Texans in the Single-Wide

Syd-Sr.

Most of the RAPS cats come to us as ferals or strays; some are surrendered with behavioural issues; just occasionally they arrive when their human can no longer care for them.  Two years ago, a woman in Texas reached out to us. She had probably heard of us through the Pets and Pickers show, she had done some internet research, and now she was asking for a very special partnership with RAPS. Her health was declining; she knew that she would probably have to go into hospice care, and she needed to know that her beloved cats would be in good hands.  With her lawyer’s help, she made a bequest in her will that would enable their continued care at RAPS, as well as making it possible to get them to us.

Sunshine & Syd-Jr.

That promise came due this summer when she went into end-of-life care, and it was time to bring the cats to Richmond. Mandy Lichtman, with her daughter Maya, made the journey with the somewhat stressful return, described here by Mandy, and in early September the ten Texan cats came to the Adoption Centre, where they were temporarily housed for assessment, and given a chance to assess us in their turn.  From there, they were moved into the Sanctuary proper; some into the Hill House (two large cages where five of them could move freely), one in the Connor House, and four in the SingleWide.

Oreo snoozing with Syd-Sr.

Some of the SingleWide cats are still caged – some health issues, and waiting for vaccines to take effect.  Syd-Sr is a sweet panther; he had some time in a cone with dental stuff, and the med staff removed the shelf in his cage to deter him from much jumping. (Sadly, that meant getting down and up from the floor – not such fun for us older KC’s!)  He looooves human attention and comes over to snuggle happily. 

Oreo is still suspicious of our motives...

His occasional cage-mate is black and white Oreo, who is not socially minded, and is more of a Garbo (I-vant-to-be-alone) cat.  You can offer treats to Oreo, but she is mostly disinterested – not even accepting the Churus that everyone else adores.  Beware the lightning paw – Anne tells me she can be petted – but not by me, yet!

Syd-Jr

In the facing cage by the window you will find Syd-Jr – no relation to the other Syd, and a cheerful boy who loves attention. He has obviously had a haematoma ear at some point, because though not as crumpled as the left ear of our sweet Bossanova, it bends flat (more like Little Orange’s ear). Syd is quick to jump up for cuddles, but has to compete with his roomie, who is quite clear that visitors come to visit her.

Sunshine

Sunshine is the oldest of the group, and very clearly the commanding dowager.  She will join Syd-Jr on a lap, and then turn and smack him till he gives over space to her. Both these cats have some respiratory issues, and having them in the SingleWide will help the med staff keep a careful eye on them.

Texas Sophie loves visitors

The fifth cat was initially in the Connor House, and has joined her family in the SW. Her name is Texas Sophie (to distinguish her from the Sophie in the back courtyard), and she is a sweetheart and a cuddle-bug – so much so that it’s difficult to get a good picture of her, since she’s excited when someone visits her. She’s another of those cats that has decided to remain in her cage, even though the door is open; she was taken over to the Hill House to see the other members of her family, but quickly returned.  She is over-grooming, probably from anxiety, and her legs are almost bare of fur; we may have to try some anti-anxiety meds for her. As KC coordinator Anne points out, the Single-wide is a good place for those nervous kitties; it's quieter than the courtyards and they're able to get more human attention.  

Not shaved down for surgical care - 
Texas Sophie over-grooms when she's anxious!

Under the terms of their owner’s bequest, all the Texas cats are now permanent residents of the Sanctuary, and not on the adoptable list;  you’ll have to come visit on Sunday afternoons to get cuddle time with them...

Welcome to Canada, sweeties! 

Blog & photos by Brigid Coult

Over the Bridge in 2023

Pandora - December - LBF

Pandora came to us in bad shape, but she had
nearly two years of greatly improved health with us before her aging body had had enough.

The Sanctuary is a place where we celebrate life – specifically, the lives of many cats who, in other circumstances, would have been euthanized for being unadoptable.  Many ferals have come through our hands, and though some have eventually accepted human attention, others have remained feral for much of their lives. Adopters shy away from taking cats with FIV or FeLV, diabetes or kidney disease – and we rejoice that we have been able to give them shelter and treatment. We have partnered with rescues in other places, and taken groups of cats that a smaller organization may not be able to house.

Dango - June - KN

Dango came to us from Alberta in 2019, and joined the New Aids pen; earlier this year he was relocated to the Val Jones pen so that his renal diet could be closely monitored.

But because many of our cats are with us through much of their lives, we are, time and time again, with them for their deaths. Sometimes they are unexpected, as in cancer, or FIP.  Sometimes we watch the gradual aging of a beloved friend, and know that their time is come. Many cats hide their ill-health, and occasionally we will find them already passed; most of them are taken by a staff-member to the hospital, where they will pass gently, held by loving hands.

Kiwi - December - MW

Kiwi came from the same shelter as Dango;

we lost her to FIP, which is a random mutation of an otherwise standard feline coronavirus.

The turn of the year is a time when we look back over the past twelve months, and remember more than fifty of the furry friends who have “crossed the Rainbow Bridge”. So once again, this is less a blog, and more a photo-essay that may bring smiles and tears and memories and love of some very special cats. We can't feature them all, but here are a dozen of those who have gone ahead of us.

Tugboat - February - MW

Much beloved by all, Tugboat became very frail in his last year,
and was cuddled and comforted by humans and cats alike.

Sprint - December & Shaggy - July;  LBF

Little Sprint was a junkyard cat, very shy, and with health problems; 
Shaggy was one of the last of the “oldies” from the former Moore House.

Sara Lee - March - KN

Sara Lee had lived here for most of her 21-odd years.
Easily identified by her bi-coloured eyes and her smoke coat, she was a fixture at the coffee table, where she toured from one lap to another.

CB Lincoln - February - MW

Cinnamon Bun Lincoln was named for his curled tail,
and known for his tendency to pee on anything/anyone he wanted to claim.

Little Orange - October - KN

One-eyed Little Orange was loved by volunteers and visitors alike,
and is greatly missed by his friend Allison who visited him every week.
He’s reunited with his girlfriend, shy Merilee.

Stella - February - MW

Stella was a regal presence in the Tea-Room and the breezeway; 
she liked to sit high up and reach down a paw to those seeking her attention.

Bossanova - August - KN

Bossanova evolved from a shy boy hiding high on a shelf
to a cat who would hover hopefully, looking for treats and attention.

Jazz - September - KN

Jazz was the doorkeeper for the Single-Wide.

Originally collared as a signal that she was a reactive cat,

she came to enjoy the attention she got, and demanded that everyone stop on the way in to pet her.

Pancake - March - KN

Pancake was the son of Autumn, in the front Courtyard;
he proved too shy to be adopted, and returned to us to make his life
with his cat friends in the DoubleWide.

Tara - October - KN

Tara remained a scared feral most of her life with us,
only allowing contact in the last months when she was confused and forgetting that she was scared.

Hamlet - August - KN

Hamlet came to us as a feral, but soon developed a presence
 as a benevolent Godfather on the DW deck.

Rainbow over the Sanctuary - BC

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Titan and Dixie

KN

Litter-mates Titan and Dixie came to us from one of the shelters with which we work elsewhere in the province. Masset Animal Helpline serves Haida Gwaii, and sent us this pair who had been adopted and then abandoned when the owners moved. Because they had been living most of their lives outside the home, they were unsocialised and not considered adoptable. Pacific Coastal Airlines generously flew them down for free and we were able to pick them up at the South Terminal.

LBF

A very shy pair in their early days with us, they huddled in their cage in the Connor and didn’t want to respond to overtures from the Kitty Comforters.  Once the cage was opened, Titan, the braver of the two, went exploring, and for a while the two were separated when he seemed to be unable to find his way back to his sister.  Titan has always been the venturesome one – when you see an unfamiliar orange front courtyard cat, it’s probably him – Little Orange has those distinctive haematoma ears, and Tigger has quite defined white markings.

The other orange boys: Tigger & Little Orange - MW

Dixie - BC

For a while we had Dixie caged for medical care, and once released she zeroed in on the feral area as a place to feel safe.  In the very early days of the Sanctuary, there were rabbits as well as cats, and a covered courtyard space is known as the Old Rabbit Area. It is noted particularly for its draped shelves, well suited for scared ferals to feel they have a hiding place. Dixie has chosen “her” shelf, hoping to avoid contact with more than the occasional human visitor.  Not having weekend visitors during this COVID-19 time has actually been something of a blessing for the ferals.  We try to keep the Old Rabbit Area off-limits to visitors, but the cats are aware of new people around, and a bit on edge.  With no visitors, they seem much more relaxed.

Titan - KN

Titan has made himself at home, without settling in one place. He’s a cat that walks by himself, mostly – he tolerates other cats, but doesn’t interact with them much.  However, he does go and visit with his sister from time to time. He is starting to allow contact with humans; he will usually shy away unless he knows you, but his favourite people are allowed to offer gentle petting and treats. We hope that he can persuade Dixie that she should try it too.  Dixie accepts contact reluctantly, being cornered in her bed. The med staff have been bringing her tasty plates, so she is being more enthusiastic about what the appearance of a human might mean.

a happily-fed Dixie - BC

The two are very similar in appearance, but it’s on the rare occasions that Dixie ventures out that we see the big difference – she’s a “longy” - a cat with a stumpy tail, like Spooky in the back courtyard. This doesn’t necessarily make her a manx – manxes are about much more than the length of their tails. But it does make her more easy to identify!

Safe together - MS

Fourteen years ago RAPS founder Carol Reichart brought two orange siblings into the Sanctuary. Daniel and Henrik were a much loved pair – we lost Daniel last year and Henrik very recently.  It’s good to have a pair of orange siblings with us again in the front courtyard! Welcome to RAPS, Titan and Dixie!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Liaa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, 

Molly Sjerdal & Michele Wright

Pumpkin Cats for Halloween

Tradition holds that black cats are the symbols for Halloween – but with an abundance of pumpkins around, this Halloween I’d rather think about the Sanctuary's crop of orange cats.

Pumpkins - DW

Pumpkin is obviously a great name for an orange cat – in fact, I’m surprised we have had only two Pumpkins at the Sanctuary – one a feral leukemia cat, now passed, and our current Pumpkin, who was actually named more for his orange eyes than for his pale orange colouring

Pumpkin - MW

This Pumpkin is mostly an inhabitant of the Newcomers area; he’s an excellent example of a semi-feral cat who appreciates humans bearing food, but is not really happy about all the touchy-feely stuff – he will allow a little stroke here and there, and he’s a long way from being the angry feral that came in to us, but he prefers to stay at arm’s length, other than with specially favoured visitors like Moira.

Simba - DW

The intense orange of a good pumpkin is better echoed in the colouring of a cat like Simba. This sweet boy came to us as one of the first from a closing shelter on the Sunshine Coast; since the pen he was in has been opened, Simba has enjoyed the chance to wander and make new friends. 

Simba - MD

He excels at finding laps and making himself comfortable – and as all cat-lovers know, there’s no better therapy than a purring cat in the lap. Apparently he was initially surrendered as a pee-er – probably a protest against not being allowed outside. Here at the Sanctuary he has outside privileges in safety, and lots of friends to love him.

Simba lap-cat - MD

OJ is not only pumpkin-coloured, he’s also pumpkin-shaped! He is one of the few cats in pen 4 (ferals) who will allow touch, and it usually needs to be accompanied by treats. 

OJ - DW

We recently opened pen 2, all the inhabitants of whom had come to us last year from the Five Road shelter. Some of that colony have stayed safely in the area they know, but others have enthusiastically ventured out to explore. Parry is one of those cats, happily visiting with volunteers in the tea-room or poking his nose into the double-wide. His orange friend Pavel is much more wary about passing the gate...

Parry - BC

A long-time back courtyard feline pumpkin is Albi, though his solid-orange coat is a darker shade than Parry or Simba. Another semi-feral, Albi will cautiously allow touch, though he’s obviously not that enthusiastic about it. 

Albi - MW

Another pumpkin-shaped orange cat lives in the Single-Wide; Paylan came in with Mom Marisa (now passed).  After several years living with us, a vet-visit informed us that “he” was “she” and the renamed Sarah Paylan can usually be found tucked away on a shelf. She belongs to the school of cat behaviour that calls for as little exertion as possible – hence the shape! We do have several other orange female cats (statistically, 95% of orange cats are male) but most of them are orange and white, and only Blanche and Paylan are predominantly ginger

Sarah Paylan - DW

The front courtyard also has a good collection of orange cats – sweet Gilbert, shy Lucky, brothers Henrik (in the Val Jones area) and Daniel, as well as orange and white Tigger.

Fall in the front courtyard - DW

But a feature on our pumpkin-coloured cats wouldn’t be complete without a look at the not-so-small Little Orange, friend and protector of Merilee, worshipper of Sunday visitor Allison, and one of the softest-furred cats in the Sanctuary.

Little Orange - MW

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Food, Fun and Feline Friendship

Precious claims her own bag! - DW

Every Sunday afternoon visitors arrive at the Sanctuary, and many of them bring gifts.  Often, they’re very practical and welcome gifts – a new cat-bed, a couple of bags of dry cat-food, a bag of Fancy Feast cans. More often they are intended for immediate use – the inevitable bags of cat-treats!

Some visitors are known to bring tasty food! - MW

It’s inevitable, I suppose. We want these cats to want to be with us, and for many food-motivated cats, treats are a way of attracting them.  When sweet Gilbert first came to us he was an untouchable feral.  Many Temptations later, he has learned that humans carry good stuff, and are no longer to be feared.

MW

But it’s sometimes hard to get our visitors to see that handing around cat-treats is like having many boxes of cookies open at a children’s party. One or two treats – no problem.  But a handful of them from each of a dozen visitors, and cats are so full of goodies that they no longer want to interact.  Lori brings fish and chicken – good food for obligate carnivores – and many of the cats are already sated.

Little Orange and Latte anxiously wait for Lori to arrive - DW

I usually try to get visitors to restrict treats to just one at a time – just as you would only offer a child one cookie. What I find it’s often more important to teach is that cats love attention from their visitors as much as they love goodies – though what form that attention takes may vary.

Saffron loves bubbles - DW

Some cats are fascinated by bubbles - quietly watching them, or leaping to bat them and watch them disappear

Ninja hunts bubbles - MW

I rejoice in the Sunday visitors – many of them regulars – who “get it”. Some come almost every week, and make a point of sitting quietly with the cats who need a quiet lap and no action. Timmy, Tigger, Leland and several others have all benefited from this gentle approach.

A preferred technique for one visitor

Catnip is a favourite for many cats - though there are some that couldn't care less.  Feline opinion is divided over a preference for drooling over a catnip bag vs. the privilege of claiming the fresh green stuff.

Leland in a catnip coma - MW

Our sweet departed Bobby claimed this plant for himself - DW

Almost as much appreciated is the cat-grass that some of our volunteers grow at home and bring into the Sanctuary.  The back courtyard cats have access to grass in most of the pens, but for the indoor cats and the caged cats, a nibble of greenery is much enjoyed

The SingleWide cats enjoy a cat-grass treat - DW

Scott and Mel go from area to area, calling in with favourites all over the Sanctuary. They encourage play – they always bring fishing-pole toys, and many of “their” cats have a wonderfully energetic session with them, leaping and chasing feathers (and not fingers).

Slim jumping - AM

But they are also able to be quiet and patient when needed; they groom and pet, and sit patiently waiting for the shyer cats to approach. Mel has been doing some wonderful work with timid grey Mischa in the back courtyard.

Mischa allowing a closer approach - MD

This, of course, is the basis on which our Kitty Comforters are selected – noticing the people who are able to be quiet and patient with nervous cats; to groom, or play, or treat on occasion, and never to force interaction if the cat is not yet ready for it. Many of our former ferals will never be ready for adoption, and it’s one of the blessings of the Sanctuary that we are able to allow that, and know that feral or friendly, the cats have a safe home with us for the duration of their lives.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Angelina Mak, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright