Best Bros

Whiskers & Jinx love each other!  (BC)

Whiskers and Jinx appeared on RAPS radar as a stray pair found in Richmond some years ago.  Even at that stage, it was obvious that they belonged together, and the woman who adopted them acknowledged that they shouldn’t be separated, and took them both. They were obviously well-loved, but when she had to move, she was not able to take them with her, and they returned to our care in the Adoption Centre.

Together is always better (KH)

They came to us about two years ago, around the time we had several other multiple adult groups who were not necessarily good candidates for the adoption centre.  These two tabby boys were located to the SingleWide trailer, with the other two groups in the DoubleWide.

On guard at the door  (KN)

The three big cats we collectively called the Dumplings were adopted together in early 2024;  the other pair, Riker and Kramer, proved not to be bonded to each other, and Riker was adopted, while Kramer is still with us – he is friendly, but reserved and prefers to remain mostly out of sight when visitors are around.  

Handsome Kramer is not interested in being adopted  (BC)

Whiskers and Jinx are about 8 years old, and many visitors have asked about them, but both have bad bathroom habits; Whiskers in particular likes to pee on anything that takes his fancy, so he’s not a good candidate for adoption.  In addition, he has asthma, and his care includes the need for regular treatment with an inhaler. When there are so many cat-smells, it's not unusual to find them marking used laundry; it might not happen in their own home, but that's not a risk adopters often want to take.

Beautiful Jinx  (MW)

Jinx is the smaller of the pair, with the same sweet face and big eyes that make Celeste so appealing. He is also the cuddlier boy, happy to take an available lap, and claim it for as long as possible. Some cats come up into a lap, and stand on it, or climb around or ask for treats;  Jinx is a sit-down-and-snooze boy; be prepared to take your time with him! Though not the cuddler that my friend Elvis was, Jinx will reach up and give small kisses with his rough little tongue.

Whiskers: Lord of all he surveys  (KH)

Whiskers is more dominant, bossier with the other cats, generally active. He likes attention from humans, but is definitely not as restful as his brother. The two of them can often be found together as the Dryer Duo – longtime Sanctuary visitors and volunteers will remember the Dryer Gang, who always occupied the prime real estate just inside the door: Simone, Bantam, Chickadee and their buddies – all gone now.

A little longer in the warmth?  (KH)

Occasionally the boys will come and “help” with the laundry, waiting until the dryer is emptied to enjoy the remaining warmth until the next load of damp towels is tossed in – at which point they exit with disgusted expressions.  

Sleeping is better when the belly is cooler  (KH)

Their favourite place is what Kim calls “the bunk beds”:  one on the window shelf above the dryer, one on the dryer itself. Sleeping solo, Whiskers will often wind himself into complex yoga positions, sometimes curled tightly, sometimes sprawled in abandon.  The two of them can often be found sleeping together, wrapped up in each other’s paws. They don’t care that they don’t have a home of their own; all’s well while they have each other!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Kim Howe, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Double-Wide Kramer

Kramer  (BC)

In the last few months, volunteers have been asking “who is that beautiful cat in the DoubleWide?” - and the cat in question usually turns out to be our handsome Kramer.

Showing off the tail floof   (DJ)

Kramer is the second cat by that name – his predecessor was also tabby and fluffy, but preferred the outdoor life in Pen 5; this boy likes the comforts of warmth and cosy beds and food at hand.  He’s a big handsome boy with a magnificent floof of a tail, and he reminds me very much of big tabby Zander, who was a resident of the Sanctuary when I first came here.

He likes to be by the door, where he can get a little attention  (BC)

We don’t know a lot about Kramer’s background; he’s about 8-9 years old, and has been surrendered twice, for no fault of his own.  The first time was in 2021, when his human family moved and couldn’t take their cats, so Kramer and his housemates came into our care.  He was adopted again at the end of December 2021 and went to a household where he was living with a younger cat, Riker.  In the early summer of 2023, both cats returned to us because of some sort of family crisis, and they took up residence in semi-detatched cages in the DW.  Gradually it became clear that though the two tolerated each other, they were not bonded, and Riker was really a people-cat – looking for laps, enjoying belly-rubs – so he was transferred out for adoption, and Kramer remained with us.

Kramer with younger "bro" Riker   (BC)

What was obvious was that once he was out of the cage, Kramer just bloomed – he was very comfortable in new surroundings, and is disdainfully tolerant of other cats.  He’s not anti-people in any way – there’s no aggression in him and he’s quite willing to accept a little petting. But it’s usually just a little petting, and then he turns away and says “enough, already!”  He has a bit of asthma, and tolerates the med-staff giving him a dose from the puffer.

Waiting for the door to be opened  (BC)

Interestingly, for a cat with such confidence, until recently he opted not to go outside at all. In fact, for a while he rarely negotiated the swinging door into the laundry room, preferring to wait for a human doorkeeper to open it for him. Most of the other cats have learned to push through, or to hook with a paw and pull the other way – Kramer would rather call for a butler.  But recent sunny days, with everyone deserting the DoubleWide, led him to braving both the door and the cat-door, and exploring the back courtyard. 

Not so sure about this outside exploring thing...  (BC)

He stopped to have a drink at a newly-filled waterbowl, and have a little face-off with Jasper – interestingly, it was Jasper who backed down without much fuss. A side-trip into the Tea-Room presented him with a lot of orange floof around the dinner-plate, and he avoided them and explored outside the side-door. A trip up the stairs and into Newcomers gave him a quiet encounter with Ollie, before he retraced his steps and crossed over to Pen 6. He ignored all the other cats around – very much The Cat Who Walks By Himself – but finally decided that he needed to return to the quiet of his own space in the DoubleWide.

Doing a little cat-yoga in comfort  (LBF)

Aspects of Kramer’s personality remind me of my own boy, who’s not a clingy cat, liking his own space and his own schedule, and who has only recently progressed to being on the lap, rather than beside the lap. Kramer has his favourite beds, his usual turf, and a few people that he tolerates – most of the other cats might as well not exist for him. He’s not an assertively “Garbo-cat” resident, but would probably do well in a quiet home where he’s the only cat, and can establish his territory without feline interference.  And if it never happens? - well, he’s already showing that he can settle to a comfortable life in the Sanctuary.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Daphne Jorgenson

Finding Homes for Multiples

Purrito and Potsticker

Some of the cats that come into our care at the Sanctuary are cats that don’t like other cats. At the Sanctuary, that’s actually not an issue – they can find space for themselves and avoid unnecessary encounters. And if that dislike results in peeing and marking – well, we can always do more laundry!

Dumpling

Occasionally they will do really well in a home if they are the Only Cat – where they can claim the territory for themselves and have all the attention of their human.  But when it comes to adopting out cats and kittens, we usually suggest that people adopt a pair – especially when it comes to kittens – or to match a new cat to the social nature of their existing cat.  

Jinx

Currently we have the situation of several bonded adult cats in our care, cats that we feel should be kept together if possible. These are cats who have a clear preference for each other’s company, and who we think would be unhappy to lose friend or sibling. All of them are very sweet cats, tame and sociable.

Whiskers

In the SingleWide are 7-year old brothers Whiskers and Jinx.  They were caged together initially, and when released they wandered freely in the area – not necessarily together – but they can often be found in company, and sharing the couch with a volunteer or visitor.

Whiskers specializes in "yoga sleeping" - AG

They’ve had an enforced separation recently, when Jinx had some necessary dental surgery and was caged to recover, so it will be interesting to watch the re-establishment of the bond. Whiskers regularly visits with his brother and talks through the cage door.

Kramer & Riker

In the DoubleWide are Kramer and Riker. Both boys had originally come from us, and were returned when there were family difficulties; Riker is about two years old and Kramer several years older. 

Kramer is very regal!

Kramer is a big tabby boy, probably with some Maine Coon in him (though not the pointed ears!); he was very wary and reactive initially, but has calmed down a lot, and now solicits petting. A lot of his comfort, I think, derives from the company of his buddy Riker. Riker is also a tabby, but with a lot of reddish fur – he’s a very beautiful boy. He’s also probably got some ragdoll in his make-up – he just loves to be picked up and cuddled, and is happy to be held on his back and have his tummy rubbed.

Riker is more curious, and loves lap-time

Our DoubleWide cages are much larger than the ones in the Adoption Centre where the kittens are kept, but for two big boys, it’s still a bit cramped, so Riker and Kramer have a duplex – we cut a small panel between cages so they can choose where to be. Sometimes they’re in separate areas; sometimes they’re visiting together.  We’re reluctant to let them out with the other cats, because we don’t want them to get used to going outside; when RAPS adopts cats out, we require a commitment to keep them as indoor cats. We can also keep them safer from infections in a confined area. But we’d love to see the two of them go to a good home where they can roam the house.

Pussycat pile

The other duplex in the DoubleWide is the home of not two, but three large cats. Potsticker, Dumpling and their sister Purrito were dumped without any explanation. The three of them are beautiful healthy cats in good condition, so someone loved them, but we have no knowledge of their background. They love attention and petting – Potsticker is the attention hog – and though Dumpling was initially a bit reactive when he arrived, like Kramer, he has relaxed and taken comfort from his cage-mates.

Purrito - all the cuteness!

Finding an adopter for three big beautiful cats is not easy – thinking of taking two is feasible, but three...  But these three need to be together – so we keep looking for a situation where they can have room to explore and be at home, with lots of love and attention.

Dumpling

There are always lots of kittens looking for homes, and single adult cats – but it’s so much harder to find homes for multiples.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Akira Graham