July rainbows

Neko, from the Leukemia pen  (KN)

One of the hard things about involvement in the Cat Sanctuary – and I think it has to be particularly hard on the med-staff – is the number of cats we lose through the year. The cat population at the Adoption Centre constantly changes, but it changes because Adoption Centre cats are gone to new homes. The majority of our Sanctuary losses are the cats we lose to age and illness, and it hurts to come in and find that a beloved friend has gone.

Denzel always sat with his paws neatly turned out  (BC)

Often this seems to happen in waves. We had a couple of months earlier in the year when we had only a couple of passings – but this past July has been painful: 12 cats gone in 26 days.  And somehow, to have them cross the rainbow bridge in this lovely weather feels all wrong.  

Jerry, from the Val Jones pen  (KN)

The first to go was sweet battered-looking Jerry in the Val Jones;  Jerry was one of the few FIV cats that showed the effects of the virus; he struggled with skin problems and mouth problems.  But he loved his feline buddies and his human friends, and was never happier than when having cuddles. Three days later we lost Neko from the Leukemia pen, and Denzel from the DW deck. Handsome Neko had been a very spooked feral for some time after coming to us, spending most of his time in the overhead walkways, but in the last couple of years his reserve had thawed, and he came down to enjoy petting from staff and volunteers.  Denzel was the last cat trapped at the old 5 Road shelter, before RAPS left it for demolition and rebuilding; he was a good buddy of Luke and Bodhi, and of Hamlet, now gone – the three tuxedos formed the core of what Daphne called the Mafia cats in the Catsino - and Denzel was the honorary consigliere.

from the gremlin Autumn was when she first arrived....

to the flirt who loved everyone   (KN)

The following day, sweet Autumn crossed the bridge. Autumn had been with us since 2012 when she arrived with her kittens; the angry hissy girl of those early days turned into a floofy flirt who enjoyed nothing better than human attention. She’d had mouth problems for at least the last year, and a lot of cage time while the vets tried to sort out what what happening with her.

Chumley, lounging in Pen 1 (MW)

Paula, exploring outside Pen 2   (MW)

A surprise passing was Juliette, one of the cats from what we call the Newton hoard. Most of that colony is doing well, but one of our concerns with them is how inbred they likely are, and it’s probable that Juliet was carrying a genetic timebomb.   Three days later, we lost four cats in a single day.  Two of them were seniors: Chumley (kidney disease) had been with us 14 years, and Paula (cancer) for a bit less; she was one of the Pen 2 cats who came to us in 2016. As we lost the older cats from that colony, Paula stepped up to become quite the bossyboots, changing from a hide-away girl to one who roamed the courtyard.  Lloyd in Pen 4 has gone to be with his beloved buddy Len across the Bridge, and with him was one of the Hotel cats from the past winter's trapping;  we never really got to know Kimpton well, and he was not a happy Sanctuary dweller, unlike his companions Westin and Wyndham.

Higgins, in the DoubleWide  (KN)

The following week, sweet Higgins passed;  he came to us as a battered boy, and he never really recovered his health, constantly struggling with skin conditions – possibly an auto-immune situation. He rarely ventured outside, making his home in the Double Wide, where there were always people around to make much of him;  he was pretty wary of other cats.|

Would there be any chicken for me?  (KN)

Two more shocks – little Nova, from the SingleWide, was gone at the weekend; Nova had arrived with her kittens, and been a very ferocious mama until they went for adoption;  once they were gone she settled into Sanctuary living, becoming a chickaholic and a happy dancer. The SingleWide seems very empty without her determined begging!  And sweet semi-feral Fletcher, who came to us with his buddies Fonzie and Flynn, had been hiding away and losing weight; both of them had cancer.  Fletcher had been learning that humans were not so bad, but the feral instinct is not to show weakness and by the time he was seen, it was too late.

We had all too little time with Fletcher   (BC)

So July was a pretty brutal month – and all that on top of losing Willow, Charlotte, Sylar, Flash, Marble and Adam in June. Four of those were seniors, and anticipated – the loss is never welcome, but the passing of senior cats has to be accompanied by gratitude for their long lives with us, and for all the love that was shared with them. And even for the relative newcomers like Juliette, Fletcher and Kimpton, we take comfort in knowing that their time with us was lived in safety, and with much love and care from staff and volunteers. Rainbows at the Bridge mean there was rain, and tears – but their light was so beautiful... 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Sweet Siblings

Honeydew, Melon & Kiwi  (KN/LL)

At the beginning of this week, whatever Powers-That-Be that decree the names of specific days informed the world that Monday was National Siblings Day in the US and Canada.  We’d just been posting a bunch of other stuff to social media, so we decided that this week’s blog would give us a Belated Siblings Day at the Cat Sanctuary.

We don't KNOW that Cornelius & Scarlett are sibs
- but it's quite possible  (KN)

Family groups have always been a thing at the Sanctuary, and over thirteen years of volunteering here, I have known and loved many – now passed. Long-time volunteers will fondly remember one-eyed Val and her family: Savannah, Paulo, Silverfox and Latte. Pretty Hope, in the Connor, is the last of her family – brothers Domino and GusGus are gone now. We lost our beloved Miller – preceded some time before by sisters Fiona and Schatze.

Juno, Atlas & Mercury  (LBF)

But there is no lack of siblings around, because we are frequently a resource for other shelters who cannot accommodate large groups – usually family groups – of semi-feral cats. Our own most recent population explosion brought in what we call the McLeod cats, and though some were adopted, Juno, Nyx, Atlas and Mercury are regular occupants of Pen 1, and are in no haste to gain tame-cat status. Also in Pen 1, but from a different source, are orange brothers Chumley and Siskel – both fast to slap out at someone who comes too close.

Siskel & Chumley  (KN)

There have to be siblings in Pen 3, though there’s no knowing precisely who’s related to who.  My guess is that Reinhardt and Holly may be sibs – similar in build, though not in colouring, and with the same light green eyes, and Baker and Jenkins are look-alike tuxes (though Baker is now a chonk!).

Len & Lloyd  (LBF)

In Pen 4 we have two long-haired tabby boys who came from Kamloops. Lloyd and Len are practically always found together; they’re very shy (as most of the pen 4 ferals are), but they love each other’s company.

Orange floofs hang together (JS)

There can be no denying the family resemblance in Pen 6 – from the same rescue in Kamloops, though from a different colony, many of us struggle to tell the difference between Persimmon, Buffy, Kumquat, Creamsicle, Cheeto, Ginger and Rapunzel. At least Kelvin and Billy are short-haired, and though Chamomile and Chaga are floofs like the first group, their colouring makes them easy to identify among the sea of orange fur!

Owen, Zoey, Betsy   (KN)

Our newcomers in Pen 8 (now on the loose) are equally identifiable AND non-identifiable. SweetPea and Curious have different coloured eyes, and very different behaviour; Zoe, Cleo and Betsy all have the same dark faces and dark stockings. Whether they’re from one litter or more, they are undoubtedly related to each other.  They have settled to Sanctuary life really well – a measure of the care they got before they came to us.

Mozart, Caleb & Benny (LBF)

A very noticeable set of siblings are the “fruit girls” – calicos Honeydew, Melon and Kiwi in the front courtyard, and tabbies Dominique and Kahlua came in together with pretty Chai.  Floofy boy Mozart is probably the brother of shyer Caleb.  

Titan & Dixie  (MS)

Other siblings are around, but not so immediately noticeable. Solar and Mabel in the front courtyard no longer have contact with their brother Midnight who now lives at the back; Titan and Dixie are rarely found together – Titan prefers the comforts of the Connor, while Dixie would rather be with the ferals. Carly, Christina and Celine all came in together, and are probably related – but you couldn’t tell by the way they don’t interact. But then, that’s families for you – sometimes you love ‘em, sometimes you can do without them – though it’s usually good to know they’re there!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Leslie Landa, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint, Molly Sjerdal

Crinkle

 Meet Crinkle.

Crinkle  (KN)

We don’t always know where the names of cats who come into our care come from – but there’s no question with this girl – her left ear is crinkled, and sometimes turns back on itself, displaying a good showing of fuzzy ear-hair. It may be a birth thing, or something like the haematoma ears that Bossanova and Little Orange have – but it’s enough that it makes her easily identifiable, and more than just yet another little tabby!

Crinkle mooches with the best  (BC)

Crinkle came to us from the Kamloops area; she was gathered in by Sammy’s Forgotten Felines, who do a stellar job with minimal resources, rescuing and rehoming feral colonies. I wrote about them briefly last May, when I introduced Len and Lloyd in Pen 4; what I didn’t realize was that Crinkle had arrived from the same colony, though a little later. It's pretty obvious that they're likely related.

Lloyd & Len  (LBF)

But there was a hitch; all cats coming in to us are tested for both FIV and FeLV – and Crinkle tested positive for the latter, and was sent to the Leukemia House to join the other cats there. She settled quite well, buddying up with equally shy Pewter (who came with her from Kamloops).  But when we heard that her kittens had all tested negative at six months old, the med staff suspected that her test might have been a false positive, and Crinkle was taken away from the leukemia area and brought to the Double Wide trailer, where she tested negative, and spent the next three months in quarantine in one of the large cages, before the final SNAP test confirmed her leukemia-negative in spring. 

Crinkle snuggling with sidekick Pewter  (LBF)

So where to put her? She could have gone to Len and Lloyd in Pen 4, but she’s not as feral as they are, and was used to humans around her, having had daily visits from the med staff and then from volunteers.  Catherine put her in a transfer cage out on the back deck, which gave her the chance to smell the inhabitants there, and to be investigated in return – and once released, she settled down very well with all the other tabbies.  Occasionally she would investigate outside, but as the weather has become colder, indoors is the place to be, negotiating for space on the mattress under the heat lamp.

Crinkle & Sooke, begging for chicken  (BC)

Crinkle has also joined the “gimme chicken” group.  The dominant males – Denzel, Hamlet, Luke and Bodhi, have already decided that they’re up for treats, and Pancake hurries through to join in begging. But the littles are not going to be overlooked. Fargo is getting ever braver about coming forward to ask; little Sooke dashes down to be in position on the floor, and Crinkle is getting closer and closer on the shelf by the stairs. She’s not ready to be petted yet, and her version of “taking food” is to smack it out of your hand, but she’s less afraid, and her appetite will bring her to us in the end!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson