Over the Bridge in 2023

Pandora - December - LBF

Pandora came to us in bad shape, but she had
nearly two years of greatly improved health with us before her aging body had had enough.

The Sanctuary is a place where we celebrate life – specifically, the lives of many cats who, in other circumstances, would have been euthanized for being unadoptable.  Many ferals have come through our hands, and though some have eventually accepted human attention, others have remained feral for much of their lives. Adopters shy away from taking cats with FIV or FeLV, diabetes or kidney disease – and we rejoice that we have been able to give them shelter and treatment. We have partnered with rescues in other places, and taken groups of cats that a smaller organization may not be able to house.

Dango - June - KN

Dango came to us from Alberta in 2019, and joined the New Aids pen; earlier this year he was relocated to the Val Jones pen so that his renal diet could be closely monitored.

But because many of our cats are with us through much of their lives, we are, time and time again, with them for their deaths. Sometimes they are unexpected, as in cancer, or FIP.  Sometimes we watch the gradual aging of a beloved friend, and know that their time is come. Many cats hide their ill-health, and occasionally we will find them already passed; most of them are taken by a staff-member to the hospital, where they will pass gently, held by loving hands.

Kiwi - December - MW

Kiwi came from the same shelter as Dango;

we lost her to FIP, which is a random mutation of an otherwise standard feline coronavirus.

The turn of the year is a time when we look back over the past twelve months, and remember more than fifty of the furry friends who have “crossed the Rainbow Bridge”. So once again, this is less a blog, and more a photo-essay that may bring smiles and tears and memories and love of some very special cats. We can't feature them all, but here are a dozen of those who have gone ahead of us.

Tugboat - February - MW

Much beloved by all, Tugboat became very frail in his last year,
and was cuddled and comforted by humans and cats alike.

Sprint - December & Shaggy - July;  LBF

Little Sprint was a junkyard cat, very shy, and with health problems; 
Shaggy was one of the last of the “oldies” from the former Moore House.

Sara Lee - March - KN

Sara Lee had lived here for most of her 21-odd years.
Easily identified by her bi-coloured eyes and her smoke coat, she was a fixture at the coffee table, where she toured from one lap to another.

CB Lincoln - February - MW

Cinnamon Bun Lincoln was named for his curled tail,
and known for his tendency to pee on anything/anyone he wanted to claim.

Little Orange - October - KN

One-eyed Little Orange was loved by volunteers and visitors alike,
and is greatly missed by his friend Allison who visited him every week.
He’s reunited with his girlfriend, shy Merilee.

Stella - February - MW

Stella was a regal presence in the Tea-Room and the breezeway; 
she liked to sit high up and reach down a paw to those seeking her attention.

Bossanova - August - KN

Bossanova evolved from a shy boy hiding high on a shelf
to a cat who would hover hopefully, looking for treats and attention.

Jazz - September - KN

Jazz was the doorkeeper for the Single-Wide.

Originally collared as a signal that she was a reactive cat,

she came to enjoy the attention she got, and demanded that everyone stop on the way in to pet her.

Pancake - March - KN

Pancake was the son of Autumn, in the front Courtyard;
he proved too shy to be adopted, and returned to us to make his life
with his cat friends in the DoubleWide.

Tara - October - KN

Tara remained a scared feral most of her life with us,
only allowing contact in the last months when she was confused and forgetting that she was scared.

Hamlet - August - KN

Hamlet came to us as a feral, but soon developed a presence
 as a benevolent Godfather on the DW deck.

Rainbow over the Sanctuary - BC

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Pandora

Pandora   (KN)

For the last eight months, the centre cage in the Single-Wide has been occupied by a Grump.

Grrr....  (BC)

To be fair, Pandora has her reasons for being a Grump.  She was surrendered to us for aggression after her owner went into assisted care; she was a one-person cat, and change was very hard on her. She is a SuperSenior - a phrase that applies to cats over 15 years old, who are more likely to have problems like hyperthyroid, kidney disease, UTIs and other problems. At nearly 18 years old, Pandora has all the above, and possibly others, and our job is to make what time she has left as comfortable as possible.

I did not ask for this haircut!   (KN)

She’s a bit overweight, probably arthritic, and came to us with such heavy matting in her fur that it must have been been very painful for her.  She actually had to have much of it shaved initially - a process she didn't appreciate. The staff have been medicating her, but her skin looked worse for awhile before it dried out a bit, and her fur is beginning to grow back in a wispy way.  The centre cage gives her lots of room to move about, but in classic old-lady-cat style, she prefers to spend her time sleeping, either hidden behind a drape or curled in a cat-tree nest. “Up” is key; she does not choose to spend much time at floor level, other than for bathroom breaks, and she has claimed that upper level for her own.

Doing a little exploring  (KN)

The cage has actually been open for some time, but Pandora has left the other cats in no doubt that this is Her territory. Warm and fuzzy are not terms to apply to Pandora; another cat approaching her, and the growl leaves both intruder and observer in no doubt that she “Vants to Be Alone” – a classic Garbo Cat!  Noelle and Marie occasionally occupy the lower level, but are more comfortable being away from their irritable neighbour, and prefer to room with Little Cat and Menjosie.

Starting to grow fuzz again   (KN)

The stairway of cat-trees that makes it possible to access the upper level without discomfort unfortunately works both ways, and the warning rumble is often heard as she discourages visitors. This usually includes humans, though we’re not hated quite as much as other felines – unless we bear medications.  She reminds me of an elderly lady who’s been moved into a seniors’ home after a life of independence. She doesn’t want to admit that she’s more comfortable than she used to be; she thinks the staff are busy-bodies who should leave her alone, and she has no time for the other residents.

May I have more pets?  (BC)

And yet when I visited last week with chicken tidbits, I was astonished to see Pandora emerge and come and join the chicken crowd.  I use the word “join” loosely – she sat at a distance, and when offered a tidbit, was very unfriendly with Paylan, who has no boundaries when it comes to getting chicken! But as the supplies vanished and the other cats drifted away, Pandora came closer and closer to me, allowing me to pet her.  Initially, I applied the “reactive cat” technique – stay above collar level: head, ears, cheeks, throat – nut as she remained relaxed, I was able to stroke further down her body, including the bald patches.  When she decided she’d had enough, she wandered off without any fuss.

You may look, but not touch   (BC)

Visiting her again this week, the goodwill was gone:  “don’t bother me!” was the strong message.  Part of it may be position;  Jazz, for instance, who had many similar old-lady problems in settling in, now loves to be petted on her shelf, but obviously feels less safe on the floor. Other cats similarly – we do loom over them, after all, and eye-level contact may be preferred. Pandora, however, chose to come to me at floor level, and that may be her comfort-place when it comes to petting.  And we need to let her make the decisions about when and where contact feels safe; reactivity often has its root in fear, and only time and good experiences will let her know that she no longer needs to be fearful and quite so grumpy.

Blog by Brigid Coult
Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

 

All That Jazz

Jazz  (KN)

Jazz as a music genre developed from the blues and ragtime more than a century ago and now takes many forms – Afro-Cuban, swing, bebop, Latin... and many others. I think that when the average person thinks about jazz, they think of easy, bluesy, swung, smooth sounds – which is not what we got when Jazz arrived in the SingleWide.

Not too sure...    (KN)

She came to us from Kamloops almost a year ago. She’s now nearly 14 and came to her owner as a stray kitten. Like some ferals, she’s never quite reconciled to people – in 13 years she must have bonded with her owner to some extent, but she sure didn’t like anyone else, and when her owner died, the local shelter couldn’t find anyone to take her because of her angry behaviour.

Get out of my space!....  (KN)

The SingleWide only has five cages – and they tend to be used for newcomers (though obviously also for SW cats who need medical isolation). Jazz was introduced to the cage nearest the courtyard window, and frequently saw people passing on the way to the office. In company with many other newcomers, she had a big No Entry sign on her cage, indicating med-staff attention only, and when that was removed, a warning was added for volunteers. Jazz did not approve of visitors, and litter-box  scoopers had to do so with care for smacks from above. 

A ladylike pose  (KN)

The problem is that she’s so pretty – the instinct is to reach out and pet her – and her instinct is to swat the hand away. Jazz is not a cower-in-the-corner cat; she’s quite prepared to tell an intruder to get-the-heck-out of her cage! The Kitty Comforters spent much time (and probably some blood) in convincing her that people were not so bad, and that good things came from human hands. We’ve learned that she doesn’t like to be picked up, but that she will occasionally initiate affection. Valerie tells me that if you bend down to let her lick your hair, she will allow petting!

Cooperating with a little dress-up  (KN)

Once her cage was opened, she remained on her shelf, ready to defend her space. Other cats were no more welcome than humans. But when her dinner was no longer delivered on its own saucer, she had to brave the threshold to get to the large plate a yard away. Gradually she ventured further and further.

Because there are only five cages, we couldn’t allow her to monopolize one of them. When black Shadow needed medical monitoring, Jazz had to find herself another space to settle and defend if necessary. She now roams the SingleWide pretty comfortably. She has become one of the cats that volunteers need to watch for at the door – she’s sure that there’s something good on the other side and hovers, hopeful for a chance to make a jail-break.

Can I come out?...   (KN)

She’s not remotely ready to join the cuddle pile on the chair – with human or without. But she’s comfortable enough to sniff a finger and occasionally allow a brief pet – and she has her human favourites. Monday volunteer Kim calls her Jazzagal (a “Schitt’s Creek” reference to her vocalizing), and Jazz will follow her around asking for attention.

You may admire - but not touch   (MW)

As long as we move slowly, and remember that there’s a scared little kitten inside the old lady, Jazz does just fine at the Sanctuary. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright