Snoozing in the Rain (or out of it...)

Simon  (HM)

It may be almost summer, but here in BC we’ve had our share of wet days recently.  There are always the cats who like to be out and about, whatever the weather, and they vary from those who seem to shed the rain like ducks, to those who get soaked through.   But sensibly, most of the cats find somewhere cosy, and curl up, shutting out the weather.

With inspiration from Henrie Morgan, whose lovely photos from the New AIDS pen got me started, here are some of the not-so-soggy moggies!

Mozart likes to sprawl (AG)

Dahlia sleeps with one eye open  (HM)

Christina Aguilera face-plants to shut out the world   (AG)

The Kamloops colony prefers to sleep together  (BC)

Jerry, Magnus and Jim monopolize the Val Jones chair  (DW)

Ariel is a solo sleeper and prefers the shelf by the sink  (KN)

Jasper is not shy about his sleeping positions (KN)

Woodie is another upside-down boy   (KN)

Sharing breath   (KN)

Rocket prefers outside - but under cover   (HM)

Marble's favourite thing is sleeping - whatever the weather  (KC)

Blog (minimal) by Brigid Coult

Photos by Katy Cobb, Brigid Coult, Akira Graham,

Henrie Morgan, Karen Nicholson, Debbie Wolanski

Minuet

 

Minuet  (LBF)

RAPS got its beginnings through the devoted volunteers who established Richmond’s Homeless Cats back in the late ‘80s in response to the increasing number of feral cats in the municipality. Through years of TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) and of establishing the Sanctuary where urban development made releasing colonies an impossibility, numbers have gradually come under control.  But it only takes a little carelessness, and we can see how easily the population surges.

A common view of Minuet  (KN)

Before the pandemic, a well-meaning Richmond resident fed stray cats without realizing the implications. Suddenly, there were cats everywhere, and the family called on RAPS for help.  The staff took on a major trapping operation and brought them into the Sanctuary – adults, teens and kittens.  The latter were all adopted – cuteness has its uses! Two adult males, Pax and Zeus, tested positive for FIV and were moved into the Val Jones area, while most of the youngsters were put in Pen 6. Only Aphrodite eventually tamed enough to be adopted; the others are still living a semi-feral life around Pen One.  Minuet was not one of the initial colony trapped and brought in; she arrived a couple of weeks later, but it was obvious that she and Aphrodite were related, and initially she remained with her family.

Minuet's sister Aphrodite in her new home  (MD)

Given the FIV diagnosis, a careful eye was kept on the group and sadly, we discovered that Athena carried the FeLV virus, and Minuet the FIV virus, and both were transferred before the rest of the colony was released to the back courtyar – Athena into OldAids with the other leukemia cats, and Minuet into Val Jones. Unfortunately by then both Pax and Zeus had both been adopted, and poor Minuet found herself in a new area with a whole bunch of unfamiliar cats.  Like the rest of her family, she was very shy, and she took herself out of everyone’s view and found a hiding place.

Hunched on her shelf : "don't bug me!"  (KN)

Kitty Comforter Mel was not having any of this!  Mel had adopted Minuet’s sister Aphrodite, and was determined to have Minuet feeling more comfortable. She would sit beside the draped shelf where Minuet hid and offer toys and tidbits, or brush the shy girl without attempting to make eye contact. Minuet accepted this, but was not ready for more.

A floofy pile of Minuet and Jim  (MD)

And then Jim got in on the action...

Jim had come to us from Alberta with his buddy Frank, and was almost immediately comfortable with us all. He is a cuddler, a little pushy and a lot loving. He loved Frank most of all, but he had lots of love to go around, and he decided that Minuet needed it, so he moved in on her. Increasingly, we checked Minuet’s shelf to find her and Jim cuddled there. And since Jim loved being petted, Minuet learned to enjoy it as well. When Frank passed, the two became more and more an item, and Minuet began appearing in the courtyard more openly, accepting attention more from Mel and other volunteers.

Magnus and Minuet  (MS)

Now she is more relaxed and comfortable with regular visitors, joining the crowd looking for treats, pushing her way into the favoured spot under the heat lamp, and even sharing space with Magnus, who is not usually a fan of other cats. The Val Jones cats are the FIV+ cats who are most comfortable with humans, and the more likely to be adopted; Minuet would probably not handle that sort of change well unless it was to go with someone she trusted, but it is good to see her more relaxed and at home in her surroundings.

Catnip makes everything better  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Molly Sjerdal

Jim & Frank

The Val Jones corner has seen a variety of uses and inhabitants.

Jim - MW

When it was first conceived, with a bequest from the estate of Sanctuary angel Val Jones, it was simply a couple of cabins in a quiet site – a place for the shyer cats to avoid the crowd (and in those days, it WAS a crowd!), and a nice corner to sit and cuddle with feline friends.

Frank & Jim like each other's company - DW

In 2014 we had a sudden influx of FeLV cats. Feline Leukemia is transmitted in saliva, and cats who share dishes or who groom each other may pass it around. Most small shelters don’t have space to give such cats the isolation care needed for their health and that of others, and it used to be that they were often euthanized. Many BC shelters now know about the RAPS Sanctuary, and most of our leukemia cats come from outside Richmond. There is a vaccine against the virus, but there is no cure, once it is acquired (though sometimes it goes into spontaneous remission). The Val Jones corner got fenced off, with a double-gate to prevent inadvertent escapes from either side, and the leukemia cats had more room to move around.

Frank - MW

Over the next four years the population of cats in the area declined – once cats have the virus, their immune systems are compromised, and in many cases, we don’t have them long.  At the same time, we were seeing an increase in the number of FIV cats coming into our care.  So last year the Val Jones area was sanitized, and repurposed for a group of cats from the New Aids pen, and several newcomers joined the clowder.

Jim posing - LBF

Pops and Jack Sparrow were the centre of this new group, and their mobility issues meant that floor covering was an issue, so we also needed to know that the others were not consistent pee-ers. Because the new pen was just off the main courtyard, we wanted the population to be made up of friendly cats, and there was a little mix-and-match-ing until we got a combination of cats who were confident without being too assertive. Arnie, orange Magnus, Jerry and Tia were considered the best options and the group was joined by Zeus (now adopted) and Pax, two of the adults from last year’s bounty of trapping. Shortly after, newcomers Jim and Frank arrived on the scene, and the population has stabilized there.

Jim on the prowl - MW

The newcomers were very shy when they first arrived from a shelter in Alberta, where their FIV status and wariness with humans made them unlikely candidates for adoption.  Initially they were also very wary with us – Jim had the big bug-eyed “don’t touch me” look – but by the time they’d been in the Val Jones for a little while, they were comfortable with people and confident with other cats. We already had a Jimmy, and we had cranky Frankie (and had loved and lost sweet Franko), so I wanted to change their names – perhaps Hendrix and Zappa? - but they have just remained Jim and Frank (or, as Karen calls them, FrankenJim).  Jim is a big chunk of grey fluff who loves cuddles – he’s quick to leap up on a lap, put paws up on your chest and give head-rubs. His one fault as a cuddle-bug is that he’s constantly on the move; he loves to be held, but he doesn’t relax for long.

Frank - MW

His buddy Frank is a smaller tuxie, with smoke pale fur under a black exterior - also very friendly, though less demanding of attention. A little time with Jim and Frank is usually spent with Jim bunting my face and Frank offering ankle-rubs.

Jim's look of love - KN

In these days of pandemic, with no visitors and fewer volunteers, it’s sad that more people don’t get to meet these two buddies. FIV cats are as adoptable as any – they just need to be in a situation where they don’t fight with other cats, and be monitored for health issues. Many of our FIV cats live long healthy lives, in spite of their condition, and these two would make wonderful companions.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Pops & Jack Sparrow

BC

Jack Sparrow is a one-year-old black cat with one eye and a missing hip socket. His dad, Pops, who is five, has feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and deformed rear legs. Despite their challenges, they’ve come a long, long way—literally.

MW

The pair were seized by California animal control officials in California in January 2018 from a breeder who was apparently attempting to create a new “specialty” breed of small cat, but in the process developed a number of animals with severe physical issues. Along with them were Jack’s brother and mother.

MD

Pops was kept in a cage for the first years of his life, allowed out only to breed.
Once they were placed in a California shelter, they faced euthanasia due to their obvious disabilities, but were saved and brought to B.C., where Jack, Pops along with Jack’s brother who is also disabled, lived in foster care for the past year. The brother was adopted by the foster family and, though Jack and Pops were also up for adoption during that year, they had no luck finding a forever home. They now happily reside at the RAPS Cat Sanctuary, eagerly soaking up the affection and care of staff and volunteers.

DJ

Dad and son are deeply bonded, very sweet with people and other cats and also very active.

From an article written by Sanctuary Manager Lisa Parker

For some time we kept Pops and Jack separate so that we could monitor their health and their movement. We were uncertain about releasing them into the nearby “New Aids” pen, which would have needed considerable cosmetic and structural improvements to make it safe for them. Instead, we consolidated the smaller group of cats with Feline Leukemia (FeLV) into the “Old Aids” area, and reclaimed the Val Jones corner for new use. There was much work to be done to sanitize it and to make it safe for disabled cats; the flagged stone floor has a washable mat over it, and the two cabins have washable carpet on the porches. For safety’s sake, some of the ramps and runs were removed, and others installed.

LP

The decision was made to bring some of the friendlier cats from the “New Aids” pen into this enclosure; we were pretty sure that there would be a lot of human visitors, and there were several cats that we thought would benefit from it. Many people don't understand that cats with FIV are actually adoptable, and that they suffer more from the stigma of the label than from the condition itself. We hoped that having them more accessible would help educate visitors about feline immunodeficiency virus, and dispel some of the myths about FIV cats. Friendly Arnie (always looking for a handout), orange Magnus, grey Felix, tabby Tia – all made the move, and settled well into a new space.  They have been joined by a pair of cats from Alberta, and another pair recently trapped locally. More of them in future blogs...

MW

Pops and Jack have taken it all in their stride - if you can say that about cats with their disabilities. Jack actually walks on his front paws; Pops also uses his front paws for the most part, with a little stabilizing from his immobile back legs. Both can manage steps, and Jack actually uses his upper body strength to climb to the top of a cat-tree. We have to keep a bit of an eye on him; like many teenagers, he likes to push the boundaries, and his bugging of some of the more senior cats is not appreciated.

JK

In many places, these two would have been euthanized. With us at the Sanctuary, they have a real quality of life and much loving care; adoption is not out of the question, but there would have to be many restrictions to keep them safe. All the other FIV cats in this enclosure are actually adoptable. With the RAPS Hospital nearby we can react quickly to any of their health needs, and there are always staff and volunteers to spend time with them – as well as visitors on Sunday afternoons.

KN

Pops and Jack have fallen on their feet – even though they don’t have as many as the other cats!

Blog by Lisa Parker & Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Daphne Jorgenson, 

Jennine Kariya, Karen Nicholson, Lisa Parker, Michele Wright