Under the Radar and Overhead - part 2

This is a continuation of last week’s blog by Pauline Chin.

Blackie - PC

Blackie has lived in the single wide for years!  Funny thing is that he hasn’t had a blog entry until now.  He looks like a shiny, mini panther with a thin tail who patrols the shelves.  Blackie doesn’t really jive with the other cats, nor has he joined the dryer gang.  He likes petting when he’s in the mood.  He’ll slap people if they wake him from naps, which happens very frequently.  Serve him wet food and he’s happy.

Traveller - PC

Traveller has chosen the mostly-feral life.  He’s a tad rough around the edges, kind of like black Fable with bedhead.  They both live overhead in the double wide.  While acclimating, he was nearly untouchable and hid inside his carrier.  Nowadays, he’s content enough to quietly watch us from up high.  Unlike most of the ferals, Traveller hasn’t hidden himself on the rear deck.  Being black makes the perfect camouflage!  Perhaps there’s something or someone in the trailer he wants to be near?

Stevie - MW

In Pen 4, this big fluffy boy can be spotted from outside.  Stevie has a lot of rust in his long black coat.  Like most of Pen 4, he avoids humans.  If you peer through the fence, you might just catch him sitting on the porch with his friends.  As soon as the gate is unlatched, the residents make a mad dash for the bushes.  He’s not into playthings, but moves fast.  He’ll come forward if you leave food and back away.  He insists on having a large gap and staring from afar.

Steele - BC

Just occasionally you will find a long-haired black boy in the back courtyard, who ISN'T Lindor or Ruff. If he looks at you in horror, and runs to hide, it's probably (Remington) Steele. We give detective names to the cats who find us; Steele, who cat-burgled his way in to the Sanctuary, likes the safety, but still isn't so sure about the humans.

Kermit - PC

With Pen 8 open, Kermit can be found wandering the back courtyard.  He’s a shy boy with a round face, greenish eyes, and medium-sized body.  He’s never found a replacement for his late buddy, Splotch.  When Splotch was present, Kermit would play, approach, and rub our legs with no hesitation.  Without Splotch’s company, he’s been keeping to himself.  He’s not that enticed by food or toys.  When approached by humans, he’ll stare like a deer in the headlights before taking off.  Unlike the other Pen 8 cats, Kermit has taken advantage of the newly found freedom.  I’ve found him looking at Pen 4 and playing in the long grass in Pen 5.  Hopefully, with all the new arrivals, Kermit will find a good friend with whom he can roam.

Black cat face-off - MW

While it’s not easy to recognize a black cat that prefers to hide from humans, if you take the time to truly know a shy or feral cat, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the positive changes.  My own feral favourite, Luke, (black with a tipped ear) has long passed but I joyfully recall the days when I heard his little feet sprinting towards me from overhead.  When befriending a feral, you might be the only human they share a bond with.  That bond cannot be predicted or forced, but it can mean a radiant world to that small, furry soul.  It’s so special, you could even say, “This is my lucky black cat!”

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Pauline Chin, Brigid Coult,  Michele Wright

Sanctuary Black Friday

Black Friday has become the name for the day that follows US Thanksgiving – a day when the concern is less for thanksgiving and more for the bargains to be found in stores. I have a profound lack of interest in the commercial “bargains” to be found on Black Friday, but I love the company of my black feline buddies when I work at the Sanctuary on a Friday morning!

Lancelot is usually found in the papasan chair outside the Single-Wide (MW)

Pretty Layla has one clouded eye, but it doesn't prevent her from leaping from one shelf to another (MW)

Reefer loves to play - preferably with someone else, but if nobody's available, he'll find something to do alone.  (MD)

Cole wants attention, but is a little inclined to swat when he gets it (TV)

Pretty Miss Georgie still tends to hold court in the cage where she first lived - that is, when she's not lurking hopefully near the Single-Wide door. (MW)

Tubby Jay-Z knows all the best places to lounge! (MW)

Belligerent little Celia guards the tea-room from all other cats. (MW)

The sign says "towels only", but Cole doesn't let a little thing like that bother him! (TV)

Tyson is helping to get coffee ready for break-time (TV)

Handsome Rudolph, in Pen 5, is accompanied so often by his girlfriend Salish - just occasionally he needs a little alone-time... (MW)

Gigi and Kermit, in Pen 8, love to play together  (MD)

I think the best bargain of all is to be found in the love found at the Cat Sanctuary – love between cats, between humans and cats, and vice versa.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Tanisha Vincent, Michele Wright

Kermit & Gigi

Kitty Comforter Pauline Chin knows the Double-Wide cats best, but she's also come to know the cats in a more distant corner of the Sanctuary.


Walking past Pen 8, you might notice two smaller black cats.  Kermit is all-black with light green eyes. Gigi is black with a white chest patch and a white bikini patch.  Her eyes have changed from gold to yellow-green.

Gigi - MW

Kermit and Gigi are the youngest arrivals trapped from Rusty’s Towing.  These two are currently over a year old. There’s a high chance they are younger relatives of Magpie, as well as Fable and Eclipse, who hang around the back courtyard.  All sport mostly black coats, round faces, and round eyes.  All are different degrees of semi-feral and prefer to avoid human touch.  But they love food!

Gigi & Kermit - MD

The pair arrived last year and were caged with Fable.  It was a bit of a challenge to interact with all three of them, but Kermit seemed to come around first, then Gigi.  Not so much with Fable, as she was older and far from the kitten socialization window. The wand toy seemed to fascinate them and entice them to paw at it, while staying out of reach from the human.

Magpie -  PH

Once released from the cage, Gigi and Kermit went to Pen 8, along with Magpie.  Fable often sits atop the cages in the double-wide.  And I hear Eclipse retreats beneath the single-wide during the day.

The majority of kitties in Pen 8 are very feral.  Johnny and Smithy welcome humans with loud hisses before running to the back.  Hailey the tabby will sit and stare at a distance.  Entering the shack usually causes the remaining residents to flee.  A walk behind the little house reveals the cat tree where everyone is usually hiding.

Smithy & Splotch - MW

In summer 2017, feral Splotch had a stroke of sorts that caused some paralysis to his back legs, and also made him forget he was feral.  On his return to Pen 8, he became an ambassador for the cats in Pen 8.  With Splotch around, the other cats got their daily cuddles and knew they had a trustworthy friend.  He also piqued their interest by showing them humans weren’t to be feared when he came over to rub against our legs.

Kermit - MW

Kermit, in particular, followed Splotch’s example.  Play with human and earn a treat.  Simple.
Sadly, this past July we lost Splotch.  With his absence, Kermit would come to the gate and look eagerly, eyes full of hope.  “Where is my friend?  No Splotch? I sad.”  Then he would retreat to a corner, lay down with his head on his front paws, and stare off into the distance.  Death seemed to be a new and uncomfortable concept for him.  It’s taken him most of the summer to recover and he no longer runs for the gate… unless he knows you have something good.

Gigi - MW

Today, Gigi and Kermit are still playful kittens at heart.  They love their toys and treats.  If we’re lucky, we may even get to pet them after playtime.  We hope that they’ll become more welcoming with humans.  Since every cat has an individual personality, we can never really predict their future disposition, but we can befriend them along the way.

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Melanie Draper, Phaedra Hardman, Michele Wright