DoubleWide Divas - Act 1

JJ - looking remarkably like the Dowager, in Downton Abbey (KN)

The DoubleWide trailer is the practical HQ for the Sanctuary, being the centre of the med-staff’s activities and one of the two laundry areas.  On Saturdays and Sundays, when we have visitors on site, the DoubleWide is kept closed, because there are generally cats caged for medical care who will do much better without people outside their cages. However, that also means that there are uncaged cats who rarely brave the cat-door, and prefer to remain inside when the main door is closed.  Sometimes that’s a good thing – a number of those cats are temperamental, and not always good about people-contact. And when we have a report of a visitor being scratched, it’s quite often one of these collared cats who is maintaining an invisible don’t-touch-me barrier.

Cleaning the murder-mittens  (KN)

The majority of these are spicy ladies; the only male that approaches their level of reactivity is grey Gizmo, who does his thing in his own way.  Three of them don’t (yet) venture out at all, and remain uncollared; the others all carry the visible warning for unwary humans.  

Jade holding court in the laundry room (KN)

The two all-black cats are Jade and Darcy – Jade wearing a red collar, and Darcy a green one. Jade, who has beautiful green eyes, usually hangs out in the laundry room beside the fridge. You approach Jade on her terms, which means that sometimes she comes and solicits petting, and is quite charming, and sometimes she smacks hard! My usual advice to visitors is “let the cat pet YOU”, and this usually suits Jade well. She can be surprisingly nice, placing herself next to the entry gate and asking for treats and attention – and then she’ll suddenly smack a treat away, and retreat to the laundry room. Jade’s behaviour has improved a lot since she first came to us five years ago, but she is not a cat that can easily be trusted. 

Darcy out for a walk  (KN)

Darcy is most often found trying to talk her way into the med-staff’s area; she is convinced that she should be taste-tester for all the best treats, and is an expert at gate-busting. Luckily, she is also better about allowing the med-staff to pick her up and eject her without shedding too much blood; she will lie on the floor outside the door and writhe dramatically, demonstrating the urgency with which she requires access.  She occasionally ventures outside while there are visitors, but usually stalks through with an “out of my way, peasants!” attitude which generally makes people leave her alone.  We believe that Darcy is the daughter of sweet tortie Dazzle – she didn’t inherit Dazzle’s love for attention and petting, but at least she’s learned that attacking humans doesn’t really get her anywhere.

JJ indulging her passion for beard-snuggling  (BC)

JJ divides her time between the laundry room and the TeaRoom. This elegant tuxedo lady looks as if she disapproves of everyone, and it is necessary to be careful with her – but a lot of it is a facade.  JJ is missing her favourite staff person, Kasha, who has moved, and with whom she loved to cuddle;  she misses the cuddles enough that she has established a select group of people who are favourite substitute cuddlers. She prefers the men: Mike, Justin, Braden and Nick are “her guys”. Beards are particularly favoured – but she will come up on other laps too.  In a particularly trusting mood, she puts her paws up on the chest and butts her head below the cuddler’s jaw; it can be unnerving, knowing how reactive she can be, but there’s also a vulnerability to her that is very appealing.  I find that like many of the touch-sensitive cats, she is more comfortable being petted above the collar – and when she’s had enough, she will just hop down. 

Sophie says, "I'm so cute - NOT!"  (KN)

Sophie is another one who’s a migrant between TeaRoom and laundry room. The former was very much her turf at one time, but is now dominated by floofy orange cats, so she can usually be found sleeping on the laundry room shelf or on the cat-tree by the TeaRoom door. Sophie really dislikes other cats, and has a very extensive personal bubble that tolerates no adjacent felines within it. She is vocal about her dislike – but she also likes to be where the activity is, so she walks a fine line!  Like JJ, she will sometime hop up on a lap, or walk from the table towards a seated volunteer; if you see someone sitting with a tabby in the lap and hands in the air, that’s probably Sophie you’re looking at.  Light head pets are sometimes acceptable; but you take your life in your hands to pet down her back.  She never stays very long in a lap - her reactivity doesn't allow her to feel comfortable with either people or cats.

She looks so sweet - but you can't trust her!  (KN)

More divas next week....

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by BC & Karen Nicholson

Choosing a Laptop

Bill, in New Aids, loves his laptime with Mel  (MD)

So you’re thinking about getting a new laptop? What’s important to you? Weight? Flexibility? User-friendly? There are so many models from which you can choose – and they’re all at the Cat Sanctuary!

The Single-Wide lapful  (JS)

As the song says (and we all know the pain) – “I can’t right now; I’ve a cat on my lap!” - lap-sitting with a cat is the perfect way of doing nothing and getting all the feels for it! But there are many different styles of lap-sitting.

Magnus says, "Come and sit with me NOW!"  (MW)  

There are cats like Magnus who climb into your lap and just settle there – no twitching or wriggling – just letting you know that you are now their comfy place, and you are NOT TO MOVE.

Adria LOOOVES lap-time - though it may not be restful   (BC)

There are the cats who want to be on your lap, but who wriggle and squirm to make sure they have all your attention; they want petting, but they don’t necessarily want to be held.

Oh, that smile....    (JS)

There are the cats like Roe who are advanced lap-sitters, blissed out by caresses, even allowing belly-rubs – and who will happily hog all your time. Roe is jealous if anyone else gets Justin’s attention before her.

"Can I come up now?" Bossanova is needy  (KN)

There are the lap-standers – they want to be up, but they don’t want to relax. Our sweet late Sara Lee was another lap-stander – and even when old and creaky, made determined efforts to struggle into volunteers laps at coffee time, though without ever settling. Bossanova can be coaxed into lying down with a bit of a belly-rub.

Cuddles with Jasmine need planning   (KN)

There are the cats with whom it’s wise to have a towel as padding – our leaky manx cats are loving and seek attention, but plan ahead to protect your clothing!

Sitting VERY still with JJ   (BC)

There are the cats who leap for your lap, but who do NOT want much in the way of touch! At coffee time, the human frozen postures tell who has JJ or Sophie sitting on them – both girls are reactive around hands, and stillness is appreciated.

KitKat is less interested in laps  (JS)

For some, laps are less an attraction than shoulders - KitKat is a determined shoulder-sitter!

Huey doesn't want Daphne to move  (DJ)

For others, the idea of the lap is nice, but they don’t actually want to be on it. Huey likes it best when he can sit on the couch beside you, and keep a possessive paw on you lap so that nobody else will claim it.

Elvis leads the lap-loading - 
Selena and Bear want in on it as well  (BC)

And for cats like Elvis, the lap is only the foundation to get as high on the chest as possible, so that he can gaze into your eyes, put his paws around your neck, and tell you how much he loves you.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, 

Daphne Jorgenson, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint, Michele Wright

Love Attack

The warning collar says that new girl Peaches
needs to be approached with caution  (KN)

What are the primary words that come up when you think of cats?  My bet is that they would include “cuddly”, “soft”, “purring”, “stroke” and many more like that.  They’re certainly in the minds of our Sunday visitors, who are sometimes disappointed to be told that they can’t pet all the cats! Since the return of our weekend visiting hours, we’ve needed to be able to have guests identify some of the cats that are particularly reactive, offering slaps and swats instead of (sometimes as well as) purrs - and most of those cats are now sporting collars as a visual warning.

JJ wears a warning collar
- but Kasha needs no warning!  (LBF)

But sometimes it’s not so much about the petting itself, as about the relationship of pet-ee and petter! JJ stands out with her handsome blue collar, and all the volunteers know that we need to move carefully around her.  But when Kasha is anywhere close, JJ is a different and totally cuddly cat; her only frustration is that she wants Kasha to sit and pet her all the time!  She has now begun to snuggle with other volunteers if Kasha’s not available, and most of us have learned to let JJ pet the human, and not vice versa!

Cole "come pet me" look - MW

Cole was an angry, reactive boy when he first came to us; our black panther has changed a lot since then. Mostly he hangs out in the DoubleWide laundry room, but occasionally he is very emotionally needy, and begs for attention. He can often be found at the gate – not to go gate-busting, as he used to, but to welcome whoever comes through, and demand a cuddle. Like a small child, saying “Up! Up!”, he stretches up, wanting to be lifted; he’s one of those cats who likes being held upright, and butts his head under your chin. Sadly, he’s a big boy, and there’s only so much cuddling you can do; he wants to be walked around, and when you sit, he’s off to find someone else to pay attention to him.

Tugboat loves his cuddles with Debbie  (DW)

More vocal in his demands, Tugboat is another who is insistent on having a cuddle when he needs it. Our old boy is getting arthritic and unsteady; he shuttles between the Double-Wide couch, (where he snuggles with Plum), and his favourite basket in the Tea-Room.  When he wants attention, his creaky voice can’t be ignored, and he’s feather-light in your arms. There are lots of people who will give Tuggy any amount of cuddle time.

Wylee having a very important
discussion with Louise (BC)

Sweet Wylee is not often seen during visiting hours – he hides in the Newcomers area, which is a cats-only zone, and if he is seen, he is often confused with Gizmo. But in the evening, when the med-staff are doing their rounds, he will sometimes emerge; if there’s a tea-break he will check who’s attending, and if it’s Louise, he will leap on her lap, scoot up to her shoulder, and bury his head in her neck, begging for petting. Molly will do, at a pinch; I’ve occasionally been favoured; but Louise is definitely his Perfect Person, and Cuddler #1.

Roe is blissed-out
when she's in Justin's lap  (JS)

Roe is usually one of the cats who waits at the front courtyard main gate; she likes visitors and the attention and petting she can get while she’s around them. But certain people are her priority. If Justin arrives, she is anxious for all his focus; she is quick to monopolize his lap and to squirm around being cute, and receiving the caresses she wants. If she knows he’s around but not with her, she sulks, waiting for him to come back to her.

Sometimes shy, sometimes cuddly  (KN)

Last week I was doing a back-pen shift and got ambushed by Odin outside Pen 1. He was very insistent that I sit with him and give cuddles – something he doesn’t always do. Odin tends to be a loner; he doesn’t hate other cats, but he’s not part of a social crowd. He’s also wary with humans, but Alice has spent a lot of time with him, and his comfort with her has transferred to other people. He suffers, to a certain extent, from black-cat-itis – when people can’t immediately ID a black cat, it’s easy to overlook them altogether.  Odin is worth hunting for!

Marty & Merrin love snuggles  (JS)

When Justin can’t be found petting Roe in the front courtyard, he can often be found smothered by cats in the Single-Wide. Most of the love-attack cats in the Sanctuary want to be the ONLY cat – and when another cat appears on the scene, they move. The Cuddle Crew in the Single-Wide love being together;  piling on to a chair together is bested only by piling on top of a human on their chair. If they’re athletic, they jump up; if they’re not, there are steps, and ways of edging into the pile. If they are late-comers (yes, I mean you, Bossanova!) they approach from above and sneak down over the shoulder. They actually prefer being crowded on the chair to using the couch on the deck – but there they also have to give space to NikkiSixToes, Shaggy and sometimes big black Kiefer.

Cuddles is zoned-out...   (KN)

It's perhaps unfortunate that the cat called Cuddles is another of the collared ones, who is approachable only when blissed-out on catnip!

Wherever you go in the Sanctuary, there are always ferals who will hold back, reactive cats who will go “purr-purr-purr-SLAP!” and the beloved ones who come to us looking for love.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Justin Saint, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Jade & JJ

From volunteer Pauline Chin:
Many people automatically assume it’s only un-neutered male cats who want to pick a fight.  That is untrue.  Any cat may act aggressively if they feel the need to defend themselves or their territory.  Luckily for us, the majority of our cats either want company, share their space, or at least tolerate each other.

Jade at her best - BC

Jade and JJ are two females who have shown their unfriendly sides since their arrival.  Both were owner-surrenders for their aggression towards strangers.
Jade (presumaby named for her beautiful green eyes)  is all-black and 4 years old.  She can be kind and then suddenly turn into a ferocious feline.  She might be full of purrs and head butts while petting her, and suddenly, she will swat and gnaw on hands repeatedly, with no warning signs of swishing tails, flattened ears, or angry vocals. At that point, we leave her cage.  Jade enjoys her freedom, as she has been known to push her cage door open and go for a walk.

On the prowl - LBF

After her release, she had a knack for fighting with other cats in the vicinity, earning her time-outs and battle scars.  Her sleek black coat became peppered with scratches and bald spots.  It’s taken months, but she’s calming down.  She’ll at least let other cats near her without hitting and she favours a particular shelf for naps.  She’ll hop down to leg-rub her favourite humans.  Nowadays, she gives some warning signs of her tolerance level.  Some are “blink and you’ll miss it”, but it’s better than nothing.

Keeping an eye on her surroundings - BC

Jade can be interested in toys, but can get possessive of them and will lash at other cats who approach.  You just have to use two toys sometimes, for distraction purposes.

JJ says "Grrr..."  - MD

Tuxedo JJ (the one you MUSTN'T confuse with last week's feature cat, Sir) is frequently found near the door of the DoubleWide.  Her way of announcing her presence is to growl at everyone.  A typical interaction goes like this:
Human: Hi, JJ
JJ: Grrrr
Human: Would you like to play?
JJ: Grrrr
Human: Should I leave you alone?
JJ: Grrrr
*Human leaves*
JJ.: Grrrr

Ready to defend  her cage - LBF

Simply put, JJ is protecting her territory.  Her territory is the entire floor but especially the immediate 5 foot radius around her.  Any human who doesn’t frequent the place is considered a stranger – an intruder in her eyes.  Any cat who invades the radius around her is also an intruder.
Cats have varying degrees of warning vocals and flicking tails.  JJ just growls.  They are not bluffs, as she will stand her ground and smack offenders.

On her shelf, and waiting for the next victim - VL

While caged, she growled at everyone who entered her space. Unlike other new cats, she didn’t hide.  She’d stay on her bed and eye you suspiciously with her dilated pupils.  JJ likes wand toys, although sudden noises will put her back into high alert. Since release, she’s made some peaceful progress.  She’s begun to see the DoubleWide as a communal space.  JJ has allowed a handful of humans to pet her for a few seconds; she seems to like men better than women.  It was shocking to find her walking up to me without growling. She wanted to sniff me; I got a brief pet without bleeding.  She’s okay with touching people, but not vice-versa. She's particularly wary of hands, and it's often best to pull sleeves right down so she can't see fingers. (Experienced volunteers will remember Marianne Moore foot-petting Combo #5, who hated hands in the same way.)

She will play - but note the wary eye  -  KN

The biggest leap forward I’ve witnessed was JJ lounging on the armrest of the couch with visitors and cats. I didn’t think it was her because Jay-Z was in the exact same spot minutes earlier.  And she was silent!  What a miracle!

Sharing a cage with BB - mostly by ignoring her - BC

As with ANY cat, it’s important to respect their space.  We’re not expecting Jade or JJ to be cuddly cats (although it’s a sweet thought).  We’re here to give them a safe place to thrive and experience cat life.

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Vicki Lo, Karen Nicholson