Hunter

Hunter  (KN)

 For many years, people entering the Sanctuary were greeted by a charming long-haired tabby boy, who would bustle over to inspect, claim a lap if one was offered, and gobble any treats.  We lost our Jake about five years ago, but I still have a sense of deja vu when I am met at the gate by Hunter.

Jake - loved and missed  (MW)

Hunter came to us last spring, having been surrendered to RAPS Adoption Centre in March by his owner, due to his extreme aggression towards her. She’d had Hunter since he was a kitten and he was always quite mouthy, however it escalated to the point where he would attack her multiple times throughout the day. Time in the Adoption Centre didn’t work for him;  many cats are stressed by being caged and by close proximity to other cats, and Hunter was transferred to Sanctuary in the summer. 

At least, the Sanctuary cage is roomy - 
but I still don't like it!    (BC)

Once released into the front courtyard, he settled pretty easily. Cats who don’t fare well at the Adoption Centre often do much better with a sense of freedom, and with the ability to find space apart from other cats. Hunter is not shy about interaction with cats; with humans he’s a little more erratic.

Sweet, when he chooses...   (BC)

He’s still quite young and has aspects of less-desirable “teen” behaviour, but our staff think that in fact he is adoptable and trainable – insofar as one is ever able to “train” a cat. We have seen that former (and now part-time) brat Jasper is ready to be challenged by learning little tricks, and keeping his brain busy makes him less brattish. We’ll have to see if that will work with Hunter. 

Some bribes are appreciated (LBF)

Unfortunately, whenever the staff find a potential adopter for him, Hunter decides that he wants nothing to do with people, and goes off to hide somewhere.  He likes who he likes, on his own terms, he’s not interested in an “arranged marriage” and his person will need to be pretty cat-savvy!

Picasso & Hunter  (GA)

Hunter gets on best with his buddy Picasso, and the two of them can often be found in the lobby outside the SingleWide, or chasing and tumbling with each other in the courtyard. He will occasionally play with a wand toy, but seems to like solo play and cat play more than interaction with humans, though he has his favourites. Assistant Manager Valerie can hold and cuddle him like a baby, but he won’t allow that privilege to everyone. 

Cuddles with his favourite person   (VW)

He’s not interested in my bribes, and gives me that slitty-eyed disdainful look that cats can do so effectively, before he turns his back on me and shoots up his leg to wash.  He’s on the “potentially adoptable” list, and can be found sporting a very dashing bandana at weekends when visitors are around – though he’s more likely to tuck himself and his bandana away until the visitors are gone, and dinner is served by the evening volunteers.

Hunter - dressed to appeal  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Graham Akira, Lisa Brill-Friesen, 

Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Valerie Wilson & Michele Wright

Foster to Adopt

Mango will be wearing an "I am adoptable" bandana  (KN)

As its name implies, the RAPS Adoption Centre is the place to go when you’re looking for a cat. Kittens come from fosterage when they’re old enough to get all their immunizations, and both foster-parents and Kitty Comforters have made sure that they’re well socialized.  Other older cats come in – sometimes from trapping strays who then make it clear that they’re tame and home-able; sometimes when someone surrenders a cat because of their own illness or age. There is never a lack of cats looking for a home.

Elvis has his favourite people for cuddles  (LBF)

...which is where the Sanctuary comes in. There have been occasions when the Adoption Centre is just too full, and cats have been transferred into our care.  Some of our older cats – the Pen 2 cats in particular – came to us that way, and just never went back.

Sam loves attention - as long as there are no other cats around  (LBF)

Other cats don’t do very well in the Adoption Centre surroundings – I suspect it’s just too intense for them. They have to be caged at night, and for those that are out during the day, it’s not easy to avoid personality clashes. Sam, Elvis, Mango and many others, all moved to the Sanctuary to give them some relief from a situation in which they demonstrated cage aggression. Many of them are cats that would do really well in a home with space to explore – especially if they were The One and Only Cat.

Cornelius & Holly  (LBF)

A third category of cats is those who have come to us as ferals or semi-ferals, and who have proved to be very friendly and adaptable. The thing with most of these cats is that they’re used to having the run of the Sanctuary, and we can’t always track their bathroom habits. Many cats prefer to use the litter boxes we scoop twice daily – but others prefer the garden, and are not necessarily indoor-adaptable, even when they’re friendly. With some of the shyer cats, we would prefer that they are adopted in pairs, so that they continue to live with another cat they already know.

Dango needs diet-specific living....  (KN)

The last category of adoptables is the cats with a manageable health issue. Our sweet Dango, for instance, throws up bladder crystals and really needs to be on a carefully restricted urinary diet – but that’s difficult to achieve in community living without making him live in a cage. Right now, Dango’s been moved into the Val Jones pen, with a smaller number of cats – and they’re ALL on a urinary diet, whether they need it or not.

FeLV cat Adria is young, playful and sociable (BC)

Cats with FIV or FeLV - feline AIDS or feline leukemia virus - may also be adoptable, though there are more stringent restrictions around care. Cats with FIV can do very well in a home, even with non-FIV cats, as long as there is no fighting among them.  Cats with FeLV can live with other FeLV cats, or alone. Both conditions need more awareness of health-checks and of the cat's immune system, though in both cases, the virus can go into remission.

Sweet old Akiva is really unhappy around other cats (KN)

We’ve always been wary about adopting out Sanctuary cats – there have been bad experiences with former ferals who have reverted when put into new surroundings. But increasingly we’re looking at the more sociable cats and how they react to or bond with a visitor, and asking ourselves whether this might be a possible adoption.  With the Adoption Centre cats, we know that they can go into a new home and settle easily; with the Sanctuary cats we are more cautious. So the focus moves to “Foster-To-Adopt” – an adoption is not confirmed until we know that both cat and adopter are happy, and that the situation is working all round.  In some cases – perhaps with an older cat like Akiva, or one who needs more medical care – it might remain a fostering situation indefinitely.

Tabby Hunter is picky about his human company  (KN)

So, if you come to visit us this summer – Sunday afternoons, starting April 16, and then Saturdays as well from mid-May – do ask the staff about the possible foster-to-adopt cats, and take some time to sit with them and make their acquaintance.  There are many who love life in the Sanctuary – but who would love even more to have a home of their own.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Bandana Boys & Belles

One of the most frequent questions from weekend visitors is about the adoption of Sanctuary cats.

Little John is one of our biggest cats,
and affectionate when you read his signals correctly!

My usual response is that we have four sorts of cats - 
-  we have a lot of ferals who don’t want anything to do with people
-  we have a number of semi-ferals who came in as ferals, and who have tamed up quite considerably
-  we have owner-surrenders – usually “the poopers, the pee-ers and the biters” – cats with bad bathroom habits, or aggressions problems – or the older cats whose owners may have gone into care, or passed away
- we have the cats with health issues: feline leukemia, feline AIDS, plus all the standard cat-problems like kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes and other conditions – all of which require vet-care.

Cute Hunter has just come to us from the 
Adoption Centre  (KN)

So, the official line is that the Sanctuary is the home for non-adoptable cats – and if you want to adopt, you need to go to the Adoption Centre.

But it’s not as easy as that. 

Adopting a seemingly tame semi-feral cat may work well – or it may terrify the cat to be taken away from its home and known community. More than once we have had to go and rescue a cat who hides in an inaccessible corner.  That situation is eased when the cat in question first bonds with the adopting human – which is why some of our adoptions are to volunteers who have first got to know the cat in question. Sometimes it’s a visitor who comes every week, and it’s obvious to staff that the cat has come to trust the person.

Sweet Raymond is FIV+ (in the Val Jones pen)
and polydactyl - look at those toe-beans!  (BC)

Cats surrendered for bad bathroom habits sometimes show no sign of it at all with us, and we have to come to the conclusion that something in the original home was stressing them. Given a home without those stresses, it is possible the cat may adjust well.  The same is true for cats labelled as aggressive – a very calm cat-savvy adopter who doesn’t push the cat for handling or cuddling may end up being a place where that cat will cuddle very happily.  We also have a number of cat-aggressive cats who might do well as the only cat in someone’s home, where there is no feline competition.

Older cats often find it hard to find new homes – when younger cats are available for adoptions (and kittens are SO cute!) cats of 14-years plus are often passed over. Of course, end-of-life is closer – but older cats have so much love to give, and they more than deserve to be pampered and spoiled in their golden years!

Mango was initially aggressive with humans and cats,
but now he feels safe, he has become relaxed and affectionate  (KN)

Then, some cats do not do well in the Adoption Centre environment. Cages are smaller, and cage reactivity/aggression can be a real factor. We have several cats in the Sanctuary who have come to us from the Adoption Centre because we can give them some much-needed space either to use up their energy in exploring, running around, and sometimes making friends, or to hide away – it all depends on the cat and their personality.

Of course, nobody wants to take on a cat when you may end up paying vet-bills. Many of us, however, loving our own long-term cats, have learned to do things at home like giving fluids for kidney disease, or administering insulin to diabetics. And with the AIDS cats, they may carry the virus with only minimal effect on their bodies – even leukemia cats can live good and happy lives when their medical needs are understood. The big issue with both these viruses is not passing them to other cats, and that can mean, for instance, having a leukemia-cats-only household.

That’s where the bandanas come into play.  Visitors for this last month of the summer (September 25 is the last day we’re open to the public) are seeing a few of our cats wandering around wearing dashing bandanas. The bandanas are a signal that the cat in question is potentially adoptable. 

Gizmo is FIV+, but a friendly, affectionate boy (KN)

The yellow/orange patterned ones are for outgoing friendly cats that would likely do great in a home but may have some conditions to their adoption. For example, they may need to be adopted in a pair as they are bonded to another cat. Or maybe they have FIV (feline aids).

The red patterned bandanas are for the adoptable cats that have a spicy side where their cattitude likes to shine through in the form of teeth and claws. From time to time they get over stimulated or their boundaries are crossed and they scratch, bite or both to express their emotions. So potential adopters need to be understanding of this behaviour and be willing to respect the cat’s boundaries.

If there is interest, the Sanctuary Manager can be contacted for more information.

Blog by Brigid Coult, with thanks to Shena Novotny

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson