Farewell to the Moore House

Many of the staff and volunteers are feeling sad.  But it’s not a cat we’re grieving over – it’s one of the cats’ houses!

Selena's portrait of Marianne Moore
with all her favourites

In the early days of the Sanctuary, when RAPS was dealing with the worst of the feral cat problem in Richmond, the Moore House was the home of the kittens.  When we took on the running of the City Shelter, most of the kittens were transferred there, for easy adoption access, and the building was repurposed as the home of our senior cats – a special and beloved project of Marianne Moore, an anchor volunteer for many years, and creator of the Kitty Comforter concept, which has become such an important part of encouraging cats to feel more at ease when they come here.

Kitten room exterior, with Leo,
Pistachio, Caleb & Mozart - KN

One room in the building was put aside for occasional kitten use, for “teens” who needed more hands-on attention, or for cats who needed some separation from the others.  Front courtyard inhabitants Beetle and Cricket, Mozart, Benny, Leo and Caleb have all had kitten room time there; Banshee and Domino lived there while waiting out their leukemia isolation (and eventual adoption); Sage and Silky, Mya and Kirsty, Dawn and Twilight are all kitten room “grads”

Twilight &Dawn, now adopted - KN

But the primary purpose of the Moore House was to provide a home for a very special group of felines. Typically, Moore House cats came to us from owners who had died, or gone into care, and whose old cats had nowhere else to go. Very few people are willing to take on an elderly cat or two, and especially one who is cranky because of a forced relocation.  The homeliness of the Moore House was intended to give them comfort, and keeping the numbers limited meant that the inhabitants didn’t get on each other’s nerves too much.

Earl Grey enjoying deck time - MD

The addition of a closed deck was a blessing on hot days (and even sometimes on cooler ones) and many of the cats enjoyed the fresh air and the view from the variety of seats and beds scattered around.

Chanel doing morning cat-yoga on the deck - BC

However, the trailer was not new when it came to us, and because we live on the edge of farmland, there is a constant rat-problem. The combination of rotting wood, and the rats accessing the crevices – never actually getting into the interior, but making their way into the surrounding structure – all this has contributed to a building that is no longer healthy for cats or people. Already many of the Moore House cats have been adopted, fostered or relocated to other areas in the Sanctuary, and it won’t be long before the building itself is removed. We hope that a replacement can be found, because the need has not gone away – we still need to be able to offer stressed, elderly cats a safe place where they can settle.

Moore House interior - DJ

The Moore House itself will be gone soon, but the memories will remain. Many of the Moore House cats have been featured in earlier blog stories, some of them by Marianne herself:  Eng Teng and Peng Peng; little Pauline who preferred to hide in her box; fragile Noni whose body never really recovered from having being fed a vegan diet; persians Bluebell, MiuMiu and GracieMae (who went on to her own home). We’ve had our share of angry cats, and volunteers who fell in love with them, giving them a reason to be angry no more – Jack, Venus, Buster, and most recently Smokey, who is blissfully happy with her new family. 

Smokey - happy lap-cat - DJ

Thanks to the vision for these old cats, many volunteers have spent quiet hours cleaning, feeding, and most importantly, loving them, so that coming to RAPS no longer feels like their family has rejected them, but that they have found a new family with us. We are working to make the last of our Moore house cats comfortable in a new space – whether elsewhere at the Sanctuary, or with a new home, we don’t know yet.  We hope that when the current building is demolished, it can be replaced with a new structure that can house more generations of cats who need the quiet surroundings and loving care that their predecessors found with us. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Daphne Jorgensen, Karen Nicholson

Portrait by Selena Marchetti

Puma's World

 Pauline Chin takes us to the Moore House

Puma - KN

The Moore House is intended as a quiet retreat for our senior cats where they can live without constant activity and change.  However, some happy changes took place took place there in the last month or so.  Bluebell received treatment for her ears, got a lion cut, and she spends most of her time camping in her tent.  Shaggy and Chanel have become a close couple.  Earl has claimed the box bed and armchair by the back window.  Most importantly, Smokey got moved into the side room.  Now she has an entire room to herself and she can still watch for intruders.  With Smokey out of sight, Puma has greatly expanded his world.

Puma hiding from the world - PC

This nice, but nervous 16 year old was surrendered in the summer.  He spent extra weeks hiding in his cage, despite the door being wide open.  Volunteers would go in to brush and invite him outside, but it was a no go.  At some point, he decided the neighbouring cage was nicer to live in.  Every little while he would take a few steps away from his home to check things out.  

Bluebell & Earl Grey - PC

Coming out onto the deck was a major step for him.  He’d approach the door and look around.  Sometimes, he’d walk out.  He’d stay for a minute, then retreat.  The deck regulars (Shaggy, Chanel, Earl, Bluebell, Rufus) didn’t mind his presence; there was always space to sit down.  It was the eagle-eyed stares from Smokey above the cagetops that sent Puma packing.  Smokey is not an explorer; she only comes down to floor level for food and waste elimination.  Chances are, they had an unpleasant first impression.  Ask almost anyone and they’ll tell you about their unforgettable encounter with her.

Smokey now has a room all to herself - PC

Since Smokey has her own room now, Puma has been walking all over the trailer without worry.  The only thing I’ve seen spook him is the sound of heavy footfalls.  He’d flee and return as soon as the thuds disappeared.  The vibrations travelling through the wooden floor make it feel like the beginning of an earthquake.  Can’t blame him for hiding.

Smokey says "someone's watching me..."  - KN

I find he seems overly curious about the grey cat.  I wouldn’t say infatuated, but no one gets in close proximity to Smokey without good reason. Like good (or nosey) neighbours, Puma and Earl have decided to take turns checking on Smokey.  Sometimes, they would sit outside her door for a bit, while Smokey gladly ignores their caterwauling.  A blanket on the lower half of the door gives her privacy.

Puma and his best friend - DJ

With winter temperatures in full swing, Puma has discovered another joy – the heater!  Forget the cage.  He loves the appliance so much that he spends 95% of his time next to it.  Blankets have been placed around the heater for his comfort.  

the best warm nap...  AR

While the other cats favour swarming any human that sits on the couch, Puma gleefully stays by the heater.  Should he approach, he would appreciate gentle pets and grooming.  He’d be grateful if you could keep the other cats at least a couple feet away.  (Sorry, Shaggy.)

Shaggy, Bluebell and Chanel are all encouraged
to stay well away from Puma's heater  -  PC

Like many elderly cats, the extra dose of heat makes an incredible difference in their world.  Ask well-aged humans how the cold feels on them - it makes their joints ache, there are challenges of staying warm, and general malaise.  It’s very much the same for cats.  Some senior kitties refuse to get out of bed. They spend all day by a heat source to keep warm, have a shorter fuse, or pass on physical activities.  Puma has hit his stride and has newfound confidence.  If heat makes him so happy, in another 5 months, he’ll be ecstatic when he gets to sunbathe on the deck.

KN

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Pauline Chin, Daphne Jorgenson, Karen Nicholson, Anne Rainbow

Baby and Bangles

The Moore House is unfamiliar to many of our Sunday visitors because it’s off-limits to them – many of the inhabitants do much better with the people they know, rather than strangers. But it’s home from home for many of the Kitty Comforters.

Bangles - BC

The KCs’ primary task is working with the cats who are caged for medical reasons, or with the ones who are very new or very shy. But almost all of them end their shift in the Moore House. Cuddles with Chanel and Shaggy, with Rufus and Tikki and Earl, are a pleasant way to end the day. But the Moore House isn’t all sweetness and light. Cranky Smoky is very clear that she is at the top of the feline hierarchy here. And we have two newer females who have their own diva-like tendencies.

Baby - BC

Orange Baby arrived first. She’s a large girl who suffers from arthritis – as usual, with that condition, it’s a vicious circle – you hurt, so you don’t move, so you don’t get enough exercise, so you put on weight, so you don’t want to move.....  When she came to us, Baby had a hard job reaching the shelf in her cage, and need a half-way step to get higher.

Baby - IM

Once out of her cage, Baby took over Lou’s favourite place by the heater in the small room, and made herself comfortable, holding court with visitors. She’s not actually that cranky, but occasionally she must hurt, and is more reactive with humans.  She has to be encouraged to get up and move elsewhere – we have found that Moore House peace is best maintained by giving the cats their own individual dishes of wet food, but at least for crunchies and water, she has to leave her comfy spot and move a bit.

Sitting pretty - LP

Shelter Manager Lisa says “My favourite story about Baby is when we realized she preferred not to move and it became essential to get her going.  Walking would help out her stiffness and arthritis and inevitably it would become easier. I would pick her up, put her on her feet and lightly tap her butt from behind to get her to walk. She would walk - but she would yell at me and tell me off the whole time. And as soon as she could, she would flop onto the ground to lay down again wherever she was. I would pick her up again and put her on her feet and we would start all over again. Me poking her butt and her telling me off - lol. We did this every day for a while. And Karen helped keep it up when she was in there. I can't help but laugh at all the "swear" words she muttered at me .”

Can I come out? - LL

Baby’s initial cage space was taken over by Bangles, who is a most beautiful long-haired dark calico. In many ways she’s a tortie rather than a calico – the white that makes her calico is just her front bib and paws; her attitude is all tortitude!  Bangles was not happy about coming to us, and who can blame her? she was dropped off in a big taped-up box with the words "please look after her, I can't look after her anymore".

Acting coy - BC

We don’t know the rest of her back story- whether her behaviour got too much for her owner, or whether whatever happened has created her behaviour. Whatever, there was a steady string of complains about the service in this hotel – noisy neighbours, wrong food, limited space, etc. etc. Now the cage door’s open for her, and she’s starting to explore a bit. If you encounter her in a good mood, it’s quite possible to get in a pet or two, but her usual greeting is a growl. She reminds me of a senior home resident whose family insists she has to be in care, and she Doesn’t Want It, and wants everyone to know she’s here under duress.  I hope that, like many of her human equivalents, she will discover that it’s really not so bad, and that the care staff want her to be happy and comfortable.

Bangles - JK

Neither girl is particularly sociable with other cats – but then, it’s really only Shaggy and Chanel who spend much time together; all the others maintain social separation from each other.  We just hope that neither Baby nor Bangles gets any ideas from Smoky on how to interact with humans!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Jennine Kariya, Leslie Landa, Ish Manji, Louise Parris

Who Lives In The Moore House?

Volunteer Pauline Chin offers the blog this week.
The Moore House, a.k.a. GeriCatrics, a.k.a. the seniors’ home, has seen many new residents in the last several months.  We’ve had to say goodbye to some dear kitties and hello to some new ones.

Jack - MW

Black Jack is usually the first one seen, snoozing on the chair by the door, or parading around on the counter-tops.  He’s one of those cats whose mood depends on the amount of attention he receives.  The more he gets, the happier he is.  If his attention tank is empty, he will tap, grab, and block your path to the exit until he gets what he wants. Jack was edgy and aggressive when he first came to us; thanks to the work of the Kitty Comforters, he's now a happy lap-cat!

Pretty bob-tailed Chanel - CP

Sophia has an intense stare - MW

Chanel and Sophia are more selective about company.  If they feel comfortable, they will quietly approach and accept a bit of petting.  Other than that, they prefer to remain on higher ground and observe. Sophia's fur mats easily and she doesn't much like being groomed; once the summer comes she will get a lion-cut and feel much better about being pettable!

Shaggy in his favourite place - MD

Shaggy, Marble, and Bluebell are drawn to the couch.  On good days, the trio can be found sunning themselves on the deck.  Shaggy and Marble are gentle giants.

Marble holds court - MW

Marble is the nicest tortie girl I’ve ever met and is never pushy.  I recognize her by the orange lightning bolt mark on her forehead.  I must admit, it feels empty without the furry presence of Spicer, Peng Peng, Princess, and Nalah all jockeying for the seat next to me, with big girl Orio beckoning me over to her shelf. 

Lou claims the heater - PC

Orange Lou is the quietest resident.  This 15 year old arrived last autumn and has claimed the heater for himself.  Just like late Momo, Lou also has his own bed on the floor, so he never has to walk far for food or navigate shelves.  He’s thrilled to receive human attention and takes pleasure being brushed.  He’s a cat who wears a permanent smile on his face.

Smokey glares from the safety of her cage - DJ

Smokey’s owner had to move to a care home and couldn’t take her along.  Smokey is still a work in progress.  She is known for being aggressive towards humans.  She has been released, but hasn’t quite opened up yet.

Blanche keeps an eye on the outdoor area - KN

Blanche, who came to us as a cat who couldn't get enough of being outside, has been transferred from the Double to the Moore for her lack of mobility - she has three torn ACLs.  But that doesn’t keep her from jumping on shelves! When she’s relaxing in a bed, she’s open to pets and belly rubs.

Sweet Jimmy is very shy - PC

Grey Jimmy is a foster-turned-resident.  He arrived with his buddy, Boots.  Both were wildfire refugees from Cache Creek.  After months in our care with no response from their human, a SNAP test was done, revealing Boots to be FLV+.  Boots joined the Leukemia crowd and Jimmy stayed in the Moore.  I find Jimmy likes to peek out from the cat tree.  Sometimes he’s friendly.  Sometimes he seeks refuge atop the cage.  Boots gave us plenty of purrs and cuddles during his short stay.  He loved to say hello during visits to Leukemia, but we had to say a final goodbye in March.  Just goes to show quality time ranks higher than quantity!

Bluebell is queen - MW

Four more Golden Oldies - Rufus, Fluff, PomPom and Wink - were introduced in the blog about a month ago (sadly, we've just lost PomPom).
For us volunteers, the Moore House is an endearing place.  We know time with some of these senior felines is very limited.  Time spent is precious and gratifying for everybody.  For cats suddenly separated from their humans, we step in to heal their heartache and accompany them for the remainder of their journey.  When it’s finally time to cross the Rainbow Bridge, there’s love and kindness on both sides.

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Pauline Chin, Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Daphne Jorgenson, 

Karen Nicholson, Chris Peters, Michele Wright