Elvis Is In The Sanctuary

Elvis (KN)

We have a new heartthrob at the RAPS Cat Sanctuary – a big chunky tabby boy who takes “Love Me Tender” very seriously as his motto!

Elvis still a little worried - "who are you,
and what am I doing here...?"   (BC)

Elvis came to us from Bella Bella, in the Central Coast region of BC – he was discovered on the street, possibly having been hit by a car.  Luckily, the local rescue didn’t dismiss him as un-helpable, and he was shipped to Port Hardy for treatment. They in turn decided that he needed more than they could do, and he was relayed down-island by their staff and ours, and came into our care. He needed some TLC, being pretty stressed from his journey, but once he realised he was in a safe place he calmed down a lot. 

Elvis  (KN)

The hospital found he had several wounds from fighting – not surprising because he was an unneutered male. Following surgery (and a fair bit of dental work) he was moved to the Sanctuary. They think he’s between 3 and 4 years old. He has one slightly droopy eye and one slightly droopy ear that leave you with the impression that he's looking sideways and saying, "Seriously...?"

Very comfortable...   (LBF)

Now that Elvis is fully recovered, we can see that he’s a big sturdy boy who has calmly taken the line of least resistance and settled down in his new surroundings.  He was not happy with cage-living at the Adoption Centre, and anything involving a carrier means a battle, and bloodshed. He was wary of us at first, but quickly discovered that humans came with pettings and tasty treats. In good weather, he can be found wandering in the back courtyard, but he has discovered that his new Richmond home is cosy-warm in the winter and he has happily taken to snoozing on the Double-Wide couch – and when that’s too crowded with other cats, he will drape himself anywhere nearby.

No room on the couch, so I'll 
sleep on the steps....   (KN)

Some tomcats find it hard to break the habits of being dominating and aggressive even when neutered, but with testosterone out of the picture, Elvis is getting on well with the other cats, and not creating any problems. Last week I was visiting with the Alberta cats in Pen 3, and getting to know Puddin’ (mentioned last week as Strike’s former housemate);  Puddin’ has decided that he likes these guys, and has largely moved in with them. 

Puddin' making himself at home  (BC)

Elvis came to visit while I was there, and there was a lot of nose-bumping and comfortable socializing until he decided that he wanted to come up on my lap. Before I knew where I was, he had his paws up and round my neck, and I was getting the sort of hug I used to get from our late beloved Emery!  With Emery there was always the edge of desperation about his hugs; Elvis does hugs (and kisses) with total assurance that this is what you want as well! He adores attention, and his rumble of pleasure can be felt.

Such a love-bug!  (BC)

Right now, the Adoption Centre is very much taken over by the younger generation! - late-season kittens are melting everyone’s hearts, and until they’re adopted, the older cats need to live in the Sanctuary where they have room, rather than in the confined cage-space of the Adoption Centre. But some of our newer ones are certainly adoptable, and we hope that cats like Elvis will eventually have a chance at finding a new home of their own. Till then “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With Him”

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Oliver: Cuddle-monster

Oliver is the Sanctuary cuddle-champion!

Oliver explores the cats' play-tunnel - KN

We have a number of cuddly cats – often thanks to the work of the team of Kitty Comforters, who focus their attention on the caged, or shy, or newer cats.

Fido makes an acceptable cuddle-buddy - KN

Some cats, of course have come to us because they are NOT cuddly – Eli, Jobie, and many others are beautiful to look at, and occasionally allow themselves to be petted, but they’re not lap-cats, and they object to being picked up and fussed over if they’re not in the mood.  And when their objection gets labelled as “aggression”, they end up with us.
Oliver is very much a people boy, and loves to be picked up and held. His problem is that he suffers from feline herpes virus.

There were so many people to snuggle at the volunteer party! - DW

The most common virus, as we humans know, is probably the cold. And the more people you have together, the more a cold gets passed around.  Mostly it runs its course, and the body recovers; sometimes we fight through it; sometimes we curl up and sleep it off.  It’s the same for cats – the various cold germs that inevitably float around will affect cats from time to time. Mostly they have minimal effect; occasionally a cat will be snotty-nosed or congested enough that a period in a cage for treatment is recommended.

Oliver loves being outside - TV

Sometimes the cold stays in the cat’s system – sweet Tibet is often sneezy; Ridley has to be watched for recurring congestion. Some of them may carry this feline herpes virus, but for them the effects are minimal. In extreme cases, the eyes are also affected, with lesions in and around the eyes, and eye ulcers. These viruses are specific to cats – humans are not affected by them.

Enjoying the sunshine - DJ
(the lesions round his eyes are very apparent in this photo)

We understand that Oliver contracted herpes virus in utero; we have no knowledge about the rest of his litter-mates, but he has been under care since being a kitten. His eyes are severely affected, and his vision impaired, though not enough to prevent him getting around easily. During his initial cage-period with us he constantly called for someone to come and sit with him, and give him some fussing.  Not long after release, some dental work was needed, and much to his annoyance, he had another cage-stay.

Open the gate right NOW, and cuddle me!   TV

Now Oliver’s out and about again.  If things are busy, he’ll find a corner where he can curl up till someone can pay him attention; as soon as a lap’s available, he’s ready to be held – he prefers the upright posture against a shoulder where he can nuzzle into a neck or into hair.  Flare-ups of the virus can be provoked by stress, but now Oliver’s assimilated himself into the feline population, he seems to be doing very well.

Snuggles with med-staff Louise - LL

Oliver would be at his best in an only-cat home (or one with another herpes virus cat) where he could get lots of attention, but where his humans were aware of his health issues. Ideally, cats with herpes virus shouldn’t be around other cats – it’s not as dangerous as the feline leukemia virus, but for cats with a compromised immune system, any infection is a bad idea. But we’re simply not able to cage all the virus-carrying cats in the Sanctuary; we rely on staff and volunteer awareness about washing hands and bedding, and on the fact that so many of those cats wander freely outside in the courtyard and the back pens.

Oliver loves to snuggle into Kitty Comforter Chris's beard! - VL

Oliver is the sweetest most affectionate boy ever at the Sanctuary, and joins Emery in being a cat whose cuddles give as much comfort as he gets.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Daphne Jorgenson, Leslie Landa, Vicki Lo, 

Karen Nicholson, Tanisha Vincent, Debbie Wolanski

February 2020 - I am happy to report that Oliver has been adopted by the parents of one of our volunteers. They know that he will always need a little more care, but that it's more than balanced by all the love he will give!

Up Is Best

Emery surveys the world - PH

As all good cat-owners know, one of the keys to a happy cat-home is offering your cat a choice of levels on which to rest. Whether that means clearing shelves, installing steps on a wall, or just bringing in a good-sized cat tree, your cat will probably enjoy being above ground-level. For many cats, climbing behaviour is instinctive – it gives them a vantage point to watch for potential danger, and often offers a warmer place to rest.

Towels are warm - so Cole ignores the sign - TV

At the Sanctuary, it’s also one of the means of keeping the peace – cats who might not get on with each other can find different levels on which to co-exist, and the feral cats, in particular, like to stay well out of the way.

Even our handicapped Terry likes to go climbing - MD

All the space is set up with this in mind. In each of the main areas, cages are built with an extensive cage-top surface, well-equipped with bedding – and part of the morning clean-up involves volunteers and staff climbing up to check and change bedding as necessary. Every area has at least one cat-tree – often more than one – and we are most grateful to the donors who bring new ones in. Uninhabited cages are left open and provided with boxes and beds so that shyer cats have upper levels where they can hide.

Comet ready to launch from one cage-top to another - MW

In both the Double and Single-Wide, runs are set up around the room so that cats can choose to stay off the ground if they prefer. Some of the more feral ones may rarely venture down; food and water, litter-boxes and bedding are all within their reach.

exploring on the gazebo roof - BC

When the gazebo was installed in the front courtyard, it didn’t take long before some adventurous souls made their way up through the central lantern and onto the roof; that access has now been blocked

KitKat likes to be on a shoulder - TV

Some cats don’t wait for shelves or cat-trees – KitKat is one of our gate-greeters, and is quite ready to do a vertical take-off to land on an unsuspecting shoulder; she likes to be higher up than all the humans around her. If someone taller comes into range, she’s quite ready to transfer to the higher vantage point.

Skittles loves to show off on his shelf - MW

In all the pens at the back, the cabins contain several sets of shelves, well-equipped with bedding, so that cats can choose their preferred level. And out in the open there are also places where they can climb, and look out over the area with a greater sense of security.

Magnus, Duke and Max sunning outside New Aids - KN

One of the other functions of a cat-tree, of course, is to offer a surface for scratching – both to exercise the claws and to give the cat a chance to stretch their leg and back muscles. In many places around the Sanctuary untreated wood is used for stair and door posts, and there are a few places where there are signs that it will soon need to be replaced.

Albi gets in a good scratch - MW

The best scratching post, of course, is the tree in the back courtyard, and it is well-used both for that purpose and as a vantage-point by a variety of cats.

For a big cat, Leo is an agile climber - MW

Yma feels safer up high - MW

Pico loves to explore heights - MW

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Phaedra Hardman,
Tanisha Vincent, Michele Wright

Nicknames

My “new” (recently adopted) old girl rejoices in the name of Madame Hooch (the flying instructor at Hogwarts); it was a name given by her late family, and I wasn’t about to change it.

This is Madame Hooch's "begging" face - MD

But I find myself also calling her Madame Mooch (for her begging habits), Mrs Mumbles (for her tortie grumbling) and Pixie-Cat (for her cute little face) – and it left me thinking about our other Sanctuary cats, and which ones have also acquired nicknames to suit their personalities or situations.

Ollie likes to be up high - LP

Many of them are affectionate diminuitives – I hear JayZ being referred to as BabyJay – or extensions – Ollie is often OllieOllieOllie.  Sometimes they’re particular to one person; Mel calls Skittles in Pen 6  “Forest” - he reminds her of a Norwegian forest cat.

Big and fluffy - that's our Skittles - KN

I call him Mr Big, after the candy bar, because for a long time, the Candy Cats didn’t have individual names, but he was definitely the biggest boy in there. Anne calls one of our little Manxes “Plum Pudding”

Miss Kitty is a suspicious old lady....  TV

Our Sanctuary Manager shares her office with three senior girls who have problems getting along with other cats (they also have problems getting along with each other, but they’ve mostly been able to work out some sort of territorial agreement). Their names are Tammy, Kitty and Mindy, but they’re collectively known as The Cranky Old Ladies (though I call them the Weird Sisters)

Celia looking for someone to slap    MW

One of the little black cats in the Tea-Room is Celia. She is one of several who dislikes the company of other cats, and rejoices in the nickname of “Slappy” for her bad habit of batting other cats out of her vicinity.

If Louise is not around, Horatio's next best thing is sleeping - MW

Tubby orange Horatio worships Med Staff Louise. Mostly, it’s reciprocated, except when he’s being a brat, slipping into cages where he’s not welcome, or mountaineering up people’s legs instead of jumping into  a lap. Then, he becomes Horror Show!

MW

Everybody knows Honey Bear of the beautiful blue eyes.  Now that it’s colder outside, he’s spending more time visiting in the DoubleWide.  Anyone sitting on the couch quickly discovers why Louise refers to him as The Scarf.

Emery says "Protect me!" - ML

The Hug-Bug, of course, is Emery – he hides away from the other cats, but when he sees one of “his” humans, he quickly positions himself to climb up and be held;  eyes closed, (so he can’t see any other felines), he butts his head under your chin, and if he’s feeling particularly needy, his paws go round your neck.
The quirkiest nickname I've come across belongs to black-and-white Kirstie in the SingleWide - our handyman Doug calls her FIFA, because he says her back looks like a soccer ball!

Most of my Kirstie pictures are of her on her back, being cute.
This was the nearest I could find to her fabled ball-pose.   -  MW

CB Lincoln is so named for his Cinnamon Bun-shaped tail, and to distinguish him from Handsome Lincoln. Shadrack is Mister Chickoholic for his favourite food. I'm sure there are others out there....
If you're a Sanctuary volunteer or visitor, do you have a descriptive nickname for a favourite cat?

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Moira Langley, Karen Nicholson, Lisa Parker, 

Tanisha Vincent, Michele Wright

....

Hold Me!

We tend to think of cats as being aloof and detached, and of dogs as being more needy – Emery has his moments of detachment, but he also has moments of extreme neediness!

MW

This elegant-looking tabby manx boy has been with us for more than five years now. And in that five years, not much has changed. He still hates other cats – though perhaps less hates them than avoids them.  He still pees wherever he feels like it, no matter how many litter boxes are more convenient. But at the same time as he indulges in all this antisocial behaviour, he’s a very needy cat, and has discovered how many of the volunteers will indulge him.

CP

Few cats ask to be held;  there are many who will happily jump on a lap when it’s offered, and settle down for a stroking session, but actually being held is not so popular. KitKat will jump on a shoulder, but she wants the freedom to jump off again. A few of our “Garbo” cats look for a Sunday visitor to snuggle them – Tigger, Timmy and Leland are all cats who look for visitors like Ronald and Sadie to offer them a blanket and half an hour of quiet attention.

If you won't hold me, I'll at least hold your feet! - BC

But Emery waits till his favourite people appear and hovers anxiously, reaching out an eager paw, until you get close enough for him to climb across to you. A lap is not enough – if there’s a lap, there are also other cats. Emery wants to have you all to himself, and he wants to be held while you stand upright. His paws reach around your neck, his head butts in under your chin, a cold wet nose is tight against your neck – and he’s in heaven. I have to admit that my heart melts when he does that, and I will often interrupt the changing of water-bowls or the doling out of more dried food to give him the cuddles he needs so much.

Emery loves hugs with Michele

We think there’s probably some Bengal in Emery’s ancestry; his long muscular back legs enable him to launch himself to the roof of the breezeway cupboard that holds canned food, from where he has his solitary view over the proceedings. Unlike Hannah (now adopted), who used to take a flying leap from there onto the shoulder of an unsuspecting passing visitor, Emery waits till the shoulder is offered, and steps down carefully. In some of the beds he chooses, his long legs obviously don’t quite fit, and they sometimes stick out at odd angles, or in what I call his Supercat Pose.

CP

Let Sleeping Cats Lie, is his motto; he does have some favourite beds within reach, but he doesn’t like to be disturbed, unless you are one of his Special People. He’s not really food-motivated, like so many of the others – what he wants is affection (and being out of sight of other cats). I am sure that part of his favourite snuggled-against-the-neck pose is to shut out the view of all those other cats – on the ostrich principle, if he can’t see them, they’re not there.

ML

His other love is a very Bengal trait – he adores running water from the tap, and waits anxiously till the sink is empty of cans, and the tap is flowing to refresh water-bowls.  Ignoring wet feet, he laps from the tap, and like our much-loved departed Bengal Lucky, he can spend twenty minutes in the sink waiting for the tap to be turned on again.

BC

But nothing beats a real hug, and he waits anxiously to see when his next Chosen Hugger will come within reach.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Moira Langley, Chris Peters,  Michele Wright

Ears!

A few months ago I blogged about the variety we find in cats’ eyes, and I’ve been looking round the Sanctuary at the similar variety found in feline ears.

The primary differential is whether the basic shape is rounded or more pointed. There are a lot of rounded ears to be seen, and the proportion of ear to skull shape can make that more or less obvious.

Careen - MW

Other ears are more pointed, and in many cases, the point is emphasized by a little tuft of hair at the apex – a lynx-tip.  Sometimes the tuft is the same colour as the cat, which enhances the point;

Chatter & Colin (MW)

in others, the lynx-tip provides colour-contrast.

Emery (MW) & Faline (BC)

Ears are a part of body-language; we all recognize the flattened airplane-ears of a fearful or angry cat

Ringo  (BC) and Janine (MW) in hiding

Presley  (AL)

though in some cases flattened ears are just the way that cat is made

Emo Pickles relaxed & happy (PH)

When doing TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) it is common to notch or snip the ear of a neutered cat so that it is clear that it doesn’t need to be trapped again when the colony is checked.  Most of our cats have unmarked ears because they come to us from having been spayed/neutered.  Little Marilee is one of the exceptions; when she was first TNR’d she was returned to her colony with the common clipped ear; it was only when her tail became injured and had to be amputated that it was decided that she needed to remain with us rather than return to her colony.

Marilee (MW)

Haematoma ear is seen in a number of cats. An infection or a bruise can cause painful swelling between the skin and cartilage of the ear. Untreated, it fills with blood and then easily bursts, causing the ear to crumple. If it can be caught early enough, it is possible to minimize the damage.

Little Orange (MW)

Little Orange’s ear swelling was discovered early enough that just the top of the ear flap was affected. He was not the most cooperative of patients!

Bossanova (MW)

Bossanova came to us as a feral with his ear already well crumpled. Left to itself the haematoma will heal, but unevenly, leaving the feline equivalent of a “cauliflower ear”

Cara (CF)

Long-time volunteers will remember double-haematoma cat Cara, who had both ears affected – it never seemed to bother her!

Especially among the formerly unneutered male cats (many of them inhabitants of the New Aids pen) we see evidence of a life that involved fighting for their lives – and battered ears are definitely a common casualty.

Sweet battered Zimmer  (MW)

It is interesting that ear-hair, something that is SO aesthetically displeasing in humans, can be so pretty in cats.
Here are some of our feather-iest ears!

OJ  (MW)

Holland (MW)

Princess Diva (MW)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Claire Fossey, Phaedra Hardman, 
Ari Lioznyansky, Michele Wright