Best Buds - Thistle & Fonzie

Thistle and Fonzie are the best of friends. 

Fonzie (KN)

They came to us from different places.  Fonzie was one of a trio of young males who came to us from Grand Forks last winter; we don’t know if they were related, or even if they were trapped together, but they were too feral to be easily tamed, and were sent on to us by the local rescue.  The three were very different in appearance:  tabby and white chonky Flynn, silver tabby Fletcher, and black-and-white Fonzie, whose sideburns gave him his name.  Initially they hung out together in the Double-Wide, on top of the cages, but increasingly we saw Fletcher and Fonzie exploring outside.  The Kitty Comforters earmarked them for special attention, and gradually both boys began responding to attention and to tidbits. Flynn remained indoors, and though he explores outside more now, he is still not ready for contact.

Fonzie playing with Fletcher

Quite suddenly we lost Fletcher. Feral cats know that they can be both hunter and prey, and when they are unwell, they are vulnerable and hide away. Fletcher had an inoperable tumour, and all we could do was to let him go peacefully. Fonzie was lost for awhile without his brother; the two of them had played together in the back pens, and life alone took some adjustment. But he is one of the more social cats, and was ready to go with the flow of Sanctuary life.

Thistle

At some point he encountered Thistle. Thistle had come from Vancouver Island, from Broken Promises rescue and arrived with his “sister” Daisy; Daisy was renamed as Aster (there can only be one Daisy at the Sanctuary!) and the two of them were wary of contact. Aster mostly located to the back deck, but Thistle was an outdoors boy, and enjoyed the freedom of the back courtyard.  He is an elegant dark tabby, and though he hung back for awhile, finally started to allow contact with humans.

Fonzie & Thistle

This fall, Thistle and Fonzie have discovered each other, and become very close. They can be found snuggling together on the seat outside the tea-room – sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with Tyson as a third snuggle-buddy. 

Adding black Tyson to the snuggle

They groom each other, they head-bunt, they wander through the courtyard with tails entwined. We have been saying that Fonzie might be added to the Adoptables list, but I think this is one of those times when we need to be looking for someone who would take the two of them together – adoption can be stressful for a cat (especially a former feral) and these two would take comfort in each other.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson

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

Triple FFFelines

Shy Flynn and Fonzie on the cage-tops  (KN)

Sometimes our new cats come into the Sanctuary and settle down really easily, and sometimes the acclimation period may be extended – and then it’s a matter for much patience on our part, the application of the appropriate bribery, and the cat’s determination to hold (or not!) to their feral roots.

Fletcher discovering the joys of solo play  (KN)

In the late fall of last year we had contact with Boundary Helping Hands rescue in Grand Forks. They had previously trapped a trio of young male cats in the spring, but had no luck in taming them. In some jurisdictions cats like this might be returned to the place from which they had been trapped, but sometimes that’s not possible. RAPS can offer an alternative; a space where they can remain feral if that’s what the cats need, but where potential socialization can happen at a slower pace.  The three of them were transferred to our care, arriving just after Christmas.

Handsome Flynn, considering contact   (BC)

Whoever named them was an Ice and Fire fan – they were Jorah, Corlys and Theon – but whether the RAPS med-staff were not followers of Game of Thrones, or just wanted other alternatives, the trio was renamed as Fletcher, Flynn and Fonzie. Claire suggested that given Theon's end in GofT, it was perhaps not such a bad idea to try an alternative.

Fonzie is happy not to be living a GofT life!  (KN)

The three of them might well not be genetically linked; they are very different in appearance. Fletcher is a beautiful silvery grey tabby – spotted more than striped – with neat lynx-tips to his ears. Flynn is the largest, a handsome brown and white tabby boy. Fonzie is black and white, and was named for his black “sideburns” markings, like the Happy Days character. The two tabbies are around three years old, and Fonzie is a little older.

Fletcher guarding a scared Fonzie   (BC)

The three of them were caged in the DoubleWide for their initial stay – for vet-checks and neutering and vaccines. Flynn, as the biggest, had a cage to himself; he spent much of the time hidden behind his drape, hissing and swearing at us when we visited him.  Fonzie and Fletcher shared the cage next door and obviously took comfort in each other’s company; both were fearful, but not so vocal about it. Fonzie usually elected to climb over Fletcher in order to hide behind him.  Once released, these two boys made their way to the Great Outdoors – they can occasionally be found visiting on the Double-Wide deck with the other semi-ferals, but they are happy to explore the pens.

Fletcher seeking the safety of the DW Deck  (KN)

Fletcher in particular has had a wonderful time exploring mainly in pens 1 & 2, or finding bushes under which he can lurk and keep an eye on whatever’s going on. Initially he was very wary of contact with us, but he has joined the chickaholics crew, and hovers hopefully when tidbits are offered. He is still happier to take food off the floor, but he has dared to nibble from my hand, especially when he thinks I’m not looking at him. He and Fonzie can function independently, but they enjoy each other’s company, and can often be found play-wrestling in the long grass. There is a guarded truce with the other cats.  

Fletcher & Fonzie playing in the grass  (BC)

Fonzie is the most social of the three – he’s not ready for much petting, but allows contact and offers occasional leg-rubs. He likes to divide his time between the DoubleWide and the back courtyard, often coming in to share dinner with the Deck semi-ferals, before returning to be with his buddy.

Flynn observing DoubleWide life   (BC)

Flynn had the biggest struggle with coming to us; he was initially cage-aggressive, but rather than fleeing the cage area on release, he has remained in the DoubleWide, mostly on top of the cages.  Height obviously gives him a sense of security, and he would perch on the edge and watch all that was going on below him.  

Ready for just a little petting...  (BC)

In the last few weeks he has come down to shelf-level and allowed a little tentative contact – not much in the way of touch, but interest in being talked to. He has also occasionally been spotted outside, though his outings don’t yet last very long.

Fonzie enjoying back courtyard exploration  (KN)

I’m looking forward to getting to know these three sweet boys much better. The progress they have made is in small increments so far, but they’ve got all the time they need to decide that in true cat-fashion, they have fallen on their feet with their arrival at the Sanctuary.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Sad to report that we lost Fletcher quite suddenly; cats don't like to show when they're unwell, and by the time he was diagnosed, his cancer was inoperable. Fonzie will miss his brother...