Two Icons

Cinnamon Bun Lincoln (LL)

I try to keep this blog focused on the positive aspects of the Sanctuary, and on the cats that have made new lives for themselves under our care. 

Tugboat when he first came to us (MW)

But some of them have such enormous personalities that there is an equally enormous sense of loss when they leave us.  Many volunteers reading this will know quite a lot about the back-stories of Lincoln and Tugboat, who passed recently – so this blog is mainly for our occasional visitors, or those who know the cats only through the blog.

Lincoln, mid-snooze  (MW)

Lincoln was known as Cinnamon Bun Lincoln for his curly tail – just one of those mutations that we see from time to time – and it made him instantly visible to visitors who would look for the cat with the cinnamon-bun tail. He has been with us for more than 16 years, and was adult when arrived – so he qualified as a SuperSenior. (15 years for a cat is equivalent to around 75 in a human).

Lincoln (MW)

Claire Fossey introduced him early in the life of the NekoBlog (check the link for the full story). The pelvic injury that brought him to us never slowed him down much, though it did cause his run to be more of a rabbit hop. But it never stopped him from going anywhere he wanted.

snuggled by the heater   (GA)

Often, that was to be in someone’s lap; Lincoln had many human friends, and really loved having quiet down-time with them on the DoubleWide couch. He was also well known for expressing his feelings when other cats interrupted his time, or when someone else got to the lap first – to be peed on by Lincoln became a marker of how favoured you were.

with girlfriend Dusty  (JS)

He wasn’t aggressive with other cats, but he wasn’t shy about standing up for himself either – he could scrap with Jasper or Gizmo if he felt it necessary, but he would also allow Dusty to cuddle with him in Waldie’s Hut. Most of the attachment there was on Dusty’s side – Lincoln was tolerant of her presence, but she did all the running! Poor Dusty has lost her third boyfriend - she bonded with Salty, and when he was gone, with Ridley. Though she allows herself to be petted, her first inclination with humans is to hiss, and she really needs cat companionship.

sharing warmth with SaraLee  (LBF)

In his last months Lincoln was battling recurring infections and spent most of his time in the warmth of the Tea-Room, sharing the radiator’s heat with Sara Lee, and having visits with his human friends.

Cuddles with Justin  (JS)

Tugboat came to us in 2010, losing his family to his bad bathroom habits!  When a particular “accident” resulted in damage to precious documents, they reluctantly surrendered him, but remained in touch with his special Sanctuary friend, Debbie. 

Begging the med-staff for treats  (JS)

Tugboat instantly endeared himself to all the staff and volunteers. Always a gentleman, he would beg so sweetly for attention that it was impossible not to stop and make a fuss of him. We wondered if his peeing habit might be mitigated by a home where he was the only cat – but it never happened; many volunteers already have more than one cat, and those who don’t are often in a situation where they can’t have a cat at all. So Tuggy remained with at the Sanctuary.

...all the love...   (KN)

He inherited the mantle of “Welcoming Tuxedo Ambassador” from Oreo Cookie in 2014 and was happy to be fussed over by visitors. As the years progressed he became increasingly arthritic, and was on medication for it. He was also one of the cats who became rather deaf, resulting in a much louder voice, and a “meow” that was more like the bleat of a sheep.

with couch buddies Huey and Colin  (JS)

Tuggy was easygoing with all the cats, but especially with his DoubleWide couch buddies, Colin and Plum. Colin is an empathetic cuddler – he knows who need contact and warmth, and offered it freely to his buddy. Little Manx Plum adored Tugboat, and loved to cuddle with him. Sadly, her Manx Syndrome condition meant that she was often pretty stinky, but Tuggy tolerated it, and we all loved Lisa’s Tuggy-and-Plum sequence of photos.

Tugboat with Plum (KN)

Lincoln and Tugboat were given all the care that would mitigate their advanced-age problems, and deeply loved to the end. They are greatly missed.

cuddles with best friend Debbie

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Graham Akiva, Lisa Brill-Friesen, Leslie Landa, 

Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint, Michele Wright

In Tigger's House

Smithy and Sprocket are best buddies  (KN)

When the Sanctuary was constructed more than 20 years ago, much of it was thanks to the generosity of devoted donors who sponsored the cost of building cabins and pens. As you walk around, you will notice signs memorializing the beloved pets of those donors.

At the south end  (BC)

The back courtyard is structured in an L shape, with one wing reaching east and another to the south. At the south end of the latter wing is a cabin that is labelled as “Tigger’s House – in Memory of Waldie’s favourite cat.”

Waldie & Barb  (DW)

Tigger is long gone now;  Waldie is now in his 90s, and only comes occasionally to visit, but up to a couple of years ago, he held down a regular Saturday night shift at the Sanctuary, scooping the back pens, while his wife Barb fed the cats. The two of them have been devoted Sanctuary supporters since the beginning; Barb is still a regular volunteer. Their home is well known to their neighbourhood cats and they have been responsible for rescue and TNR around there for many years. When Waldie is visiting, he always seeks out Rookie, who they brought to the Sanctuary.

Rookie  (KN)

So “Tigger’s House” is actually known to most of us as “Waldie’s Hut”, and it’s the home base of a number of the shyer cats. Some of them have relocated from Pen 8 next door, when it had to be closed and refurbished for the colony of cats from the Kootenays. Pen 8 had been an open area – most of the cats living there were semi-feral – and the inhabitants were used to the courtyard space. Some, like hissy-Smithy, preferred to stay in the courtyard just outside, hiding out in the collection of boxes and shelves backing on to the SingleWide deck. Others preferred the shelter of a cabin. 

Smithy says "leave me alone!"  (KN)

Smithy’s friend Sprocket can often be found in Waldie’s Hut, high up on a shelf. When outside, he likes the company of his hissy pal, but at night, he prefers his comfort. His brother Rocket, in the New Aids building, has finally accepted attention from humans and enjoys being petted;  Smithy’s touch-me-not attitude has rubbed off on Sprocket. He doesn’t hiss, but he prefers no-contact.

Sprocket is comfortable with wandering - just not with touch  (KN)

Princess, who was featured in the blog a couple of weeks ago, can also be found here. She also prefers no touch, but hovers hopefully if chicken tidbits are offered. 

Princess wanders freely, but likes this hut  (KN)

The real chickaholic in this area is sweet Selena. She was a feral mom who came to us more than 10 years ago, and joined the other tabby/white cats in Pen 8. Now she is aging, and with senility has come the loss of feral-fear – she loves attention (especially when food is on offer), and shoulder-climbs when I am cleaning in the cabin. She also no longer restricts her area, and can often be found visiting around the Tea-Room. Like Sara Lee, she’s starting to look a little raggedy, and lap-climbing is a little painful with her old-lady claws.

Selena waiting hopefully  (BC)

If there’s anyone who has picked up the hiss-habit from Smithy, it’s Magpie. This handsome boy prefers the bed adjacent to the door, which means that he can’t pretend that he’s not there when you enter, and he hisses until eye-contact ceases. He’s not a cat I have even tried to touch, and he’s not really food-motivated – he’s just one of those cats who will probably remain feral.

Magpie is always suspicious  (KN)

There are a few other cats who rotate in and out of the hut, depending on mood and weather. It was a favourite place for Cinnamon Bun Lincoln until a few months ago; now he’s very frail and prefers the comfort of the heater in the Tea-Room. His girlfriend/worshipper Dusty prefers the hut; Dusty is another who hisses early and often, but her hiss is reactive, and she does allow human contact when given time. She is a cat who prefers cat-company; her two earlier boyfriends, Salty and Ridley, have both passed, and she follows Lincoln adoringly – though mostly, he ignores her.

Dusty is a loner when not following Lincoln  (BC)

And let’s not forget the outside of the cabin – there are several of the back courtyard cats who prefer to have their secret cat meetings well out of reach, and have found a way to climb to the roof of Waldie’s Hut. We have to be careful that the fencing above them prevents them from getting onto the roof of the SingleWide. And in the heat of summer days, it can be very hot up there, and occasionally someone needs to climb up and make sure that all is well with the cats.  

Sprocket keeps watch as Quinn chairs the day's cat-meeting  (DW)

Like most of our back-courtyard cabins, Waldie’s Hut is showing its age – these cabins were not designed as long-term structures, and a coat of paint is a temporary fix-it for some of its imperfections. But it’s full of memories – if you close your eyes, Samantha and Eclipse, Chimo and PawPaw, Lucky the Bengal, and many others are still there for the long-term staff and volunteers who loved them.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson & Debbie Wolanski

The Divorce is Called Off

Princess & Spike are back together! - BC

Many people think of cats as solitary creatures – and we certainly have our share of felines who would be perfectly happy if every other cat at the Sanctuary disappeared.  But we also have many cats who are happy to tolerate each other’s company – and even a few who have clearly bonded relationships.

Dusty & Ridley - BC

A quick scan of past blogs will give us an array of Best Feline Friends: Adam & May, Rudolph & Salish, Samantha & Chimo, (Chimo's love, PawPaw, is gone, but he and Samantha are good buddies), Dusty & Ridley.  Some have been bonded for most of their lives with us; others have had bonds with other cats, now passed, and have sought out a new BFF.

Princess & Spike - MW

Spike and Princess have been a “couple” for some years. Though they didn’t arrive from the same place, they could almost always be found sharing a bed in the Double-Wide – preferably somewhere close to the med cage and the possibility of treats.

Princess - LP

And then at some stage in the last few months, they started drifting apart – I noticed it most often when showing visitors around, and finding Spike occupying his regular space, but Princess high up on the cage-tops, or out in the back courtyard.  Various other cats shared Spike’s bed, but Princess seemed to prefer keeping her distance.

Watching the old med-cage door - JN

About six weeks ago, the med-cage (and that’s really all it was – a walk-in cage where the med-staff could track cats and dispense medications) was enlarged to about twice its size by expanding into the space of an adjacent cage and the equivalent corridor.  And it just so happened that this bit of corridor was the home base for Spike, Buddy, Tugboat and half a dozen others.  Of course, there is no lack of available alternate space, but there was a week or so of negotiating feline realty, and of deciding who wanted to base themselves where.  During this period, little smoke-cat Sara Lee had a cage-stay for some dental care, and with her release, all the patterns seemed to change again.

Sara Lee - KN

For years Sara Lee has been my quality control assistant at mealtimes, but now her place has been taken over by Miss Parker, who is much less ladylike (though equally enthusiastic) about getting the first taste. Sara Lee normally hovered on the other side of the laundry room, but I started to find her in the space she had once shared with her friend Kiddie.

SaraLee, with her late friend, Kiddie - DW

 And then, suddenly, there were three – Sara Lee occupying the middle of a basket, and Spike and Princess flanking her.  Couple mediation?  A menage a trois? I don’t know – but the three can often be found together, with the alternate combination being Spike and Princess being lovebirds once again, with Sara Lee in an adjacent bed.

A small bowl - and three loving cats - BC

All our cats are safely spayed and neutered, of course – but, as with humans, loving relationships are less about biology and more about psychology. And these three seem to have found a balance (like Capilano, Walker and Chinook) in which they all have a part to play in making each other happy.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Joanne Nicholson, Karen Nicholson, 

Lisa Parker, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Best Buds - Chimo & PawPaw

Chimo & PawPaw - MW

People who are not cat people will tell you that cats are non-social, aloof – “if you want a friend, get a dog”, they will say... Cat-people know that cats are as varied as people – some are introverts, loving their own company, living life on their own terms – but others enjoy being around both people and other cats.  And nowhere do we see that more clearly than at the Cat Sanctuary.

Snuggling together: Babylon & Presley - MW

We have our share of “typical” cats – the ones I call the Garbo Cats (“I vant to be alone...”) - Leland and Timmy in the front courtyard, Blue,  Jingles and Emery in the back.  But we also have the cat-magnets – our dear departed Mario and Salty never went anywhere without their devoted followers, and Daniel in the front courtyard always has the company of Cloverleaf, Jamie or Figaro

Daniel & Cloverleaf - MW

For some cats, the presence of others is a strain, best expressed in a degree of aggression, and we now have have some of those cats, like Mindy and Spades, in a quieter area, where they will feel less challenged.  But for the most part, the majority of the cats get on very well – and in some places, “get on” goes to a whole new level.

Chimo - MW

Chimo came to us with a reputation for aggression.  His back-story will fill you in on his progress from an aggravating cat who had never learned to play nicely, to a mellow boy who rolls over to invite petting (belly-rubs, though welcomed by implication in his posture, are still too risky).  He has established the north-south wing of the back courtyard as his turf, and generally hangs out in what we call “Waldi’s Hut”, sharing space with other quiet cats: Morticia, Dusty, Quinn, and others who don’t usually welcome human attention.

Chimo - BL

PawPaw was one of the first cats to come to us from the closing shelter on the Sunshine Coast, and was part of the group established in Pen 6. Some of those cats have gone on to adoption through the 5 Road City Shelter, others are still with us. PawPaw has remained with us because he is diabetic, and needs monitoring for insulin.

PawPaw - MW

As the group settled into Sanctuary life, the pen was opened, and some of its inhabitants ventured out. Cats like Blue and Simba, full of confidence, claimed their own spaces; others, like Faith and PawPaw, preferred to stay in Pen 6 on familiar turf. But we can’t afford to keep all the pens as open ones, and with a new group coming in from another shelter, we had to evict the inhabitants in order to prepare the pen for the newcomers. Faith finally settled herself in the TeaRoom. PawPaw moved to the other end of the wing and discovered Waldi’s Hut and Chimo.

These two boys are almost always together. They snuggle and head-butt, and they both enjoy visitors (especially those bearing chicken)

Chimo is perhaps the more generally social of the two (and the more food-motivated), but together on their own shelf they will tune out the presence of Morticia and others, and revel in each other’s company.  Obviously deeply bonded now, they welcome attention from volunteers and visitors in a way that reminds me of the cats in Pen 5 – May and Adam, Rudolph and Salish – the cats that we tend to think of as pairs

Life is better when you have a friend!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Boris Lin and Michele Wright

Mister Valentine

Just as we have what I call the Garbo Cats (here and here), so we also have our share of cats who enjoy each others’ company. Sometime that’s no more than a tendency to stay in the same area; sometimes it’s obviously a family thing. For many years Mr Popularity in the Sanctuary was our beloved Mario, who attracted a large following of ferals who relaxed around him. We lost Mario to cancer a few years ago, and some of his ferals have followed him, most recently, Nellie, who I like to think about as being reunited with him at the Rainbow Bridge.

Couch cats

But Mario’s mantle has fallen to another gentle giant. When Salty came into the Sanctuary, he was deeply bonded with his sister Shelley, but the magic wore off, and the two now live independent lives. Shelley’s a roamer – you’ll find her all over the place. Salty, on the other hand, can usually be found in his favourite place on the double-wide couch, surrounded by a crowd of other cats.

Cinder, Salty & Ridley, Dusty - MW

Salty obviously gives off the pheromone that says “Love me! Trust me!” It’s not quite to the extent Mario had it – with Mario, sometimes everyone wanted to lie on him, and all you’d see of him in the cat-pile was a little orange and white fur at the bottom. Salty likes a little more space around him – but it’s often the same cats who are sharing the couch with him. Cinder is a regular occupant, as is Luigi, and Watson, who was adopted and who we will soon be hearing from, loved his cuddle-buddy.

Watson with Salty - PH

However, the most favoured companions are Ridley, Colin and Dusty. All three are ferals, and all three have become more approachable through their association with Salty.

Holding paws - MW

Ridley can be distinguished among the black cats in the cat-pile by a little patch of white on his chest.

Cuddling in tandem - BC

He’s still a little wary around humans, but with a not-too-full couch, it is possible to sit with the two of them and stroke Ridley without being swatted.

Salty with Colin - MW

Colin’s one of our all-black boys, distinguishable mainly by the elegant lynx-tips to his ears. He has become much more friendly overall; he’s usually underfoot at feeding-time, rising on his back legs to rub against the feeder and make sure he’s not overlooked.

Salty & Dusty snuggles - BC

Dusty and Salty could be mistaken for litter-mates – especially now he’s put on some mid-life weight. She is very wary of human contact – especially when she’s alone – but like Ridley, petting is possible when Salty is around to give her confidence. She follows him around with adoration in her eyes.

Dusty & Salty - BC

Just occasionally, all this togetherness gets to be too much for Salty, and he has to go and sit on the top of a cat tree or in a corner somewhere where nobody else can lie on him.

Salty goes solo - MW

 A little time to himself – and then he heads back to the couch and to his adoring retinue

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman and Michele Wright