Care for the Caregivers

January 2024:  KitKat (MW)
KitKat loved her people (especially Justin) for shoulder time
and lap-time - other cats, not so much....

As we enter a new year, we often take time to review the year past, to celebrate the big occasions and remember the hard ones – and in particular, to think about the friends we have loved and lost in the past twelve months.  

March 2024:  Hope  (KN)
The grand old lady of the Front Courtyard, Hope loved both people and other cats;
her friends Carly and Celine really miss her

At the Sanctuary, we do this not only at the turn of the year, but also in the summer, on what we call the Day of Chance, when a potluck occasion offers the chance to gather in person and remember the cats who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge; I will sometimes write about them at that time, but I have made it a tradition to do a blog tribute to the cats we have loved in a turn-of-year posting like this one.

March 2024:  Huey  (LBF)
Gentle and wise, Huey was greatly beloved, especially by Daphne,
who called him her Quality Control Inspector in the Double-Wide

The term that is strongly in my mind right now, though, is Compassion Fatigue, and I want to take the opportunity to think particularly of our Sanctuary med staff over the past years. As any caregiver knows, it can be exhausting tending to the sick or the ailing, and their days are full of tasks that focus on the cats’ health – wellness checks, monitoring and treating diabetics, administering medications, dealing with ringworm and fleas and ear infections, fluids for kidney cats, complete tending of new incomers who are not ready for volunteer care, and many other tasks.

May 2024: Dodger (MW)
Named for the dodging of cars that brought her to us,
this sweet lady was the benevolent queen in the SingleWide.

Many human patients are grateful to their caregivers – not so, with the majority of cats, and it’s hard to have to express your love by immobilizing your patient in order to deal with an eye infection, or to deal with the dirty bum of an incontinent cat who hates the necessary bath.

May 2024: Cagney  (MW)
One of our oldest "detective" cats, (the link is to Claire's blog of 12 years ago).
Cagney struggled with arthritis in the last years - but always loved attention and tidbits!

It’s the med staff, too, with our RAPS vets at the hospital, who sometimes have to make the necessary call that a cat is suffering too much, and needs to be released from its pain – or who find a cat who has “crashed” and have to do the final run to the hospital.

June 2024: Midnight  (KN)
I spent a lot of time coaxing this feral boy into accepting petting and grooming; 
chicken and consistency were key, until his health took a bad turn.  Miss you, Midnight!

And it’s the med staff who are at the Hospital with the cats to the end, reassuring them as they pass that they are still in loving hands, and undoubtedly grieving as they drive back to the Sanctuary afterwards.

July 2024: Leonardo di Catprio  (KN - the last photo)
This boy was a Back Courtyard icon, and his passing took many of us
by surprise, though he had become more frail...

I don’t think anyone goes into animal rescue care for the money – it’s a calling more than a career.  And burnout is not uncommon – if only a dozen or so cats leave to find new homes by adoption, they are well outweighed by the number of cats who pass in a year.  We have an aging population, we have cats with health issues as the reason for coming to us, and we have many ferals who have begun their lives malnourished and at risk, and who carry the side-effects into their later years.  Someone has to arrive early every morning to give the necessary early meds – and someone is there late into the evening to deal with the last doses.

August 2024: Raisin (KN)
This sweet old lady had come to us via a Vancouver parking lot;
she was fearful and hissy, but learned that humans often brought good food.

Cats who have been greatly loved are watched carefully when we know their time is coming, and it’s the med-staff who are ready when a furry body is found cold in its bed.  How can this be anything other than emotionally exhausting?  We volunteers grieve when a beloved cat passes, but we don’t have to carry the burden of responsibility for all of them – and we can step away and take a break when needed.

October 2024: Tumbleweed  (LBF)
Another Back Courtyard icon - Tumbleweed had cerebellar hypoplasia,
with little control over his movement, but lots of determination, and many people who loved him.

So, along with remembering the cats we’ve loved and lost this year, let’s also remember the med staff who have given them care and love – often unwanted and unappreciated by their furry patients, but always necessary.  I am grateful that we can give the gift of a gentle passing when needed – it is both the most loving and one of the hardest things we can do for a beloved pet. And when we mourn a beloved feline friend, let’s remember that the med staff also mourn, and have to deal with the “nothing that could be done” frustration that comes at the end for caregivers.  

November 2024: Quinn (KN)
This shy sweet boy was wary to the end - unless you had a treat in your hand;
if there was food he would summon up his courage and allow contact.

In this New Year, I hope that they can take all that makes them the caregivers they are, and make self-care a priority, giving themselves as much generosity and love as they give to our furry friends, and turning compassion fatigue into compassion satisfaction.

November: Calvin (MW)
He was the longest, skinniest boy, with the biggest appetite, 
and LOOOOVED his chicken. Michele's favourite cat - so many pictures!

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

loving memories also of
January: Jethro, Maximilian & Plum  /  February: Perry  / March: Tashi, Desmond, Monty1, Brodie  /  April: Gigi, Portia, & Kiefer  / May: Layla & Chester / June: Salina, Lulu  / July: Hailey, Sambuca & Percival  /  August: Paylan, John Henry, Malcolm, Marie /  September: Ginger  /  October:  Bill, Clementine, Big Dave, Jillian  /  November: Tiki & Cinnamon  /  December: Meepos, Monty 2, Magnus & Len

Calendar 2025 - out-takes!

Peaches - but she's more gloriously calico
than you can see here!   (KN)

‘Tis that time of year again, and the phenomenon of the annual RAPS Calendar pops up.  Actually, it pops up back in July, with the beginning of my calls to photographers and the requests for specific considerations – are there pairs or groups? - is there anything seasonal? - are there particular stories to link to our models?

One photographer taken by the other -
with model Jasper at his most endearing    (MK)

This year the calendar features the work of staff members Karen Nicholson and Mike Fossey. All the staff and volunteers at the Sanctuary are known to whisk cell-phones out for quick pics, and many of them are really good, and have been featured in blogs and on the website. But Karen and Mike take their big lenses really seriously, and both have that magic eye for the personality of a cat.

We lost Raisin as we were doing last proofs -
and her portrait was withdrawn   (KN)

The Calendar is launched this week with pre-orders here, but, as I have done before in a blog, here are some of the ones that didn’t get featured for various reasons – though quality was not one of them!

This is so typical of Biggie - but do we really
want to see closed eyes for a full month?  (KN)

What are my criteria for shortlisting? I’m looking for a spectrum of colours and breeds across the year, with not too much dominance in any area. I’m looking to learn something about the cat in question, about their personality.  I’m looking for a picture that I can have on my wall for a full month and still see interesting things in it. 

It's good to see Boston out and about - but he
looks like he's emerging from prison!  (KN)

I try to avoid pictures with cage bars or pen netting where possible – though sometimes it’s artistically valid. And I try to avoid selecting a cat who has featured in the previous year’s calendar.

Such affection in this picture - but Thorne (R) was featured
last year, and we lost Percival (L) recently  (MK)

It’s hard to turn the page of a calendar and be faced with the picture of a cat that we’ve all loved and lost – sometimes we know it’s going to happen (as in Percival’s passing) and sometimes it comes as a shock to us all.

We miss you, sweet Leonardo diCatprio   (KN)

and sometimes I look at a photo of a cat and think “you’ll likely not be with us next year...”

old-lady Bricklyn is looking increasingly fragile  (KN)

With both Sam and Cheeto featured this year as our orange cats, I was sad not to be able to justify this picture of sweet Daffodil. She came from Kamloops, but missed out on bonding with the other orange floofs – she divides her time between the DoubleWide and the Newcomers.

Daffodil is still very wary around us  (MK)

Artistically, I really like the photos in which the cats naturally frame themselves, or in which the colour or texture of the object that hides them is also interesting;  in the end, that was why we selected Gizzard’s picture, rather than Barbie’s – she hid herself a little too much.

Barbie did NOT want to be in the open for her portrait  (MK)

There were a number of photos of the Cranbrook College cats, and of the Pen 8 Kootenays cats;  Li’l Bit from the first group won the cover picture prize, and Zoey being squinty claimed a page, but both had serious competition.

Bernadette, of the College cats, is a tree-climber to find a quiet place  (KN)

Already, I’m starting to think about the next calendar – can we do more seasonal shots? - do we need shots that show more of the Sanctuary? - who are the potential models who’ve not yet had their moment in the sun? - Gwen?  Kramer?  Amaretto? Oscar or Winston?  This is the thirteenth calendar from the Sanctuary, and there is a continuous flow of refugees coming into our care and no lack of potential pictures for next year.

Sweet Skye is shyer than her other sisters  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Mike Kossey & Karen Nicholson

Now go and find the Calendar to see the photos that made it!
For online purchase, click HERE

Aggression? or Fear?

Junji - named for Junji Ito, manga horror artist! - (KN)

We’ve recently had a few cats come into the Sanctuary with a reputation for being somewhat spicy. 

The latest has been striking-looking Junji, who was transferred from the Adoption Centre when it became obvious that he was not going to make a good impression on potential adopters.  I was in the DoubleWide when he was brought across to the Sanctuary, and put in one of the large cages there. There was a great deal of feline bad language from him, and inevitably all the local big boys had to come and inspect the exterior of his cage, which probably raised his blood-pressure! 

Junji still caged and a little edgy    (BC)

The following day I visited, and with a certain amount of trepidation, went in to introduce myself to Junji. He was much calmer than I’d anticipated, allowed petting, hopped down to the floor via my knee and returned to his shelf without either bad language or bad behaviour. He was obviously happier now he had space to move, and less sense of confinement.  As the days passed, it was apparent that he was quite accepting of his surroundings, and once his vaccines had taken effect, Junji was released.

Junji the explorer  (KN)

Initially he roamed the building quite happily, avoiding the alpha cats, but exploring every inch he could reach. Within a day or two he was out in the courtyard and investigating with enthusiasm – although we put a collar on him, he has shown no aggression to humans, and only when challenged, to other felines.

Lounging happily (with a suspicious Celeste)   (KN)

Junji shows us an example of cage aggression, which is no big deal in RAPS, but which can spell a death sentence to a cat in a kill shelter. 

Bill the junkyard cat was not a happy (caged) camper 
in his early days with us    (BH)

We try to use cages sparingly. In the Sanctuary they are used when new cats arrive, to allow time for vaccines to take hold, for the cat to accept a new place, for them to get used to humans being around – and then we open the cage and let them make the decisions about living indoors or outdoors, openly or in hiding. Cages are also used when a cat needs medical treatment or restricted movement, or when it is one of several feral black cats who won’t easily be accessible for medication.   Most of our cages are large ones, allowing a scared cat to retreat right to the back. Several are 6-foot high, allowing visiting humans to sit with that scared cat. 

Honey, fresh out of her cage   (KN)

In the Adoption Centre the cages are smaller, but most of the cats are already people-social and adoption-ready. The stressor there seems to be that though the cats can have their time at large in the main room, they keep having to be returned to their cage. This was very much Junji’s problem. Another cat now in the Front Courtyard has a similar background – Honey was very reactive in the cage, and inclined to slap her visitors, but since being released and able to explore the area, she has proved to be a sweetheart, and has earned her “adoptable” bandana with her affectionate behaviour with visitors.

Honey flirting with all the weekend visitors   (KN)

Scared cats seem to have two main ways of dealing with their fear – they shrink into the smallest possible space and try not to be seen, or they decide that attack is the best defence, and make themselves as fearsome as possible. In a shelter where they may not have any option other than a cage, cats like this will be passed over for adoption in favour of a “nicer” cat, and if space is at a premium, they may not be given time to adapt. We are so fortunate that the Adoption Centre and the Sanctuary can work together in this way, and that cats like Junji and Honey have space and time to find themselves without feeling constantly fearful.

Lunette was sometimes known as "lunatic" in her early days with us.
She's a sweet girl now  (JS)

Thinking back, a lot of our cats have suffered from this cage aggression. I’m not talking about straight aggression – cats like Sophie and Parker and Gizmo have always been reactive and angry, regardless of whether they’re in a cage or not. But sweet cats like Lindor are remembered for their former cage attacks on unsuspecting staff and volunteers (several of them had warning signs on their cages) and now he looks for pets (and food) from just about everyone. 

Lindor the former cage slasher is now a love-bug   (KN)

Looking back at other blogs: Tyson, BB, Lunette, Bill, our beloved Leonardo diCatprio (RIP), and as yet unblogged cats like TicTac and Eddie – they are all cats who, in standard shelter conditions would probably be passed over and/or avoided altogether. Fear and anger came together – as they do with humans shut into cages! - and few shelters have the time and space to remedy the situation. Coming to the Sanctuary gave them time to adjust to more space, to quiet humans who were ready to allow them to work at their own pace, and finally, to explore a safe version of an uncaged world.

Eddie regularly attacked visitors to his cage
 - and then he walked out, and relaxed with everybody!  (KN)

It was routine, with Kitty Comforter visits to Eddie, that you would shed some blood – but when the door opened, it was a new, calmer Eddie that walked out into the Front Courtyard and made himself at home with us. 

It’s lovely to see it happening again with Junji and Honey. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Brielle Hutchison, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint

Be Good While I’m Gone

Elvis - up close and personal   (KN)

I’ve volunteered at the Sanctuary for more than thirteen years now, and being with the cats has been a big part of my life. Not only is the place Sanctuary for the cats, but it is also Sanctuary for many of the volunteers, staff and visitors who enter the gates. I’ve been blessed by loving much about my work life, but cat-time – even when it involves scooping poop and cleaning up cat-barf – is something else, and I have encountered many loves there.  So the prospect of being away from them for more than a month is hard to contemplate – even though I’m very excited by the prospect of a holiday.

The regal and demanding Cole  (KN)

I often arrive with a baggie of chicken tidbits, and there is a certain amount of cupboard love involved. But whatever the motivation, it’s hard not to be touched when you arrive and your voice is recognized; when cats start gathering and vocalizing.  Probably my favourite thing is to enter the back courtyard – to have black Cole asking to be picked up, and tabby Celeste looking for petting. Before I get around the corner Pumpkin is hurrying down the stairs from Newcomers, and Midnight is emerging from his hiding place and anxiously calling me.

Midnight (BC) - still wary,
but increasingly comfortable with petting

Midnight’s very much a work in progress right now – he’s gone from being a touch-me-not feral to gently accepting food from my fingers, and ducking his head to solicit head scratches and full-body petting. He enjoys being groomed, but is easily spooked by the presence of other humans, and warned off by other cats. He is more vocal than many of the cats – and has been known to paw for attention when I have another cat on my lap.  I seem to be the only person with whom he allows this degree of contact, and I really hope that while I’m away, he will allow someone else to give him the pets that he craves. 

Sylar, asking if there's any more chicken,,,,   (BC)

Midnight can often be found with his grey buddy Sylar, who is officially my sponsor cat – Sylar will also accept food from the hand, but you need to watch your fingers; in his anxiety, he will not always aim well, and nipped fingers are a regular occurrence. Sylar does not allow contact that does not involve food – he is definitely a chickaholic. He will (reluctantly) allow petting when caged, and his body enjoys it, but his brain doesn’t – I’m not sure I’ll ever get him to where Midnight is...

Leo loves attention - cuddles often, admiration always...  (BC)

Beautiful Leonardo diCatprio is a regular greeter when I arrive on Friday mornings, and is another who loves to be picked up and snuggled when it’s his idea. Karen is his person of choice, but he is happy to make do with me if she doesn’t arrive. He is one of those cats who drapes himself elegantly in his basket or on the courtyard table, and demands to be admired. Food is less the draw than a caressing hand for Leo.

The Elvis cuddlers - Vince, Daphne, Brigid

And I will SO miss my buddy Elvis, who follows me around on my Friday morning shift, doing quality control on all the bowls of dry food.  At break times, he likes to take a flying leap so that he can cuddle on my chest and offer kisses.  He and I are not exclusive – he will cuddle with other people, so I don’t think he’ll be deprived of attention – but Elvis-time is a very special experience, and I will miss it. I sure hope he can find a home with someone who can give him all the love - but I also hope it'll wait till I'm back.

Scout (BC)

My own boy Scout is going to summer-camp with Debbie, where he will be loved and cared for – and the Neko-Blog is on a five-week hiatus while I am away on a largely cat-less vacation (my family are mostly dog-people!) Check at www.catsanctuary.ca for whatever will take the place of the weekly blog – I’ll be back at the Sanctuary in August! 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Gardens and Gattos

Mercury (LBF)

Many of our cats have come to the Sanctuary as untamed ferals, and the experience of being caged is very uncomfortable for them – necessary, initially, because we need to take time to assess them and have the Kitty Comforters work with them – but often not something that can be sustained.

Fabian  (KN)

These are the cats who, in other circumstances, would be deemed unadoptable, and euthanized;  they don’t want anything to do with us, and in the buildings, they try to stay high up and out of the way, or hidden behind a drape. In the gardens they can find hiding places in the greenery.

Chirpy supervising planting  (KN)

Lindor helping with choices   (KN)

The Sanctuary is truly a sanctuary for them, because there are so many places they can hide, especially if they are back-courtyard cats. We have several volunteers who are gardeners, and much work has gone into filling flower beds, so that they can also be safe cat-beds. 

Leonardo diCatprio  (KN)

Preparing the garden to do some new planting always brings a few feline helpers, and planting needs to be done quickly to avoid too many deposits in the fresh soil. 

Hillie  (KN)

Some plants, like lilies, are not good for cats to be around, and they have been carefully eradicated; roses rather than lilies have gone into the beds, as well as splashes of colour with red runner beans (tasty for humans) and nasturtiums.  Summer interns have seen to the regular watering of both front and back gardens, and emptied water-bowls keep things moist.

Rico  (LBF)

Charlotte staying out of reach  (KN)

There is netting all around the Sanctuary to keep the cats in and the coyotes out – but the mesh is hidden for the most part by shrubbery, which offers shy cats all kinds of place to hide. Japanese knotweed springs up very quickly around the edges, and needs constant cutting back – but the cats in the north pens like it for shade and sleeping places.

Kramer   (LBF)

Some of the pens are grassed, and it’s often allowed to grow to give comfy corners for snoozing; maintaining it is hard, though, since the little feline “gifts” in the grass make a standard mower impractical, and the weed-whacker is pretty noisy.

Racks  (MRJ)

Potted Holland  (KN)

In the pens that are largely paved, greenery is provided with potted plants, and climbing plants. And if the pots are large enough, they provide another comfy place for resting.

Chaga  (MW)

Pen 6 has both real and artificial grass – but many of the inhabitants like to be up on the waist-level walkway where they can have shade and hiding places in overhanging plants, or sitting on the window-ledge of their play-hut.

Sandy goes climbing (KN)

Trees have their place too – both to provide leafy hiding places, and to allow for some height. We were all concerned when feral Sandy needed a back leg amputation to rid her of a cancer; it’s good to see that it hasn’t slowed her down much, and she’s even trying a little tree-climbing.

Ollie  (LBF)

Even Ollie will abandon his bed on the clean laundry to go out and enjoy a little sunshine and smell the flowers - and Alfred will take time out from bugging other cats to enjoy the garden world.

Alfred  (LBF)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Marla Rae Jenkins, 

Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright