Have Another Cookie...

Cookie Hill (MW)

We have our share of cats who have names in common – usually names they have arrived with, rather than names they have been given here. At one stage we had four Bobbys at the same time! Domino, Jasper, Jinx and Katie have all been popular names,  And Cookie, as a name, is up on that list.  The earliest Cookie was one of my first RAPS acquaintances, and beloved by many.  Cookie 2 was one of a pair of very tubby cats who lived with us for a while, and were adopted by someone who was able to control their food intake and help them get fitter.

Cookies 1 (CF) & 2 (PH)

I introduced Cookie Mills a couple of years ago; this sweet girl continues to be a favourite of staff and volunteers, but prefers to ignore all the other cats. She is becoming more and more a tubby variety of Manx; long-term Sanctuary lovers will remember PeeWee, with a similar build.

PeeWee (BD) & Cookie Mills (KN)

Our most recent Cookie came in about 18 months ago; she had her cage-stay in the Hill House, and since we had Cookie Mills in the back courtyard, this front courtyard girl became Cookie Hill. She came to us from an owner who had tried everything to help her beautiful girl settle down. Cookie had come from the SPCA so they had no back-story, but it became obvious to them that she was untrusting – particularly of men – and acted out with aggression, anxiety, and of course, peeing. The family tried everything, but it was clear that only the mom was acceptable to her. 

Cookie Hill  (LBF)

Sadly, the SPCA wouldn’t take her back; they said that she was unadoptable, and that euthanasia was the only alternative.  Luckily, the Cat Sanctuary was a better one for her.  It took Cookie Hill a while to accept her change in status, and there was a fair bit of swatting involved. These days she mostly hangs out in the Yellow Shed area, and when she’s in the right mood, she can be chatty and affectionate with humans, though she reminds me of Sophie in the TeaRoom – moody, but cute, and ready to be petted if you do it to her specifications.

Cookie Hill (KN)

She stands out from all the other little tabbies because of the beautiful orange necklace she wears.  Often a torby (tabby/tortie mixture) has the orange colours dispersed generally among her fur (she’s almost always female, because of the genetics around colouring). Carly Simon and  Christina Aguilera are a pair whose tabby markings are balanced with their ginger colouring. Roe has striking ginger blotches in her coat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a clear marking of the orange fur to give a cat a pattern like this. And she has the most beautiful green eyes to offset her colouring.

Cookie Hill (KN)

Cookie Hill will never be Miss Popularity around the Front Courtyard. There’s not much room in the Yellow Shed but Miss Hill insists on a shelf to herself, and she is not into socializing with the other cats. The Hill House itself tends to be more social than she’s ready to face. As the weather warms up, though, we’ll probably see more of her out and about. We do have some faithful male volunteers, but it’s mainly women she sees, and we hope that she will be able to put her bad experiences of the past behind her, and learn that there are people that she can trust again.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Barbara Doduk, Claire Fossey, 

Phaedra Hardman, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Monty

Just as we have a reputation for taking in and caring for the Feline Leukemia and FIV cats from across the province, and beyond, so those in the know are aware that we will also take in a category of cat that can have a short life in a kill shelter.

Monty exploring - BC

Many people are fascinated by Manx cats, and will sometimes try to breed them.  A true Manx needs to be bred with care, because Manx cats carry two genes – one for a full tail and one for taillessness, and kittens that inherit the tailless gene from both parents will generally not survive.  The tailless condition in Manxes can lead to Manx Syndrome, which generally shows up as incontinence or constipation – and people who take on a Manx, thinking “how cute!” are often disillusioned by the extra care and cleaning that it necessitates.

Cookie Mills (KN) & Plum (MW)

We have several Manxes with this condition – Cookie Mills and little Plum need baths pretty well every day, and there are several other Manxes that need regular checking by the med-staff.  Often our Manxes are very friendly – Sweet-Pea and Pee-Wee adored attention, though for our sake, it had to come with a thick towel attached.

Ready to accept cage attention - BC

So when we were asked to take on a tabby and white Manx, we had little hesitation.  Monty started life at a kitten-mill in Maple Ridge.  Whether this was an inbreeding situation or not, we don’t know, but when he was adopted his owners discovered he had a lot of problems with his bladder, which led to a surgery that resulted in urine incontinence.  Because of that, he was surrendered to the Sanctuary, where he can dribble to his heart’s desire!  It was a hard decision for his owner, who loved him dearly, but the problems of having a leaky cat in a rental home were just too great.

Long-legged elegance - KN

He came to us with the name of Mr Money – I don’t know whether that was a reference to a Hindi movie, or to the cost of cleaning up after him – but the med-staff changed that to Monty before long.  He’s a beautiful boy – not the usual tubby build of many Manxes, but more of the elegant shape of Emery, who we lost early this year.  He also has some of Emery’s quirks.  He does NOT like other cats. Emery would just run and hide if confronted; Monty tends to be the aggressor, and when he’s in paranoid mode, we need to watch that he doesn’t swat perfectly innocent cats.  Like many of the more antisocial cats, he is quite capable of finding himself a place to hide where he won’t be bothered.

Will you pet me? - BC

A summer of being able to get away from other cats in the back gardens has suited him well; when it gets colder it will be interesting to see if he will opt for solitary chill, or for warmth and the over-abundance of feline company.  He will tolerate humans when in the right frame of mind. He’s not an affectionate cat like Wickem, or needy like Emery; Monty will allow himself to be petted briefly, and will then remove himself from contact – though he will sometimes hang around as if asking for more. We hope that he will warm to us, and feel more at home in our care.

Bliss! a basket all to himself! - KN

Blog by Brigid Coult (& Leslie Landa)

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Cookie Mills

Cookie Mills is one of our Double-Wide Manx cats.

CF

Her human companion died, and the situation was not an easy one for her – she was obviously attached to the woman, and to a life in which she was the only feline. She was taken in by a family member, but the stress of upheaval led to her peeing in the wrong places, and she eventually came to us. To find herself living in a dorm of other cats must have come as a shock. As with all our new cats, she spent the first month in a cage, getting used to the sights and sounds around, but with a space she could call her own. And, in common with some other new cats, when the cage door was opened, Cookie Mills didn’t want to leave!

BC

Unfortunately for her, cages are needed for other new cats, or for cats who need medical attention, and Cookie Mills had to relocate a few times.  She always manages to find a shelf in a quiet cage, and claims it for her own. She’s not actively unfriendly to other cats; she’s like the new kid in school who is something of a loner, and doesn’t really want to make friends. Occasionally she can be found sharing with another shy cat – perhaps Tiger or Pancake – and sometimes she reluctantly makes room for Sativa.

Sharing a shelf with tabby Tiger - JK

Cookie Mills shares space (and occasionally a shelf) with some of our other Manx cats, who have Manx syndrome issues.  Little Sativa can’t help but leave bits of poop wherever she goes. Plum can use a litter-box, but can’t always control her sphincters, and needs regular baths. Our new girl Luna is leaky because of post-surgical issues and we need to change her bedding regularly. Cookie Mills’ peeing problems were emotional rather than physical, and she usually uses a litter-box and keeps herself pretty clean.

BC

She is a general favourite with many of the Kitty Comforters, and has taken a special fancy to one of the Sunday visitors. Her owner’s family came to visit recently, and were visibly moved to see Cookie Mills react to the visitor – it appears that her manner and style are very like the original owner’s.

In the mermaid pose favoured by many tubby cats - KN

So far Cookie Mills has restricted herself to remaining in the Double-Wide. Currently the swing door is closed because we try and keep new cats from going outside until they’re more comfortable. (The long-time inhabitants are well able to open the door for themselves, but it’s a barrier for the newbies). We’d like to see Cookie Mills go out and get some exercise. The characteristics that make a Manx a “stumpy” can also mean shortened spines and arthritis, and many of them are stocky at best, and obese at worst. Because it’s so hard to control Sanctuary cats’ diet without caging them, encouraging exercise and play is our best option. She may end up among the cats who get carried to the gate at the far end in order that they at least get to do the return walk.

BC

Cookie Mills doesn’t really come into the category of “Garbo” cats who “vant to be alone” - she’s not aggressive in any way to other cats or to humans. We understand she misses her former owner, but we hope she can learn that there’s love for her here, as well.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Chelzea Freeman, Jennine Kariya, & Karen Nicholson.