Sanctuary Black Friday

Black Friday has become the name for the day that follows US Thanksgiving – a day when the concern is less for thanksgiving and more for the bargains to be found in stores. I have a profound lack of interest in the commercial “bargains” to be found on Black Friday, but I love the company of my black feline buddies when I work at the Sanctuary on a Friday morning!

Lancelot is usually found in the papasan chair outside the Single-Wide (MW)

Pretty Layla has one clouded eye, but it doesn't prevent her from leaping from one shelf to another (MW)

Reefer loves to play - preferably with someone else, but if nobody's available, he'll find something to do alone.  (MD)

Cole wants attention, but is a little inclined to swat when he gets it (TV)

Pretty Miss Georgie still tends to hold court in the cage where she first lived - that is, when she's not lurking hopefully near the Single-Wide door. (MW)

Tubby Jay-Z knows all the best places to lounge! (MW)

Belligerent little Celia guards the tea-room from all other cats. (MW)

The sign says "towels only", but Cole doesn't let a little thing like that bother him! (TV)

Tyson is helping to get coffee ready for break-time (TV)

Handsome Rudolph, in Pen 5, is accompanied so often by his girlfriend Salish - just occasionally he needs a little alone-time... (MW)

Gigi and Kermit, in Pen 8, love to play together  (MD)

I think the best bargain of all is to be found in the love found at the Cat Sanctuary – love between cats, between humans and cats, and vice versa.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Tanisha Vincent, Michele Wright

Kermit & Gigi

Kitty Comforter Pauline Chin knows the Double-Wide cats best, but she's also come to know the cats in a more distant corner of the Sanctuary.


Walking past Pen 8, you might notice two smaller black cats.  Kermit is all-black with light green eyes. Gigi is black with a white chest patch and a white bikini patch.  Her eyes have changed from gold to yellow-green.

Gigi - MW

Kermit and Gigi are the youngest arrivals trapped from Rusty’s Towing.  These two are currently over a year old. There’s a high chance they are younger relatives of Magpie, as well as Fable and Eclipse, who hang around the back courtyard.  All sport mostly black coats, round faces, and round eyes.  All are different degrees of semi-feral and prefer to avoid human touch.  But they love food!

Gigi & Kermit - MD

The pair arrived last year and were caged with Fable.  It was a bit of a challenge to interact with all three of them, but Kermit seemed to come around first, then Gigi.  Not so much with Fable, as she was older and far from the kitten socialization window. The wand toy seemed to fascinate them and entice them to paw at it, while staying out of reach from the human.

Magpie -  PH

Once released from the cage, Gigi and Kermit went to Pen 8, along with Magpie.  Fable often sits atop the cages in the double-wide.  And I hear Eclipse retreats beneath the single-wide during the day.

The majority of kitties in Pen 8 are very feral.  Johnny and Smithy welcome humans with loud hisses before running to the back.  Hailey the tabby will sit and stare at a distance.  Entering the shack usually causes the remaining residents to flee.  A walk behind the little house reveals the cat tree where everyone is usually hiding.

Smithy & Splotch - MW

In summer 2017, feral Splotch had a stroke of sorts that caused some paralysis to his back legs, and also made him forget he was feral.  On his return to Pen 8, he became an ambassador for the cats in Pen 8.  With Splotch around, the other cats got their daily cuddles and knew they had a trustworthy friend.  He also piqued their interest by showing them humans weren’t to be feared when he came over to rub against our legs.

Kermit - MW

Kermit, in particular, followed Splotch’s example.  Play with human and earn a treat.  Simple.
Sadly, this past July we lost Splotch.  With his absence, Kermit would come to the gate and look eagerly, eyes full of hope.  “Where is my friend?  No Splotch? I sad.”  Then he would retreat to a corner, lay down with his head on his front paws, and stare off into the distance.  Death seemed to be a new and uncomfortable concept for him.  It’s taken him most of the summer to recover and he no longer runs for the gate… unless he knows you have something good.

Gigi - MW

Today, Gigi and Kermit are still playful kittens at heart.  They love their toys and treats.  If we’re lucky, we may even get to pet them after playtime.  We hope that they’ll become more welcoming with humans.  Since every cat has an individual personality, we can never really predict their future disposition, but we can befriend them along the way.

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Melanie Draper, Phaedra Hardman, Michele Wright

Splotch

Pen 8 at the Sanctuary is one of the feral pens – reserved for the cats who need a sense of security in not having their turf invaded too often by humans (and by other cats). Something about its situation made it particularly susceptible to flooding, and a few years ago our wonderful handyman Doug paved the whole area, and dealt with the drainage problem. It’s sometimes known to volunteers as “the concrete pen”, and in the summer we need to make sure there’s plenty of water and shelter – though, Vancouver being what it is, dealing with rain is a more immediate problem.

Pen 8 - BC

The cats who call it home are not a friendly lot, on the whole; Phaedra is probably the best person to coax them into interaction with humans. There is a bunch of tabby and white cats, who hiss and glare; there is long-haired Smithy and a couple of smaller greys; there is a pair of younger black cats who are beginning to be touchable – and there is Splotch.

Splotch - PH

Splotch has been at the Sanctuary since 2011 and part of this pen group for all that time; most of them came from a colony Carol Reichert trapped at a cement plant. His rather battered features and crumpled ear give the impression that life has not always been easy for him.

Smithy & Splotch - MW

He’s not been as aggressive towards humans as Johnny and Smithy, but it’s interesting to note that he’s obviously been a comfort figure in the group – there have often been other cats gathered around him and head-butting him.

Splotch, Johnny, Smithy - MW

So it was distressing for cats and humans alike when it was reported that Splotch had injured himself some way – he seemed to be unable to stand. The med staff whisked him into care, and the vet reported that it was not so much an injury as some sort of vascular blockage, like a stroke. In any other shelter, he would probably have been euthanized, but not at RAPS!  He was put into one of the upper-level cages near the med-cage, and received lots of attention.  Initially he moved very little, and had to be force-fed; as his mobility increased, select visitors were allowed, and it became obvious that the stroke had affected his behaviour. From being a “look at me and I’ll hiss” feral cat, he became a purr machine for a stroking hand, moving forward to the front of the cage for attention when his particular friends came to see him. Sloppy “soup” food transitioned into regular fare, and treats like chicken and tuna were happily accepted.

Splotch in recovery - BC

It was tempting to keep him in the double-wide trailer, or to allow him to become part of the general population. One back paw was inclined to drag or turn over, and we knew that it would need to be watched. But given his role in Pen 8, it was decided to return him there, and see how he managed.

Gigi cuddling with Splotch - BC

The answer was, on the whole, very well!  He claimed an upper-shelf bed, with a carefully constructed path that allowed him to get down by himself. Though many of the ferals use the cabin, the minute the gate opens they scurry to the back of the pen, so we don’t know what the dynamic is among the cats with the returned exile. Visitors usually find him sharing cabin space with the two little blacks, Gigi and Kermit, and we hope that watching him interacting with us will help to accept attention as well – they are certainly willing to accept treats, though not yet allowing themselves to be hand-fed.

Splotch looking for attention - BC

When I clean there on a Friday morning, Splotch’s head pokes out of his bed when he hears my voice. He’s happy to accept petting, and occasionally comes down to see if I have anything special for him. In the right mood, he will allow himself to be picked up and lap-snuggled.  His stroke has obviously affected his memory of how a feral should behave.  It will be interesting to see whether any of the other cats show willing to have human interaction, on his model.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman, Michele Wright