Sanctuary Salon

Lindor's shave-down helps him sleep cooler  (KN)

Cats are often characterized as being very clean – constantly attending to their own grooming, and occasionally sharing grooming with others. That being so, you’d think there wouldn’t be much for humans to do, to maintain that cleanliness. Let me tell you, it ain’t necessarily so!

Persimmon is a big girl - with or without floof!  (KN)

To start with, probably a third of the Sanctuary cats are long-haired. And as cat-owners will know, long-haired cats frequently need help with grooming. Those gorgeous floofy coats may look good, but run a hand over them, and you will find lumps and bumps of matted fur. Even the best-natured cats dislike having mats combed out, and when the cat in question is a feral who fears human attention, being brushed is not an option.  SweetPea (now adopted) loved petting, but her sister Curious still dislikes human contact, and when she got matted, a shave was the only possibility.

Curious still doesn't like humans  (BC)

Mats may be caused by a number of factors. The shed undercoat may become caught in the top coat. Dirt or natural oils may cause the hairs to mat. Urine or feces may create back-leg lumps. And all these factors may affect short-haired as well as long-haired ones.  Most dogs may be taken to a groomer, where they will stand while expert hands remove excess hair. This is not an option with the majority of cats, who take a dim view of being made to do anything!  So, what to do with all our matted moggies?

Jobie HATES being groomed and gets a lion cut each summer (MW)

As much as possible, prevention is a factor; most of the staff and the Kitty Comforters keep a comb or a deshedding tool tucked in a pocket, and grooming is one of the things that the KCs will offer to comfort a cat. But when there’s matting to deal with, it’s not comforting!  Scissors are not recommended; sometimes the matting goes right to the skin, and there is the risk of cutting the cat, and not just the fur. Occasionally the top part of a mat can be cut off and then the rest of it can be broken down – but that takes time and patience and a cooperative cat.

Higgins is a stray tomcat who came to us with
a number of injuries that needed shaving for treatment  (BC)

Occasionally a cat with mats is also scheduled for a dental procedure, or something that requires full sedation, and then the hospital staff can do an expert shave-job, producing a classic lion-cut.  But it’s not good practice when not essential, and the majority of the matted cats wait for a day when a couple of the Sanctuary med-staff can work together, and the cats in question are given an oral sedative that calms them somewhat without putting them out. Under these circumstances, the cut may not be totally elegant or complete – but at least the mats are out, and the cat is cool and comfortable.  

Perhaps Lindor's a little embarrassed
- but he's much cooler!   (BC)

Some of the trims are partial – most commonly the “sanitary” trims that leave the back legs free of  fur. This is especially necessary for some of the chonky cats who can’t always reach back there to clean.

Benny got a sanitary cut - no more dirty bloomers! (SL)

Other trims are minimal – Alfred is a short-haired boy, but had a couple of nasty mats on his rump just where he couldn’t reach them. For a while he was walking around with a bald patch, but the fur is growing in again.

Just one little matted patch needed a shave for Alfred  (BC)

There are a few cats that resist any attempt to make them feel comfortable. Feral Smithy has matted fur that becomes dreadlocks on a regular basis. He has been shaved before and was acutely embarrassed; mostly we leave him to cope unless we feel he’s suffering, and we’ll occasionally find what we call “Smithy’s beardy bits” in the back courtyard – as long as they’re not too tight to the skin, they will often work their way loose.

Smithy is not cooperative about grooming - or anything else  (KN)

When you find something like this lying around,
you know Smithy's shed a beardy bit!   (BC)

Now that summer weather has hit us, the staff are keeping a keen eye open for the ferals who are carrying extra fur weight around.  The Cranbrook College cats are now on the radar, but they are still not comfortable around humans, and the experience of being captured, dosed and shaved is not a pleasant one for them. Still, it’s better than carrying around lumps of fur that pull on their skin.

With a coat like this, Foster really needed a shave! (KN)

And she got it!  (KN)

The haircuts also have the added advantage of helping us identify previously identical-appearing cats. The Kamloops cats usually wander around together like a shoal of tubby goldfish – it’s really interesting to notice that some of them, like Kumquat, are really slim under all the fur that is now gone.

Kumquat is feeling much less lumpy  (KN)

Work with brushes and combs and deshedders will continue – but the shavers will continue to make summer life more bearable for the floofier cats.

An evening's cat-fluff!  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Stacey Lambert, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Benji

Me? A biter...?   (KN)

Most of our behaviourally challenged cats are with us because of “inappropriate urination” - meaning, they pee anywhere except the litter box!  Sometimes they do it because they feel under stress in their home, sometimes it‘s a medical problem, mostly it’s just become a bad habit.

Handle with Care! - Eli (MW) Jobie (CP) Sophie (MW)

A few of them have come to us with aggression issues – usually their people have tried to pick them up when they didn’t want to be picked up, and a bite or two later, they’re surrendered to our care.  Many of these cats actually do fairly well with us, because staff and volunteers know that we have to let the cats make the decisions about touching.  Beautiful Eli really just needs someone who will not expect him to be a lap-cat until he’s really ready.  Jobie, who came to us with a bad reputation, has her favourite people now.  Feisty Sophie in the TeaRoom loves to jump on laps and have her head petted – you just need to make sure not to go any further down her body.

Benji   (MW

Benji came to us last year with warnings about aggression.  He is such a handsome boy, and he was obviously unhappy during his cage time – but he was a hard cat to visit because as soon as he felt you were leaving him, he would bite – whether to hold on to you, or in punishment, we don’t know. When he was released we resorted to a past Sanctuary tradition and put a collar on him to indicate his tendency to bite. In Sophie’s case, a collar doesn’t last long and she quickly manages to lose it;  Benji, on the other hand, wears his collar with pride.

Benji (LBF)

We’re still working out the parameters of his aggression. He is definitely super-sensitive to touch and a petting session that would have any other cat purring quickly has him indicating “too much!” But at the same time, he’s quick to ask for attention. We don’t know how much human interaction he had before coming to us, and if he’s just never learned to “play nicely”.  

Watching out for other cats  (KN)

The right person and endless patience are working wonders for grey Smokey in the Moore House, and JJ from the DoubleWide;  both have found “their people” among the volunteers and JJ has gone to her new home, while Smokey will soon be going. Neither one has changed overnight, but they have both found people who are ready to wait for the cat to make the move. In common with Benji, neither particularly likes other cats.  

Tabbies with 'tude - Jasper & Benji  (KN/LBF)

Much the same can be said for Jasper, who, like Benji, can be a trouble-maker, and need an occasional time-out. But we have seen significant progress with Jasper (mostly thanks to Karen’s patience) and he has learned that humans are more inclined to play with him when he is not aggressive. We hope that Benji will learn too.  Wand toys and things at arms-length are key for many cats; fingers are just too tempting.  It would be lovely if someone can take Benji on as a project and help him learn that he does not always need to react with his teeth.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Cattitude!

HoneyBear is known for his wonderful eyes and his neurological problems
- but he has social problems too, with other cats - MW

Most of our Sanctuary cats are ferals, semi-ferals, owner-surrenders and health problems.
The third category – the owner-surrenders – are often surrendered for their bad bathroom habits (which are sometimes a result of human-caused stress), but we also have several cats who have come to us with an “aggressive” label on them. In fact it’s rare to find a truly aggressive cat – we see it more as “cattitude”, resulting from the owner’s unwillingness to let the cat set the pace in being handled - and many of these quirky felines are very truly loved at the Sanctuary.

Bentley looks cute - but is not entirely to be trusted! - LP

We probably all know a person who shies away from much in the way of physical contact, who pulls away from hugs. Cats can be like that – though unfortunately many people tend to expect them to conform to “cute and cuddly” norms of behaviour.

Licorice's "cattitude" is mostly with other cats - CF

Once a cat has been returned to the Shelter for “aggression”, it is not easily re-adoptable. It comes to the Sanctuary where the staff and voluteers around it know that we need to allow it to move at its own speed in interacting, and where, if there is to be any hope of a final home, we can take our time to make sure that a potential owner is truly cat-savvy and understands the quirks of the cat they’re choosing.
When an "aggressive" cat comes to the Sanctuary, we will give it the time it needs to feel safe – fear is often the primary cause of a cat lashing out.  We allow the cat to choose its time to come for petting or to jump up in a lap – and we warn Sunday visitors that picking up a cat is never a good idea.

Jobie can appear very suspicious of a visitor! - MW

Jobie is our resident Grouchy cat – she never got the memo about how cats should (theoretically) be cute and cuddly, and her initial time with us was punctuated with growls and swats.  We let Jobie know that she could have time alone, or she could be near humans, as she pleased; she has discovered that she has favourite people who let her sit with them, and let her go with no pressure; when she’s in a good mood she will reach out for petting, and when she isn’t, she’ll go and hide somewhere until she's ready to cuddle again.

What IS it about cross-eyed cats?  - MW

Eli was surrendered for aggression – like Jobie, he is very beautiful, and it’s easy to see that people might have reached out to pet him or pick him up when he wasn’t ready for it. He lounges around elegantly, with a “you will worship me” attitude, and he’s not afraid to let other cats know that he’s boss.  We’ve actually seen very little real aggression from him.

Puffin is king! - MD

Puffin is a cat that we always have to warn Sunday visitors about. In fact, in the right mood, he can be very affectionate (especially if the cat-fan is a female teen!) but when he hasn’t asked for petting, he’s not slow to say “Stop! Now!” He is exactly the sort of cat that is behind our closing the gates to under-six children and requiring careful supervision of older ones – he’s not nasty, but he’s quick to react when he’s not ready for contact. Like many of our reactive cats, he actually has quite a fan-club!

Cher - KN

The same is true for pretty Cher, who loves attention, and then gets overwhelmed by it. Cher’s favourite people know that to allow her to sit on a lap, with moderate touch, also requires an awareness of her body language, so that you know when she’s about to be overcome by sensation and has to react.

Sophie - MW

In recognition of her extreme cattitude, Sophie wears a collar. She is another girl who will be affectionate with her chosen people, but can suddenly feel she’s had too much. Gentle petting around the head and ears is often appreciated, and she will leap into laps when she’s in the mood, but you will also sometimes encounter Sophie in serious grumble mode.

Gizmo in ambush - MD

Grey Gizmo has kept the attack aspects of his feral origins.  We tend to think about Gizmo as a brattish teen, because he’s so small, but he is actually a mature adult, and just likes acting the brat – both with humans and with other cats. He has recently come up against another cat as sparky as he is – Jasper has been moved from the front courtyard into the back, where he has more room to roam, and more cats that will stand up to his bullying ways. He’s discovering that he is no longer the big fish in a small pool.  Jasper likes human attention and has his fan-club – but we all know that teeth and claws are only a whisker away.

Jasper - looking for trouble - KN

These are all cats who would not show well at the Shelter, and who would need someone who was very cat-savvy, and ready to make them The Only Cat. Sadly, most of our experienced adopters have established cat-families already, and these furry over-reacters just have to learn to make their own space at the Sanctuary. Most of them are so full of purrr-sonality that their cattitude only endears them to us even more!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Chelzea Freeman, 

Karen Nicholson, Lisa Parker, Michele Wright, 

A Slightly Less Grumpy Cat

MW

When I first blogged about Jobie eighteen months ago, she had been relocated to the Tea-Room from her original space in the Double-Wide, and was finding life a bit less stressful (meaning, fewer other cats in her face!)  Though the winter months she hung around, generally at the top of the stairs; we had to give up leaving cat beds there, since she would refuse to leave the area, and just poo and pee where she pleased.  At coffee breaks she would occasionally venture onto someone’s knee, but she didn’t really want to be petted much – just admired! - and Grumpy Cat was very much present in her personality.

MW

With the following spring and summer, her confidence increased.  She relocated next to the back gate to New Aids, where she would scurry to the top of the highest cat-tree and oversee everything. Occasionally she would venture into the courtyard and explore a bit, but there was always too much feline competition for her, and she felt safer in her aerie. As the weather got colder, she needed to re-think her strategy; alone but cold was not a good option. 

MW

She popped up in a variety of different locations before settling on the Newcomers deck, across from the Tea-Room. To stay really warm, she would need to share a heat-lamp with other cats, or pop through the cat door into Newcomers, and neither was a really satisfactory prospect. One of the med staff set up a well-padded covered bed, labelling it as Jobie’s, and miraculously, the other cats seemed to get the idea, because it was largely left for her possession.

DW

Her confidence seemed to increase, and more frequently she was found in a bed in the breezeway where she could attract human attention, and demand a bit of fussing. The cranky girl of a year before was no longer quite so cranky, and though it is still necessary to read her body language carefully, petting Jobie, and occasionally grooming her has become pleasurable for both Jobie and her fans.  With the right person, her paws come up to your shoulder and she likes to bunt against your face – something we were all really wary about at one stage.

MW

I don’t think Jobie will ever be anyone’s idea of the ideal cat to adopt; she’s too easily stressed and her bathroom habits won’t ever make her a favourite.  But she’s found a home at the Sanctuary and seems to feel much more comfortable with us. And though she still doesn’t much like the other cats, she seems to be able to tune them out, and get on with living her life in her own way.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Debbie Wolanski & Michele Wright

Ollie

This beautiful flame-point ragdoll came to us from a home where he was dearly loved, but where he persisted in leaving his signature in all the wrong places!

MW

Sometimes a cat-pee situation can be tracked down to some sort of stress at home: a new baby, a nearby dog, a new person (as in little Bengal Jinx). Sometimes it’s a medical problem, which is why a vet visit is always a good idea when the behaviour starts.  Sometimes it’s as simple as changing the size or quantity of litterboxes.  And sometimes it’s because the cat just likes to do it!

DW

Ollie likes to pee outside his litterbox – and after seven years of cleaning floors and replacing furniture, his family finally admitted defeat and Ollie came to us. Initially he was in a cage in the Connor, where he instantly endeared himself to all the volunteers, begging for attention.  He was moved briefly to a Double-Wide cage, and since release, has made himself thoroughly at home in the back courtyard area.

JK

His favourite perch is the one he has stolen from Eli, on top of the canned-food cupboard in the Double-Wide, but he has little fear of exploring, and can be found in a variety of hideouts.

PH

Unlike Jobie, who was brought to us labelled as a ragdoll cat, but who had very different ideas about what that might mean, Ollie is very happy to receive human attention.  He’s a typical cat – when he wants to be petted, he wants it Right Now, if you please!  If he’s perched up on the cupboard it’s because he’s in his “I want to be alone” mode – but not in any sort of nasty sense; he just wants quiet time.

MW

We’re very happy to have him with us!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Phaedra Hardman, Jennine Kariya, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Eli

MW

Eli is the second of the cats surrendered recently for “aggression” reasons.  Like Jobie, he was originally acquired by his owners as a purebred Ragdoll, but there appear to have been some tensions at home, because he was brought in to us – the ostensible reason was an allergy of a family member, but there were reports of occasional reactiveness. Being a very handsome boy, it was not long before he was adopted out again, and his new family obviously gave it a good try for more than a year, but Eli was not happy, and acted out with bathroom habits and some growling/swatting – and finally was returned to RAPS.

BC

We’ve all heard the stories of so-called “shelters” where a cat would not be allowed to return, or where, having been returned, would have been put down as a non-adoptable cat. RAPS rejoices in the ability to accept any cat, no matter what the behaviour problem, and to give it a home at the Sanctuary as long as it lives. For years volunteers tiptoed around the late Buster-Baby, whose aggression problems verged on the psychotic, and who had to be locked up while visitors were around; in his aging years, Baby mellowed somewhat, and was more accepting of attention.

BC

So the arrival of Eli was not a concern, and though a warning was posted on his cage door, it wasn’t long before the Kitty Comforters were reporting happy encounters with this beautiful boy. Eventually the cage door was opened, and with the inevitable feline visitors taking over his bed, Eli set out to explore the territory.

Waiting at the med-cage door - BC

It wasn’t long before he discovered that the med cage was the source of many tasty treats. Cats who need meds in their food are sometimes picky – the tuna that was yesterday’s favourite is not interesting today – and a cat who is on the ball can sometimes get some left-overs! Eli has joined the club of door-watchers, hoping that an unwary human may leave the door ajar.

MW

He’s not very cat-social yet, though he tolerates most of them as long as they’re not where he wants to be – he doesn’t display the aggression we see between Gizmo and Chester, for instance. He enjoys human attention, especially if a feather toy is offered, and he’s venturing further afield, exploring into the back courtyard and the tea-room – though he and Jobie haven’t come face-to-face yet, since she prefers the safety of her higher cage area.

MW

Ragdolls have the reputation for being sociable with humans; many like to be handled, frequently going limp when picked up. RAPS gets the ones who didn’t get that memo, and we do our best not to force them to change, but to learn that this is a safe place for them, where their defensive swatting is unnecessary, in the end. We hope that for Eli, as for Jobie and many others, we can truly be a safe place, a Sanctuary.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Michele Wright

Cats' Eyes

Just as a cat’s coat pattern and colour is dictated by genetics (see here and here) so also is eye colour. Most kittens are born with blue eyes, and as they mature, the melanocytes also mature to give the eyes the adult colour.

Autumn - MW

Jake - MW

The majority of our Sanctuary cats have eyes that are in the yellowish end of the spectrum. Depending on where the cat hangs out, the colour may be very obvious, or overshadowed by an enlarged pupil – many of the indoor cats with less natural light may appear to have dark eyes that are actually mostly pupil showing, with a thin rim of coloured iris.

Mad Max - MW

Marmalade - MW

With some, the colour is very vivid – especially when the yellow eyes belong to a black cat.

Colin - MW

but our beautiful Dell has wonderful eyes too!

Dell - MW

The more melanocytes, the more intense the colour. Pumpkin was named less for his fur colour and more for his eyes.

Pumpkin - MW

Orange Hannah’s eyes are also very intense in certain lights.

Orange Hannah - MW

With some cats there is patterning of the iris. This may be true heterochromia, in which a cat may have two different coloured eyes (usually one blue and one another colour) or colours within the iris that may make the eyes appear different colours. When Sara Lee and Sara Lou came in together, the only way to tell them apart was Sara Lee’s darker-coloured right eye in contrast to her left one, which is blue/green. However if you look closely, you’ll see that the basic colour is the same; it’s the brown patterning that makes the eye look brown.

Sara Lee - MW

Freckles is another cat with patterned eyes – named for the speckles around her nose, it’s a name that also suits her eyes.

Freckle - MW

Luigi is one of our many black cats, but easier to identify when you can see the markings in his right iris.

Luigi - PH

With some of the cats the yellow shades over to green that can appear quite intense in certain lights.

 Sophie - MW

Krissy - DW

Lucky - MW

Blue eyes are characteristic of certain pure-breeds, and the only cats of that description that we get at the sanctuary are with us because of bathroom habits.  Both Bluebell and Jobie have the right eye colour that says they were probably bred for pedigree – but neither is a cat that you would really want in your home!

Bluebell - MW

Jobie - MW

But we love them anyway!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Phaedra Hardman, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright