William Shakespurr

William Shakespurr  (MW)

This little cutie is one of the cats from a hoarding situation in Alberta, who came to live in our Pen 3 back in 2021. The cats in this group were all young, and some were slightly socialized, but others were (and are) much warier.

Curious - but not enough for petting   (LBF)

William Shakespurr is one of the cats right on the cusp.  He’s social – but with cats rather than with humans. He hangs around with Cornelius and Jason – the latter likes attention and petting, but Cornelius is still very wary about being touched by anyone other than Lisa.  William’s very much in that space as well – he likes to be around the activity, especially if there is food being offered, but he’s not ready to be petted, and prefers to stay a foot or two out of reach.

Peeking through the cabin window  (KN)

Like Cornelius, he is something of a ham, and is ready to take part in photo-shoots as long as they don’t involve physical contact. He’s an active boy, ready to climb the structure behind Cabin 3, or even to the roof of the cabin itself. He can often be found visiting in the adjacent pens, but is not as ready as Cornelius to get as far as the Tea-Room.

Posing for Tongue-Out Tuesday with Jenkins & Cornelius   (LBF)

We don’t know who’s related to who, in this clowder, but my guess is that he and calico Baby are siblings – very similar in body shape and size, and often found together.  William’s colouring always makes me think of a bad haircut; he has beautiful tabby and white colouring, but it looks like he wears his hair in bangs.

Baby and William share a summer snooze   (LBF)

We would love to see some of these cats getting adopted, though this is such a social group that we would prefer that they go in pairs, so they have company. Sadly, though, I think it’s still too soon for William – hands are only acceptable to him if they hold chicken tidbits, and being petted is still pretty scary. Perhaps a little more time with the Kitty Comforters working on him...   

And if not – he’s always got a home at the Sanctuary.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

The Family

Zoey & Basil  (LBF)

You would think that in a Sanctuary for unadoptable cats, most of them would be unrelated to each other. Cats, after all, have a reputation for being loners. And while that may be accurate enough for many of our furry friends, we have always had cats in our care who are in fact family, or who have bonded to become family of choice.

Percival & SweetPea  (LBF)

Currently there are three colonies that are genetically “family”. Our newest group, introduced last year, are from the Kootenays, and there’s no denying the relationships between them.  Having come into our care as a very scared bunch, they are becoming increasingly social, and hurry to the gate for attention when their pen is approached. They’re not “tame” yet, but SweetPea is enjoying petting and even occasional lap-time, and many of the others are sufficiently food-motivated that touch is not far off.

Together is good  (LBF)

The cats in Pen 6 came to us from Sammy’s Forgotten Felines in Kamloops, back in 2021. As with the Kootenay cats, there is a strong family resemblance among them, and they like to be together, emerging from their pen like a shoal of goldfish. Of them all, only big Persimmon and pretty grey Chamomile are enthusiastic about human attention; by the others we’re accepted as a necessary evil, but one that does at least bring food on occasion.

Lucius, Shimmer & Sherbet  (LBF)

The biggest influx of cats at one time was the group that came from a hoarding situation in Alberta the same summer, and which has taken over Pen 3. Visually, they are less “family” than the other two groups, and there is definitely a variety of genetics at play, but there are also similarities in appearance.

Baker & Jenkins (LBF)

Jenkins and Baker are tuxedo near-twins, Holly and Reinhardt have identical pale green eyes; Cornelius’s short legs can also be seen in Dior and Jason.

Cornelius making up to Mercury  (LBF)

Cornelius is a social butterfly, and ready to be friends with everyone. He’s closest to his own colony, but he also snuggles with Cadbury, in the adjacent pen, and has an orange-boy-bonding with shy Mercury, who hangs out in the back of pens 1 & 2. Mercury tends to be a loner, so it makes us all happy to see him with Cornelius.

Juno, Atlas & Mercury  (LBF)

Mercury is also a family cat; he was part of a group of more than 60 cats and kittens trapped not too far away when someone’s feeding of feral cats got out of hand. His remaining family, Atlas, Juno and Nyx, hang out in the same area; they like treats enough to come running when chicken is offered, but they are not so keen on physical contact with humans. 

The family stare  (LBF)

The other group that comes to mind when I think “family” is mostly unrelated to each other. And to be honest, I think about them as The Family because fellow volunteer Daphne calls that back deck area of the Double Wide “the Red Light district” (for the heat lamp), and “The Catsino” with its inhabitants “the Mafia cats”. Tuxedos Hamlet, Luke and Bodhi (with occasional visits from Pancake) tend to be front and centre, with support from consigliere Denzel. But the metaphor loses power when the inscrutable stares give way to purring demands for attention and tidbits.

Best buds - Luke, Bodhi, Guthrie  (KN)

Many of our cats prefer to live in groups, whether blood-bonded, or just by affection. We love that Sanctuary life can offer them this option, and yet allow those who chose to be loners to live as feels most comfortable for them .

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Karen Nicholson

Almost Ready to Go Home

"Dudes Chilling Park" - cat-style  (LBF)
Cornelius, Jenkins, Sherbet

This time last year, we brought in a good clowder of cats from Alberta – some of the rescued felines from a large hoarding situation. As usual, we took moms and kittens, who went first to fosterage and then to the Adoption Centre, and we also took “the teens” – the young cats past the easy socialization point. The latter moved into Pen 3, and were introduced in the blog over three installments. A year later, it’s interesting to see the progress that has been made!

Finneas - now adopted  (KN)

Tabby Finneas had a lot of handling in the process of some medical care, and became very happy to accept petting and attention. In the spring, he was adopted out with his “brother” Shimmer. This established a guideline that the staff have decided to follow – not to allow these cats to go singly, but only to a home where they can be with a cat they already know, or one that is of similar age and personality. This may be difficult to find in a single-cat home, so we are encouraging potential adopters to adopt as a pair.

Holly (KN)

Right now, the Adoption Centre is full of wonderful kittens (and a few adults – we were delighted to hear that Thomas, blogged last November, has gone to his own home). And we have been identifying some of the adoptable Sanctuary cats – we really hope that homes can be found for the FIV+ boys.

But a quick visit to the far end of the Sanctuary offers some potential treasures who could steal your heart if you’re prepared to take two of them.

Lucius  (BC)

Lucius has always been one of the most social of this group – both with the other cats and with humans. With other cats, his size sometimes means that he plays rough, but it’s never nasty, and his friends always come back for more. With humans, he loves attention – both gentle petting and belly-rubs; he will hang around until it’s clear you have to go, and then he follows, hoping you’ll change your mind. In spite of his size, he doesn’t seem to be food-motivated; he’s not one of the “gimme chicken” crowd.

Jenkins  (BC)

Lucius is often found hanging around with his buddy Jenkins. The smaller of the two short-haired tuxedos in the pen, Jenkins is a little shyer with people, but very cat-social. He’s one of the cats who could do with some grooming attention, as his fluffy grey undercoat occasionally bursts through. 

Holly begging a little lap-time  (BC)

Longer-haired tuxedo Holly really needs a home where she can get regular grooming. She is one of those cats with fine hair that mats if not cared for, and we have occasionally had to shave some hair mats out altogether. Holly is very sweet and affectionate when she trusts; she will allow herself to be picked up and cuddled, and she is happy to be a lap-cat.

Cornelius (KN)

Cornelius is known to everyone – I blogged him as “Everybody’s Friend” and he really is – for cats, at least. He’s more wary with humans; he will allow the odd stroke, but he’s not willing to approach unless food is offered. Normally we might say that he’s not ready for adoption, but he’s so cat-social that he might be fine if he were with a buddy and in a really cat-savvy home.

Jason & Cornelius  (BC)

His usual pal is Jason – named because he came to us on Friday the 13th! Jason is a bit easier with humans than Cornelius – painfully so, because he likes to put his paws up on a knee and flex his claws. It’s not meant nastily in any way – he just likes to use us as a scratching post! The two of them can often be found hanging around together.

Mewlius Caesar (KN)

There are several other cats in the pen that might be adoptable – solid tuxedo Baker is part of the crowd, playful Sherbert with his orange eyes, mustachioed Mewlius Caesar – but many of them are still wary, and having other social cats around is probably good for them. Some cats can live with us for years before deciding that yes, they can trust these humans who feed and clean and offer play and petting – and it’s a wonderful feeling when you’re finally trusted like that.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Finneas

Finneas  (BC)

There are so many great personalities among the cats who came to us from Alberta and started in Pen 3.  Originally, they were penned while we assessed if these were to be potential adoptables and would need work from the Kitty Comforters.  It rapidly became obvious that these guys, for the most part, were not lacking in confidence, and repeated jail-breaks led to the permanent opening of Pen 3.

Early days in Pen 3   (KN)

Finneas began with this colony, but while they were still closed down, he managed to injure his foot, which abscessed, and necessitated bringing him in for treatment.  The poor boy was not a happy camper – not so much about the injury, but he hated being caged, and cried all the time. This in turn meant that both staff and volunteers spent more time sitting with him, and he became more and more comfortable with human contact.  Now he divides his time between visiting in the DoubleWide and being out in the back gardens with his buddies.

In the courtyard, initially staying at a distance   (KN)

In the DoubleWide, he takes over an empty cage or a cat-tree, catches someone’s attention and flirts like crazy – purring, rubbing, rolling over – giving all the signs of a cat who really needs human contact.  Out in the garden he is warier – hovering at arm’s length, doing the just-out-of-reach thing that cats are so good at. He will sniff at fingers, but takes a while to decide if he will allow any touch at all.  Half an hour later you’ll see him back in the building, and it’s all “Pet me! Touch me!”  Every time I see him he is more confident about contact, and I'm sure that indoor behaviour will soon influence the outdoor interactions. 

Finneas with his pal Sherbet   (KN)

He still visits with his Pen 3 buddies, but he’s no longer a permanent part of the clowder. Many of them tend to operate together – where you see Cornelius, you will also see Jason and Shimmer and Lucius.  Some of them, like Scarlett, prefer to remain mostly in Pen 3, on safe territory; others, like Reinhardt, are solo wanderers. Finneas interacts with the others, but then returns to the DoubleWide, which seems to have become his own safe place.  Because the group came in together, we're not sure who's related to who, but I suspect that he's a brother of tubby Lucius; there's something about the matching tabby faces, and they both have quite thick tails.

Come pet me NOW!   (BC)

When the Adoption Centre has found homes for all of the many kittens it has been housing, it will likely be some of these Pen 3 cats that will be transferred for potential adoption.  Finneas would probably not have been on the original list, but he’s definitely a candidate now – as long as you find him in the right situation, he’s ready for any amount of love and attention.  Someone is going to be lucky to have a new companion!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson