Watson

It’s been a tradition to give the names of fictional detectives to cats that have found their own way to the Cat Sanctuary or been abandoned there.  That’s how Kojak, Cagney, and Magnum received their names and now we have another new arrival, Watson.  It’s elementary, my dears!  

ML

Watson is a small tabby boy who appeared in the Cat Sanctuary parking lot one day in mid-February, coincidentally on the same day that our beloved Kojak succumbed to feline leukemia.  It’s comforting to think that Kojak’s spirit guided young Watson to us.  Fortunately, he was quite easily trapped and brought to safety inside.  However, he didn’t seem to appreciate his good fortune.  He was one unhappy cat at first and for quite some time afterward, snarling and hissing at anyone who entered his cage and tried to befriend him.  Animal Care Staff Leader Leslie suspected that inside that spitting little boy lurked a gentle soul and she was right!  Soon after his arrival, Watson began to show interest in whatever was going on outside his cage or in the one next door to him, although no way was he willing to welcome any friendly person-to-cat interactions.  Slowly, the aggressive attitude became a more passive one and he’d simply sit and watch warily when someone entered his cage.  The day came when he would accept, and apparently even enjoy, some head and chin rubs with a long-handled back-scratcher. 

BC

Leslie discovered that he was more likely to tolerate visits and being touched if he didn’t have a cloth drape that he could hide behind.    It’s taken months of persistence by several determined staff and volunteers but a breakthrough has been made!  Provided that one approaches him slowly, for example letting him sniff a finger before gently touching his whiskers, he is happy to be petted and will even butt his head into a hand to encourage the contact.  Watching a previously frightened and defensive cat become trusting and lovable, as Watson has, is just about the best thing about volunteering at the Cat Sanctuary. It makes all the scratches received during the previous attempts worth the effort! 

ML

However, I think there’s still a bit of detective work to do to completely understand Watson.  The other day when I visited him, I picked up one of the catnip mice lying nearby and waved it in front of him.  He definitely did not like that and gave me a swat to show exactly how he felt about it.  Perhaps in his earlier days, something being waved near his face had an unpleasant outcome for him?  

MW

Unlike his fictional namesake, we’ll probably never be able to sleuth out the mystery of how and why Watson came to live with us but we’re happy that he did.

Blog by Marianne Moore
Photos by Brigid Coult, Moira Langley and Michele Wright

Watson has gone to live with volunteer Karen Yu; good luck to you in your new home, Watson!

The Volunteer/Cat relationship - Candy Chen

While we were planning the 2016 calendar, we invited a couple of volunteers to submit photos. In the end we didn’t use the ones that Candy Chen submitted, but they’re beautiful, and I’d like to share some of them with you.

Candy says: 
I have been volunteering at the Sanctuary for around two years.  At first I volunteered in the RAPS thrift store, and a lot of volunteers there told me about the Sanctuary.  I'm currently a university student, working hard to get my degree. Right now, my life is filled with school and work so my Sanctuary time is precious.

Freckle - unusually fierce!

I do the back pens on Saturday mornings, but I’ve worked in most of the other areas of the Sanctuary as well.  I don't have cats at home. I really do want to have one but my families aren't the best with pets. I do have plans of getting one or two or more after I'm independent of my family!

Darwin

There are quite a few cats that I look for when I have time. The most special one to me is Kojak from Old AIDS (a lot of cats I know are special to me, but if I have to pick one, it would be Kojak). My very first shift in the Sanctuary was the Old AIDS area and Kojak took my eyes right when I was in the room. I believe it was his handsomeness that attracted me at first. After getting to know him, it really just his sweetness that made me adore him.

Kojak, in my opinion, isn't the easiest cat to get close to; his "coolness" made me really want to get close to him, so I guess this is also another reason why I try to spend a little time with him when I can.

Another cat I love is Puffin in the front courtyard. At first, it was his tail that really stood out to me. Then it was his "chest air" that attracted me. Lastly, I really like how he looks! I have heard about how Puffin bites, but he is just such a sweet cat (though I had been scratched by him before)! I love how he pushes his head against you (hand or chest) when he wants some pets.

My biggest wish for the Sanctuary and the cats is that someone really rich would suddenly want to spend a fortune on making the lives of some cats better :)

Candy and single-wide friends

Blog by Brigid Coult & Candy Chen

Photos by Candy Chen

Kojak

Unlike most cats at the sanctuary who were brought there from other parts of Richmond or Metro Vancouver, Kojak is unusual in that he brought himself.

Staff noticed him hanging around outside the compound and, noting he looked pretty ragged and sickly, decided to trap him. This didn't prove easy. Ignoring the various morsels that staff placed in the trap to tempt him, Kojak repeatedly came, peed on the trap, and left again. There was great relief when he finally went into the trap and could be brought inside.

Once safely inside the sanctuary, Kojak was sent to the vet for a check up, where it was discovered that he had feline leukemia. Fortunately, RAPS has the facilities to care for cats with leukemia and keep them healthy and happy for as long as possible.

Kojak was initially thought to be feral, but over the past while he's been increasingly willing to let us get close. Brigid, who suggested I do a post on Kojak, was able to get this photo of him:

 He was a bit uncertain about being photographed with Brigid's cell phone, so she was worried I might not be able to get a shot of him with my considerably larger and scarier SLR.

When I came across him in the Old AIDS building this evening, he was initially timid as I'd expected...

... but not so much that I couldn't reach down and give his head a gentle pat. He scooted away then, but only as far as a nearby cat bed, where he sat and looked at me while I alternated between stroking his head and taking pictures. At no point did he feel a need to move from his bed.

Leslie says he may have come from one of the farms in the area, and had therefore had at least some contact with humans before he came to us. It's great to see him looking like he feels so safe and relaxed at the sanctuary.