Four Little Ferals

Bugle

The weather may affect the experience of our weekend visitors to the Sanctuary. On a rainy day like the past Sunday, only the most enthusiastic and social cats will come out, and the others go find a cosy corner and curl up! I find I need to remind people that we have way more cats than they may see, because the ferals are reluctant to appear when strangers are around. And part of my usual “spiel” is that we have a lot of ferals, and still more semi-ferals – and the latter are on a wide spectrum from “you can look at me but not touch” all the way to “pet me, pet me!”  It’s important to us that we are able to allow the ferals to BE feral, if that’s what they need. But it’s always exciting when we see movement on that spectrum, as has been the case recently with a group of cats who are living in the DoubleWide.

Ryan (or perhaps Ryanne?)

The four of them arrived together from Cats Cradle Rescue on Vancouver Island – too feral for the rescue to be able to foster them out. The two youngest are obviously siblings, about 18 months old, and almost identical in everything except colour. We were told they were male and female, but it turns out that grey Ryan should probably be Ryanne!

Velma

Because the quartet was familiar with each other, we caged them in pairs, and in adjacent cages, so that they knew where the others were. Grey Ryan and black Velma were in the first cage on the left; both are slim, sleek elegant cats, and were very keen to escape – so much so that their cage was kept to med staff access only for longer than usual. When Ryan finally moves into the back courtyard, we’re going to have a hard time distinguishing her from Wylee, who is also slim and sleek and grey. 

Velma & Veruca 

Velma was caged a little longer because of an eye infection; there are lots of black cats in the back courtyard area, but I don’t think we have anyone quite like her – she reminds me of a former inhabitant called Skouch – black and leggy. We’re told that she survived FIP as a kitten – often a fatal disease, so she’s obviously a fighter! She can quite often be found sharing her cage with the shyest of the four.

Veruca Salt

In the adjacent cage were two very different cats. Veruca Salt is a stocky little torbie, named for a character in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. I’m not sure it’s a good name for her; she is NOT like the greedy, demanding, spoiled brat in the story, but instead is a shy “don’t even look at me” girl, who prefers to hide behind a drape. Perhaps med-staff Louise was thinking of the rock band by the same name! 

Bugle

Her room-mate was Bugle, named by Molly for the newspaper in Spider-Man!  She’s about 3 years old, and has almost certainly produced her share of kittens in that time.  Initially we thought she would make an understudy for hissy Smithy in the back courtyard; the Kitty Comforters were encouraged to visit with these two before we had access to Ryan and Velma and were greeted with typical angry-feral hissing from Bugle.  However, it wasn’t long before we discovered that it was all a facade – and all we needed was a little chicken!

Bugle is living up to her name, and announcing her feelings to anyone who will listen. If chicken tidbits are on offer, she will sing the song of her people until someone pays attention to her – and her song is often a long drawn-out cry that leaves us in no doubt about what she wants.  Interestingly, she accepts the tidbits very gently – often, ferals will snatch food from the hand without much care for where the teeth land. She is still not keen on touch – she will allow it briefly, but her body language says clearly that she is not yet comfortable. She may well be one of the cats that needs a shave to get through the summer, because her fur has mats, but she really doesn’t care for being groomed.

Competition for space and chicken!
- Delilah and Gwen

Typically, feral cats in the DoubleWide make their way out onto the deck, and vanish into the crowd of ferals there. These four are breaking that stereotype – they’re still based in “their” open cages. Both Ryan and Velma have discovered the cage tops, and are happy to climb, but usually end up back in their home base. Veruca Salt is not a wanderer, and prefers her own shelf and her drape – with occasional excursions to Ryan and Velma’s cage (especially when someone like Delilah moves in on her turf).

Under the cat-tree - Bugle looking for opportunities

Bugle is a floor-level girl, and has taken to the bottom of the cat-tree in the middle of the room. There, she can keep an eye open for sassy Gwen, who is also on the lookout for chicken handouts, and is not happy with other cats in her space. Both little bundles of fur know who will offer treats, and avoid each other, while remaining within reach of tasty mouthfuls.  Finding the right bribery is so often the right way to a feral’s heart!

Open adjacent cages are still the favourite spot for
Bugle, Ryan and Veruca Salt

So all the staff and the Kitty Comforters will be working on this little quartet in the next while, hoping to habituate them to attention and gentle touch, and to teach them that they’ve landed in a place where they’re safe from the scary world of feral living outside the boundaries of the Sanctuary.

Blog and photos by Brigid Coult

Taylor & Company

Another blog from Sanctuary volunteer Pauline Chin

Taylor & Luke - VL

Spring 2019 brought in 3 young feral cats – Luke, Taylor, and Gomez (introduced here).  They were all estimated to be about a year old.  With his loving personality, the master biscuit maker Gomez was quickly whisked away for adoption.

Gomez - PC

While Gomez and Taylor were clearly kittens, Luke appeared filled out in a full-sized body.  If I had to guess, he was either a singleton wanting company, or a brother from a prior litter.  Luke is the most feral of the bunch; he chooses to live on the back deck and has befriended other ferals.  He’s curious enough to peek at us, but not socialize.

Luke - MW

Little black Taylor divides his time between the deck and being in the trailer.  The reason?  Toys!  Although he keeps a gap around people, his kitten spirit sparkles when he sees new toys.  While caged, he played with balls when no one was looking.  Within a month, he became open about it and didn’t care if we were standing nearby.

Taylor - PC

After he was released from the cage, he took a fancy to a certain toy wand.  The irresistible sound of tassels lures Taylor over within seconds.  The same sound also brings out shy, grey Bubbles.  What’s beautiful is this pair will play with the wand at the same time.  There’s no competition or hissing.  Bubbles sits behind Taylor and patiently waits for the toy to fly over to him.  Taylor will watch if Bubbles has it in his grasp.

Now it's your turn...   PC

Taylor loves to reach up and grab at the wand.  He can jump, but will more likely lean on his hind legs and stretch his lanky body.  It’s amusing to see him upright, with his teeth and tongue out.  I wonder if he’s aware of his funny facial expressions?  He also enjoys the ring toy.  He’ll charge into it and push it around the floor.  Taylor is a catnip fan and revels in carrying off the little pillows.

Bubbles reaches for a toy - KN

Bubbles plays more gently than other cats.  He’ll sit upright and either grab a toy, try to catch between his paws, or pin it to the floor.  He doesn’t make a deadly swat or lunge.  Occasionally, he’ll pounce (more like hop) onto the toy.  The thing that spooks Bubbles away is people talking loudly.  He’ll vanish to the deck and return once the noises are gone.  The pom pom tassels are just that enticing to him.

Taylor has discovered the back gardens - KN

After 3 months, Taylor’s kitten wonderment has waned.  Although he doesn’t pursue the toys as heartily, he still wants to see the sights and sounds.  Sometimes he uses the litterbox as a cover to watch the action.  New toys pique his interest.  He’s one of those “I’ll play, but don’t touch me” cats.  Out on the deck, he’s more suited to quiet attention.

Bubbles says, "All mine!" - PC

Unlike Taylor, Bubbles still adores the wand.  These days, it’s more likely to find Dazzle and Delilah hovering nearby for a chance at this magical toy.  Perhaps it’s the only toy of its kind here?  It’s always a plus to see Bubbles outside the deck.  He’s a cat who needs more self-confidence and the chance to explore the grounds.

Taylor with new buddy Bodhi (L) and Luke (R) - VL

When Taylor wants downtime, he’ll go find Luke or Bodhi and share cuddles.  For being labeled “all-feral”, he’s made incredible progress in his first few months and has settled in now.  Most cats are content to receive their favourite foods, while others want physical affection.  For Taylor, nothing makes him happier than being surrounded by toys.  With all the volunteers around, he and all the resident cats are guaranteed a lifetime supply!

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Pauline Chin, Vicky Lo, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Note: as we go to press, poor Taylor is in a cage in Newcomers, having had some pretty radical dental surgery. He'll be out and about by the end of the month, and glad to have access to toys and playmates again.   BC

Delilah

MW

Delilah came to us about a year ago, having been trapped and found to be pregnant . She went into fosterage with one of our staff, and produced the “C” litter of kittens. They were all (including Delilah) adopted from the City Shelter, but Delilah was subsequently returned to us for being a pee-er. Her owners did all the right things – got her vet-checked, changed litter, and so on – but this quirky girl wasn’t about to cooperate. She’s proved to be not only bathroom-challenged, but also a girl of considerable mood-swings.

JK

Some of the cats that come in with an “aggressive” label settle very well at the Sanctuary – nobody here is going to pick them up and try and snuggle if they don’t want it, and most of us understand cat body-language well enough to tell when an approach is welcome, and when the cat is in “leave me alone” mode. We have often had cats who are aggressive in a cage, and who relax into being pussycats once they’re free to run around.  Delilah, unfortunately, is not one of those – she’s wired to be on edge, and both humans and cats need to be super-aware around her.

MW

Delilah mostly hangs out on top of the cages in the Double-Wide; she will occasionally come down and investigate on a lower level, but the top is her preferred stomping ground.  And I use the phrase deliberately – a quiet time in the Double-Wide is often interrupted by the thunder of feline feet as Delilah chases an unwise cat away from her vicinity, or from whatever she is claiming as her own.

Delilah thinking about ambushing Pixie - PC

Volunteers and staff who have to climb up to clean or to medicate a cat learn to keep an eye out for Delilah, to gauge her mood or to distract her attention.

TV

Like her fellow cage-top cat, Lumi, she can be friendly, begging for petting – but the line between “enough” and “too much” is a fine one. It’s one of the reasons we no longer allow young children to visit on Sundays; there are too many visitors who don’t understand that the presence of strangers is a stressor to some of the cats, and who may get swatted for petting a cat like Delilah, because they can’t know how many earlier visitors may have pushed up her stress levels.

BC

On her good days, Delilah does enjoy attention, though she’s not a lap-cat, and not one of the Double-Wide couch crowd. Fellow-blogger Pauline, who is the Double-Wide Ambassador on Sunday afternoons, describes Delilah as the little kid who just learned how to run, but has no etiquette and no sense of boundaries. She will literally stick her face into anyone and anything. She gets away with it because she's young and cute. This week she has taken on a new habit - run up to a human's face and scream. When she's overstimulated, she can lash out without any typical warning signs. I've seen her attempt to bite, scratch, spray, and dash off within 5 minutes. Delilah and Comet clash frequently and they usually end up chasing each other around the catwalks until the chaser loses sight of the runner. On the plus side, she responds to her name and will sit on people... when she wants to. Toys are the easiest way to get her attention and she'll seemingly appear out of nowhere with her eyes locked on the target. 

Vicki offered this video clip of Delilah suddenly deciding that Orlean was the feline target on which to set her sights.

Blog by Brigid Coult, with Pauline Chin

Photos by Pauline Chin, Brigid Coult, Jennine Kariya, Tanisha Vincent, Michele Wright

Video by Vicki Lo