Miller

After meeting Fiona and Schatze, I was eager to meet their brother, Miller.

Debbie described him to me as still feral and listed "climbing the fence in the courtyard" as a pastime he seems to favor. Leslie added her discovery that while he looks scared, he actually enjoys it when she pets him. He also likes cuddling up with his buddy Morgan.

When Debbie and Leslie found Miller so they could introduce him to me on night, he was busy with his face in a nice big plate of wet food, so I didn't get to see his fence-climbing side or his being petted side. He was so involved in enjoying his dinner that he wasn't even interested in looking up so I could get a picture of him that wouldn't just look like any random tuxedo cat eating.

By the time we finally got his attention, he'd had quite enough of us invading his space and scooted off out the cat door. Leslie had a good laugh seeing me zip out the people door and down the stairs in hot pursuit, but I knew if I let him disappear into the dark courtyard without having gotten more than the briefest glance at his face, I'd never manage to find him again on my own.

Luckily for me, Miller didn't go very far and even let me take a few photos before he'd had enough of me and my camera flash. As for petting, maybe better luck next time.

Schatze

Schatze is the sister of Fiona and Miller. The three were trapped as kittens near the Massey Tunnel.

Schatze was supposed to live in the front courtyard area of the sanctuary but must have objected to the whole perimeter fence thing, as she made it known by escaping that she would prefer to live in the parking lot outside. She was lured back inside at one point, only to zip off out the gate and back into the parking lot when the opportunity presented itself.

Given this history, I didn't hold much hope of getting more than a fleeting photo of her. Recently, though, RAPS staff were obliged to catch and bring Schatze in whether she liked it or not because she was overdue for a check-over by the vet.

When I met her last week, she was in a cage with staff-only access until they managed to get her to the vet. Fortunately, Debbie was on hand to demonstrate a level of cuddleability that comes as a pleasant surprise in a cat who's thus far been so determined not to hang out where she can easily be loved up. Maybe this bit of time where she's obliged to stay put and give into the urge to purr will help change her mind.

Fiona

Fiona came to the RAPS sanctuary as a kitten along with her sister Schatze and brother Miller.

According to Debbie, they were trapped near the Massey Tunnel. People working at a construction site nearby had been feeding them, but felt they would be safer with us. The man who called RAPS about the cats even took the time to come and visit them a couple of times shortly after they'd been moved to the sanctuary.

Fiona is a friendly girl. She introduced herself to me by training her her bright, expectant eyes on me from a countertop in the Connor where I was visiting Shady, Cozy and a few of my other cat friends. My attention successfully captured, she proceeded to treat me to a very nice, very animated cuddle.