly and Celine, and could often be found sharing a bed with them, or waiting hopefully with them for dinner to be dished up.

Dropping a hint to Celine (JR)

They will miss her, as we will

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Barbara Doduk, Melanie Draper,
Karen Nicholson, Jill Rabin, Cheryl Townsend, Michele Wright

Hope and her BFFs

Hope  (MW)

Just as we tend to self-identify as extrovert or introvert, so many of the Sanctuary cats appear to be cat-social or loners – and all quite independent on how they interact with the humans around them. In the front of the Connor House, in the front courtyard, there’s a particularly bonded little group that centres on sweet Hope.

Carly grooming Hope  (DW)

Hope has lived with us most of her life. She came in about 14 years ago with her family: mama Joanie, brothers GusGus and Domino, and separately, dad Hudson. The three kittens were past the easy socialization stage, and took a long time to settle with us – GusGus was one of my beloved sponsor cats, and shy in all his dealings with us. Hope came to enjoy human contact, and was routinely introduced to visitors as “the cat with the softest fur” – her coat is very smooth and soft, and especially now that she enjoys coming up for lap time, she’s a pleasure to stroke!

Hope (KN)

The Connor is Hope’s home, and in recent years she’s laid claim to the table at the window – so much so that we’ve all got in the habit of setting up “Hope’s bed” once everything’s been scrubbed down in the morning cleaning. She gets the best light, the view through the window into the porch area – and a quick way out when the window’s open – the first encounter with people entering the building, and the first chance at the plate at feeding time.

Carly being Hope's bed (CT)

The advantages of this position haven’t been missed by a couple of other cats, and Hope usually has feline company. Interestingly, it’s usually an either/or situation – it’s rare that we’ll see all three cats together.  It reminds me the trio of Capilano, Chinook and Walker, who lived in Pen 5 – Walker was attached to both his buddies, but Capilano and Chinook didn’t care much for each other. In the Connor we will often find Hope with Celine or Carly – but only rarely with both together. 

Hope & Carly, watching the action outside  (GT)

Carly and Celine came to us from the same farm-cat situation in the summer of 2016; both were pregnant and had their kittens under fosterage, and then came to us in the fall. Caged in the Connor, when released they decided to stay in the area that had become familiar.

Sometimes the buddy is the bed - 
or is this a quick snack?  (CH)

Carly (Carly Simon) was the more daring of the two, and explored her way around; Celine (Celine Dion) retreated to the cage-tops and lived with the shyer cats. Neither girl was much interested in human contact initially, but over the past seven years, both have opened up to us.

Hope & Celine on dinner-watch  (JR)

On visiting days Carly is frequently found out on the north side of the courtyard, and defends her place on the bench from other cats; she will come for lap-time, but doesn’t much like the competition. Given her reluctance to share bench-space with other cats, it’s interesting to see that Carly likes to share with Hope – I guess in this case, the space is clearly identifiable with Hope, and Carly can’t claim it, so she might as well share peaceably!

Carly & Hope (GT)

Celine is less social, but can often be found sharing Hope’s bed, and the petting from visitors that results from the position. She’s come a long way from the wary girl who used to peer down at us from the cage-tops; she will still visit up there from time to time, but now prefers being in reach for treats and attention.  

Hope & Celine  (KN)

All three are former ferals who are now “tame” – but not adoptable: Hope, because of her age and the fact that she has lived here nearly all her life; Carly and Celine because though pettable, they prefer feline company to that of humans, and a change in situation would almost certainly revived the scared ferals within.  For these three Best Feline Friends, the Sanctuary is home.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Colin Hume, Karen Nicholson, Jill Rabin, Gurpreet Tagger,
Cheryl Townsend, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Front Courtyard Tabbies

Speckle   (MW)

Last November, I introduced shy lynx-point Chai on the blog, and mentioned that she came in to us with other cats from a local trapping operation. All of them went to the Adoption Centre, but were not ready for taming, and were transferred to us at the Sanctuary. Tabby & white Speckle is the most easily identified by her markings, but I’ve struggled to sort out the other two from all our other front-courtyard "plain" tabbies. Some of them have already had their blog moments in the sun; here they are again, with our newcomers.

Freya (BC) & Cricket (KN)

Freya and Cricket are well-known to us all – affectionate and confident girls. Freya, who was initially surrendered for aggression, is likely to be the greeter and leg-rubber at the gate (and occasionally a gate-buster); she likes to sleep on top of the 6’ broom closet.  Cricket endears herself by jumping up to meet the petting hand; we keep a careful eye on her because she occasionally shows a limp, though it never seems to last long. Floofy Autumn with her highlighted ruff usually hangs out on the top level of the climbing frame. Cookie Hill has mostly moved her location from the Hill House to the Yellow Shed, but is anxious for pets when someone comes to visit. In the Connor we have the more torby girls: Carly Simon, Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera and of course, pretty dilute Chirpy

Lorelei & Libby (BC)

Libby was introduced as part of a feral group that came to us from VOKRA. Her brother, grey Solar, has settled well, and particularly loves Carol Porteus, who comes to feed twice a week – he knows she’s always good for particularly tasty offerings. Libby, though, is not comfortable with humans and hovers between the feral Old Rabbit Area and the Hill House. The draw in the Hill House is tubby little torby Lorelei, who Libby loves, but even loving Lorelei is not enough to tempt Libby into human contact. She looks on disapprovingly as other cats accept attention.

Kahlua (LBF) when she first came to us

Libby has the same identifying chest dot as Kahlua, who arrived last April with Chai and Speckle – but Libby’s fur has more of the classic-tabby whorls, whereas Kahlua shows the tabby stripes. Kahlua began in the Old Rabbit Area with the ferals, but has graduated to the Hill House, where she knows she can flirt with visiting humans. 

Kahlua today (KN) - confident and happy

From her beginnings with us as a feral, she has gained immensely in confidence, both on the table or shelves, and at floor level – some cats are ready to be petted in one place but not the other; at waist-height they can be fussed, but on the floor they are daunted by our size unless we get down to their level.  Kahlua just enjoys the attention, wherever it happens. She and Libby look alike, but their behaviour is very different!

Goose (KN)

Another tabby who is easily confused with Kahlua is Goose. She came to us more than a year ago from a local rescue; I believe she was originally from Manitoba. At about 8-10 months old, she was in the teenager space where she was past her best-by date for taming. Cage time was longer than usual, because she was so timid; many hours of Kitty Comforter attention  were spent just sitting and talking with her to accustom her to our presence. And, typically, once released, she still believed we were big scary monsters, and avoided being noticed.  And because she’s a very ordinary little tabby in appearance, it was easy to miss her.

Goose (LBF) in her favourite place

She loves to play, even if she still isn't sure of humans. Laser pointer, ping-pong balls, feather toys.. you name it, she'll probably play with it – in fact, she’ll wake out of a deep sleep to come play. She also LOVES cardboard boxes. She can mostly be found in the Gazebo in the centre of the front courtyard, where she hangs out with the boys – Mozart, Benny, Caleb (she is particularly attached to Caleb!) and enjoys the comfort of the heat lamp.

Dominique (MW)

The last little tabby came to us a little later than her buddies Speckle, Chai and Kahlua, because it turned out that she was pregnant, and she went into fosterage to have her kittens. They tamed and were adopted, but she remained wary, and was brought to join the others. She had originally been named Domino, but since we’ve had two Dominos (one adopted) and currently have another Domino (male) in New Aids, she was renamed as Dominique.  Rather than joining the other ferals, she stayed near Chai in the Connor area, and can often be found near the gate.

Dominique (KN)

Though clearly tabby-marked, her fur is more agouti-patterned, with torbie hints of orange in it. Dominique is very food-motivated, and the offer of treats is a major incentive to hang around certain humans!

Most of us struggle to identify all our black cats correctly. The tabbies, too, tended to get lumped into “the tabbies” group – but there are enough differences in appearance that a little detective work has helped ID them, and allow their personalities to shine through!

Blog by Brigid Coult

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