July rainbows

Neko, from the Leukemia pen  (KN)

One of the hard things about involvement in the Cat Sanctuary – and I think it has to be particularly hard on the med-staff – is the number of cats we lose through the year. The cat population at the Adoption Centre constantly changes, but it changes because Adoption Centre cats are gone to new homes. The majority of our Sanctuary losses are the cats we lose to age and illness, and it hurts to come in and find that a beloved friend has gone.

Denzel always sat with his paws neatly turned out  (BC)

Often this seems to happen in waves. We had a couple of months earlier in the year when we had only a couple of passings – but this past July has been painful: 12 cats gone in 26 days.  And somehow, to have them cross the rainbow bridge in this lovely weather feels all wrong.  

Jerry, from the Val Jones pen  (KN)

The first to go was sweet battered-looking Jerry in the Val Jones;  Jerry was one of the few FIV cats that showed the effects of the virus; he struggled with skin problems and mouth problems.  But he loved his feline buddies and his human friends, and was never happier than when having cuddles. Three days later we lost Neko from the Leukemia pen, and Denzel from the DW deck. Handsome Neko had been a very spooked feral for some time after coming to us, spending most of his time in the overhead walkways, but in the last couple of years his reserve had thawed, and he came down to enjoy petting from staff and volunteers.  Denzel was the last cat trapped at the old 5 Road shelter, before RAPS left it for demolition and rebuilding; he was a good buddy of Luke and Bodhi, and of Hamlet, now gone – the three tuxedos formed the core of what Daphne called the Mafia cats in the Catsino - and Denzel was the honorary consigliere.

from the gremlin Autumn was when she first arrived....

to the flirt who loved everyone   (KN)

The following day, sweet Autumn crossed the bridge. Autumn had been with us since 2012 when she arrived with her kittens; the angry hissy girl of those early days turned into a floofy flirt who enjoyed nothing better than human attention. She’d had mouth problems for at least the last year, and a lot of cage time while the vets tried to sort out what what happening with her.

Chumley, lounging in Pen 1 (MW)

Paula, exploring outside Pen 2   (MW)

A surprise passing was Juliette, one of the cats from what we call the Newton hoard. Most of that colony is doing well, but one of our concerns with them is how inbred they likely are, and it’s probable that Juliet was carrying a genetic timebomb.   Three days later, we lost four cats in a single day.  Two of them were seniors: Chumley (kidney disease) had been with us 14 years, and Paula (cancer) for a bit less; she was one of the Pen 2 cats who came to us in 2016. As we lost the older cats from that colony, Paula stepped up to become quite the bossyboots, changing from a hide-away girl to one who roamed the courtyard.  Lloyd in Pen 4 has gone to be with his beloved buddy Len across the Bridge, and with him was one of the Hotel cats from the past winter's trapping;  we never really got to know Kimpton well, and he was not a happy Sanctuary dweller, unlike his companions Westin and Wyndham.

Higgins, in the DoubleWide  (KN)

The following week, sweet Higgins passed;  he came to us as a battered boy, and he never really recovered his health, constantly struggling with skin conditions – possibly an auto-immune situation. He rarely ventured outside, making his home in the Double Wide, where there were always people around to make much of him;  he was pretty wary of other cats.|

Would there be any chicken for me?  (KN)

Two more shocks – little Nova, from the SingleWide, was gone at the weekend; Nova had arrived with her kittens, and been a very ferocious mama until they went for adoption;  once they were gone she settled into Sanctuary living, becoming a chickaholic and a happy dancer. The SingleWide seems very empty without her determined begging!  And sweet semi-feral Fletcher, who came to us with his buddies Fonzie and Flynn, had been hiding away and losing weight; both of them had cancer.  Fletcher had been learning that humans were not so bad, but the feral instinct is not to show weakness and by the time he was seen, it was too late.

We had all too little time with Fletcher   (BC)

So July was a pretty brutal month – and all that on top of losing Willow, Charlotte, Sylar, Flash, Marble and Adam in June. Four of those were seniors, and anticipated – the loss is never welcome, but the passing of senior cats has to be accompanied by gratitude for their long lives with us, and for all the love that was shared with them. And even for the relative newcomers like Juliette, Fletcher and Kimpton, we take comfort in knowing that their time with us was lived in safety, and with much love and care from staff and volunteers. Rainbows at the Bridge mean there was rain, and tears – but their light was so beautiful... 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

The Family

Zoey & Basil  (LBF)

You would think that in a Sanctuary for unadoptable cats, most of them would be unrelated to each other. Cats, after all, have a reputation for being loners. And while that may be accurate enough for many of our furry friends, we have always had cats in our care who are in fact family, or who have bonded to become family of choice.

Percival & SweetPea  (LBF)

Currently there are three colonies that are genetically “family”. Our newest group, introduced last year, are from the Kootenays, and there’s no denying the relationships between them.  Having come into our care as a very scared bunch, they are becoming increasingly social, and hurry to the gate for attention when their pen is approached. They’re not “tame” yet, but SweetPea is enjoying petting and even occasional lap-time, and many of the others are sufficiently food-motivated that touch is not far off.

Together is good  (LBF)

The cats in Pen 6 came to us from Sammy’s Forgotten Felines in Kamloops, back in 2021. As with the Kootenay cats, there is a strong family resemblance among them, and they like to be together, emerging from their pen like a shoal of goldfish. Of them all, only big Persimmon and pretty grey Chamomile are enthusiastic about human attention; by the others we’re accepted as a necessary evil, but one that does at least bring food on occasion.

Lucius, Shimmer & Sherbet  (LBF)

The biggest influx of cats at one time was the group that came from a hoarding situation in Alberta the same summer, and which has taken over Pen 3. Visually, they are less “family” than the other two groups, and there is definitely a variety of genetics at play, but there are also similarities in appearance.

Baker & Jenkins (LBF)

Jenkins and Baker are tuxedo near-twins, Holly and Reinhardt have identical pale green eyes; Cornelius’s short legs can also be seen in Dior and Jason.

Cornelius making up to Mercury  (LBF)

Cornelius is a social butterfly, and ready to be friends with everyone. He’s closest to his own colony, but he also snuggles with Cadbury, in the adjacent pen, and has an orange-boy-bonding with shy Mercury, who hangs out in the back of pens 1 & 2. Mercury tends to be a loner, so it makes us all happy to see him with Cornelius.

Juno, Atlas & Mercury  (LBF)

Mercury is also a family cat; he was part of a group of more than 60 cats and kittens trapped not too far away when someone’s feeding of feral cats got out of hand. His remaining family, Atlas, Juno and Nyx, hang out in the same area; they like treats enough to come running when chicken is offered, but they are not so keen on physical contact with humans. 

The family stare  (LBF)

The other group that comes to mind when I think “family” is mostly unrelated to each other. And to be honest, I think about them as The Family because fellow volunteer Daphne calls that back deck area of the Double Wide “the Red Light district” (for the heat lamp), and “The Catsino” with its inhabitants “the Mafia cats”. Tuxedos Hamlet, Luke and Bodhi (with occasional visits from Pancake) tend to be front and centre, with support from consigliere Denzel. But the metaphor loses power when the inscrutable stares give way to purring demands for attention and tidbits.

Best buds - Luke, Bodhi, Guthrie  (KN)

Many of our cats prefer to live in groups, whether blood-bonded, or just by affection. We love that Sanctuary life can offer them this option, and yet allow those who chose to be loners to live as feels most comfortable for them .

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Karen Nicholson

Crinkle

 Meet Crinkle.

Crinkle  (KN)

We don’t always know where the names of cats who come into our care come from – but there’s no question with this girl – her left ear is crinkled, and sometimes turns back on itself, displaying a good showing of fuzzy ear-hair. It may be a birth thing, or something like the haematoma ears that Bossanova and Little Orange have – but it’s enough that it makes her easily identifiable, and more than just yet another little tabby!

Crinkle mooches with the best  (BC)

Crinkle came to us from the Kamloops area; she was gathered in by Sammy’s Forgotten Felines, who do a stellar job with minimal resources, rescuing and rehoming feral colonies. I wrote about them briefly last May, when I introduced Len and Lloyd in Pen 4; what I didn’t realize was that Crinkle had arrived from the same colony, though a little later. It's pretty obvious that they're likely related.

Lloyd & Len  (LBF)

But there was a hitch; all cats coming in to us are tested for both FIV and FeLV – and Crinkle tested positive for the latter, and was sent to the Leukemia House to join the other cats there. She settled quite well, buddying up with equally shy Pewter (who came with her from Kamloops).  But when we heard that her kittens had all tested negative at six months old, the med staff suspected that her test might have been a false positive, and Crinkle was taken away from the leukemia area and brought to the Double Wide trailer, where she tested negative, and spent the next three months in quarantine in one of the large cages, before the final SNAP test confirmed her leukemia-negative in spring. 

Crinkle snuggling with sidekick Pewter  (LBF)

So where to put her? She could have gone to Len and Lloyd in Pen 4, but she’s not as feral as they are, and was used to humans around her, having had daily visits from the med staff and then from volunteers.  Catherine put her in a transfer cage out on the back deck, which gave her the chance to smell the inhabitants there, and to be investigated in return – and once released, she settled down very well with all the other tabbies.  Occasionally she would investigate outside, but as the weather has become colder, indoors is the place to be, negotiating for space on the mattress under the heat lamp.

Crinkle & Sooke, begging for chicken  (BC)

Crinkle has also joined the “gimme chicken” group.  The dominant males – Denzel, Hamlet, Luke and Bodhi, have already decided that they’re up for treats, and Pancake hurries through to join in begging. But the littles are not going to be overlooked. Fargo is getting ever braver about coming forward to ask; little Sooke dashes down to be in position on the floor, and Crinkle is getting closer and closer on the shelf by the stairs. She’s not ready to be petted yet, and her version of “taking food” is to smack it out of your hand, but she’s less afraid, and her appetite will bring her to us in the end!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

The Great Escape

Well, strictly speaking, it wasn’t an escape (or it was one carefully planned by the staff.)  But the cats think it was an escape.

Mitzi musing on the outdoor experience  (KN)

Visitors to the Double-Wide will find there are several barriers to access. The main door is quite heavy – but there’s a cat-door carefully situated there for the times when there’s no human to be butler.  The door between the laundry room and the main room is very light, and there’s a cutout in the frame at the bottom. Many cats have learned how to open the door from either side, and the cutout prevents any tails from getting caught. And then between the main room and the deck, there’s another door – and once again, a cat-flap allows access.

Loki learning to manage the door  (KN)

For years the cats who have gravitated to the back deck have been the shyest ones, the ones who are wary of humans, even when out of reach. In this safe space, some of them have learned that we’re not so bad – but they are still wary about moving out of their space and braving what must look like an obstacle course. And to be honest, that’s what it is – the laundry room door in particular is a real barrier to a very shy or feral cat, and often that’s a good thing, since the cat spends more time where we can keep an eye on it.

Ringo hovering by the deck door   (BC)

Ringo is typical of this sort of cat.  He spent most of his first year tucked into a Back Deck corner as high up and out of the way as he could manage. He froze around humans, and floor level was not comfortable for him.  Then gradually we found he was making his way into the main room, mostly at times when there were very few people around. He was learning that not only humans, but also other cats meant him no harm.  Eventually he made his way through the building, probably managing the laundry room door when another cat went through. He established himself outside the DoubleWide door, making little forays to explore.  These days he spends most of his time out in the back pens, either sleeping in the gardens or following his buddy Zivko around. 

Ringo relaxed in the garden (MW)

However, very few of the other Deck cats seemed to want to follow him. Finally this summer it was decided that we needed another cat-door, and one was cut into the emergency exit that opens onto the passageway by Pen 1.  It didn’t take much to have a general exodus. There were a couple of early panics when someone made their way into Pen 1 and then couldn’t find the gate to return – but once that was solved, there was quite a lot of visiting.

Hickory returning from an exploration (KN)

Hickory was the most ready to explore beyond the immediate vicinity.  But he also appreciated a comfy bed at the top of the stairs.

Hickory just outside the cat-door  (KN)

Bubbles prefers to stay fairly close to the door for now – but he enjoys being a sun-worshipper.

Bubbles  (KN)

Denzel too is not venturing far yet – but you can see from his happy tail that he’s good with the change.

Denzel  (KN)

Ziggy took her time – but a nice comfy chair was too good to pass up!

Ziggy  (KN)

Ursula is remembering her outside life as a feral kitten – and we hope she's preferring what she has now.

Ursula (KN)

And, astonishingly, Kin, who prefers to hide, (see the blog of two weeks ago) also braved the cat-door and found a little patch of green where he could sit and think.

Kin, out in the big wide world  (KN)

There are still a few who’ve not poked their heads through the door – but we all know about curiosity and cats – and there’s lots in the back courtyard for them to be curious about!  Watch for updates...

Blog by Brigid Coult
Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Big, Black & Beautiful

 Not long ago we opened Pen 6 to allow all the “god” cats – (Aphrodite, Atlas, Juno, Athena, Mercury) – to explore a bigger world. Many of them have relocated to Pen 1, but I now find there are lots of little black cats in the back courtyard that I find hard to identify quickly.

No, you may not have this chair! - MW

There’s never any problem in identifying Cole! He’s probably among the largest of the cats – and I mean large in length and leg, not in tubbiness. He came to us a few years ago with a pretty uncertain temperament and I blogged about him in February 2019.  

Soaking up the sun - KN

He’s become a much more mellow cat in the intervening couple of years. He is still largely a loner, and it is beneath him to interact with the other cats, though he’s not aggressive like Jasper or Gizmo – he just ignores them.  He still claims the clean laundry shelves as his favourite bedding, and we continue to work around him there.

Towels are the best bed - KN

Occasionally he can be found at the entrance gate, but now it’s less about gate-busting, and more about soliciting attention. There is a lot of leg-rubbing and he will quite often put his paws up and ask to be lifted.  Carrying Cole around is no light weight, and I prefer to sit with him in the breezeway, and allow him to do face-rubs – something I wouldn’t have tried two years ago. He is active in his attention – he not a cat who collapses on the lap and relaxes – when he’s finished head-bonks and rubs, he lets you know, and is off to find his laundry-corner.

Let me be...   MW

His title as Big Black Cat is challenged by another boy on the Double-Wide Deck. Denzel is a relative newcomer, arriving from the City Shelter before it closed. 

Top step is a favourite seat - LBF

It is possible that he was just dumped off in the parking lot there – we don’t know just when he arrived. He hung around for a good while, but didn’t allow himself to be trapped, so the staff made sure he had food and kept an eye on him.  Finally something tempted him too much, and the trap did its work. He came to the Sanctuary, and joined the semi-feral boys in the “red light area” at the back of the Double-Wide trailer.

Staying out of reach - LBF

Initially Denzel was very wary – staying out of reach or hiding behind the big mattress. But gradually he came to realize that nobody was out to hurt him, and that other cats were coming to us for petting and treats. He became braver, though he’s not ventured into lap-sitting, and he holds back when Chester claims the lap – Chester can be aggressive, and Denzel’s not about to challenge him. 

Handsome - and he knows it - BC

He's an active boy - it's not always easy to get pictures of him, because he won't keep still!  He still prefers to stay at platform level rather than at the floor, but he loves when people come and sit there with him and Hamlet, who also loves attention. Like Cole, he is a big solid boy, and he is a champion head-bonker; when Denzel tells you he loves you, you really feel it!  

Exploring at floor level - KN

In spite of his initial wary behaviour, it’s likely that he was a stray (or a dumped cat) rather than a feral; he has certainly grown to be a people cat, and though he’s not ventured through the building to the courtyard, his preference for the indoor surroundings may make him a more adoptable cat in the long run.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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