We Miss Them So

 It’s been a very hard few weeks at the Sanctuary.

Puffin - MW

Many of our cats are moving into their middle or senior years, and, as with humans, life expectancy varies.  We talk about the senior cats (14 years is the equivalent to 70 or so for a human) and the SuperSeniors (15+). And as with humans, there are some that stay strong and healthy well into old age, and those who are taken by known and unknown factors much earlier.

Fable the valentine - MW

A lot of our cats are in those early senior years, and despite the work of our wonderful med staff, many manage to hide their symptoms when things begin going wrong with their bodies. Cats are hunters in the wild, but they are also prey of other creatures, and any prey animal knows that it has to hide weakness. It is not unusual for a problem to be noticed, and the cat gone within a week – once they show that something is wrong, it is too late to do anything about it.

Spooky helping with morning chores - KN

We are a no-kill organization – but that just means we won’t use excuses of behaviour and health to justify the unnecessary death of any creature. To my mind, that’s a very different business from what is true euthanasia – the release of a creature from a pain that cannot be endured. However necessary it is, though, it’s hard on staff and volunteers alike, on the hospital techs and the vets, and on those to take a beloved friend on its last journey.

Skittles - KN

So, though I prefer to write about the lives we cherish at the Sanctuary, this week’s blog is a picture tribute to Puffin, Chateaux, Fable, Janine, Spooky, Ninja, Minnow, Skittles, Zimmer, Darwin and Shadrack, all gone within a few very emotional weeks. The back stories for many of them can be found elsewhere in this blog.

Puffin - MD

Puffin, in his early days with us, had a reputation for biting – he was very much a do-not-touch-me cat. He mellowed somewhat over the years, and more recently he befriended several of the volunteers, and was an altogether more approachable prospect. We will miss the King of the Front Courtyard.

Chateaux - MW

Chateaux came to us with his brother Shadow – one to the FIV cats in New Aids and one to the FeLV cats in Old Aids.  Both boys were very shy. Chateaux was never a people-fan, but he loved his buddy Neptune – as big and black as himself.

Fable - MW

Fable came with his brother Vesper – either or both of them stress pee-ers. The two were bonded in their early days; more independent in the last couple of years. Fable adored people and took every opportunity to climb into laps.

Janine - KN

Sweet Janine was one of the shyer front courtyard cats, and the brother of friendly Jamie. She had just started to hover around when the humans she knew were working.

Spooky - MD

Stubby-tailed Spooky had had several bouts with health issues during her time with us – mostly respiratory problems and eye infections. Her recent gastric problems were probably cancer. Most cats seem to have resting bitch face - Spooky's markings always made her look as if she was smiling.

Ninja - KN

Ninja had been with us for years – basically a victim of black cat syndrome and never getting adopted. As a younger boy he lived up to his name, sprinting and climbing; he was a gatecrasher, darting in to gated pens when he could sneak past; in the last year he was a permanent resident in the bathroom of the volunteers' Tea-Room.

Minnow - MW

Pretty calico Minnow was part of a group of cats that lived together in Pen 2 for a while. Her  sister cats chose to stay with the Pen 2 crowd, but Minnow wanted more out of life, and could be found both inside and outside in other areas.  Outgoing and confident, she tolerated both cats and humans.

Skittles - BC

Skittles was my own love, moving from being a spooked feral to a cat that adored lap-time and cuddles. His brother Cadbury is warily accepting of petting; the rest of his clowder don’t want to be touched. Skittles was a gentle giant, interacting easily with humans and cats alike.

Zimmer - MW

Sweet Zimmer showed in face and body the rigors of a life as a feral cat. For much of his early time with us, he was seen only as a worried face looking down from cage-tops; in his last years he made up for it with a warm bed, many human friends, and much love.

Darwin - KN

Darwin came to us relatively recently with seizure problems, and needed a longer cage-stay to make sure we really had it under control. Visits to him in his cage were at floor-level, and were much appreciated - he loved to be cuddled, given half a chance. Release allowed him to explore and make more friends. In the end, though, it was a mouth cancer rather than a seizure that necessitated his passing.

Shadrack - BC

Shadrack is another big loss for me. I first got to know him as a shy cage-top cat in the Double-Wide, wanting attention (and chicken) but wary of venturing down.  Over the course of the eleven years I've known him, he's become a confident explorer, a lap-cat, and remained a determined chickaholic. 

Ninja in his active climbing days - MW

In the past year, we have adopted out many of the Sanctuary cats that had formerly been labelled as “unadoptable”, to loving, cat-savvy homes who have been able to deal with the behavioural issues that had kept them with us. We’re sad to see them go, but excited for them as well.  

Fable and Vesper were always together
when they first came to us - MD

But the departures such as the ones we’ve had in the last couple of weeks are hard on everyone. We have to hold faith that we gave a better option for most of these cats, for life would have been harder and shorter in the wild or at a facility that was not no-kill. They have known love and safety with us, and our lives have been richer for time with them.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Pen 2 cats - 3: Orange Is The New Black?

MW

In the first blog introducing the Pen 2 cats we met the two blacks – Kevin and Palma – and the two tuxedos – Booty and Tubby. Last week’s introduction was to the tabbies: Calvin, Chase, Sophie, Celeste and Zivko.   All the cats in this week’s group have the gene that gives rise to orange colouring in one format or another. The majority of orange cats are male – statistically only about 5% are female – but it is the orange gene that can give a female cat either tortoiseshell colouring (black and orange) or calico colouring (white and orange – generally with some black). And torties and calicos are always female.

I have noted in other blogs that it’s sometimes hard to distinguish between one black cat and another. That can also be true of the coloured cats – sometimes the identity is clear; sometimes it’s only subtle markings or behaviour that distinguishes one cat from another.

Parry - MW

There are three orange males in Pen 2.  The most friendly and outgoing of the three is Parry, who loves to have human attention, and is always eager to be fussed over. The pale tail-tip is a giveaway of his identity.  Also friendly, but preferably at ground level, is peachy-orange Taffy; he was caged for a while for health reasons, and the Kitty Comforters obviously made him feel happier about human contact.

Taffy - AM

The third orange boy is Pavel – with no white tail-tip, and much more shy than Parry, he will often be found snuggling with someone on an upper shelf in the hut, or hiding out in the undergrowth at the back of the pen.

Pavel & Paula - DA

All the other coloured cats are female.  Paula is classic calico; white fur with strong orange and black markings. She is pretty shy, preferring to hide out with Pavel in the hut, or just out of reach. She will accept treats as long as you don't get too close!

Paula - PH

Minnow is another calico, with much paler colouring; she is outgoing and friendly, and clearly pretty dominant in the colony.

Minnow - MW

The remaining two cats are dilute torties – the strong colouring of regular torties like KitKat, Blaze and Toes in the front courtyard takes on a much more subtle shade in Barbie and Salina. Barbie's colour-markings are clearer than her buddy's, and she is pettable, especially if treats are on offer; Salina is much more muted in colour, and she can be clearly distinguished by a little white dot on her nose; she is much more skittish and wary about interaction with humans.

Barbie - AM

Salina - BC

Sanctuary Manager Janet Reid tells me that we will probably be opening up Pen 2 sometime in the near future. If these ones follow the pattern of other cats from opened pens, we will probably find that the majority will continue to make Pen 2 their base, even as the braver ones start exploring the full range of the back courtyard.
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Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Derya Aydede, Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman, Angelina Mak & Michele Wright