Darius

Darius is a cat with whom everyone falls in love!

MW

We think he has some British Shorthair in him – obviously, we have no idea of his breeding, but he has many of those characteristics: the broad face and stocky body, and a plushy dense coat. British Shorthairs come in a full range of colouring, though the Blue is the desired standard for showing. Darius has classic tabby markings, with the characteristic whorl pattern on his sides.

BC

He came to the City Shelter in early summer, picked up as a stray, but he was so aggressive and angry that it was thought he might actually be feral; in any case, he was obviously not a candidate for adoption, and was transferred to the Sanctuary.  As with many trapped cats, cage life was a bit overwhelming for him – until he discovered that the visits he had from staff, Kitty Comforters and other volunteers, were not in fact so scary, and often resulted in play and treats. Darius became less and less inclined to hide in his box, and more ready to interact with us.

Looking down at us, from a back deck shelf - BC

The initial few weeks in a cage is intended to give cats a chance to assimilate their surroundings, as well as getting used to the humans who will care for them. When the cage is opened, some cats (like Ruff and Sprocket) resolutely stay in their familiar corner until they feel much more confident, while others make a bee-line for the cage-tops or the back deck to put some distance between them and us. Darius was cautious, but it wasn’t long before he watched more confident cats using the door to the laundry room and then out via the cat-door, and he too made his way outside.

KN

Now he felt he had the best of both worlds – the freedom he remembered, but also the human attention with which he had become familiar.  He explored every inch of the back courtyard area, poking his way into open pens, finding toys to play with, and other cats to get to know. He’s a pretty sociable guy – not bonding with anyone else, but not afraid to interact with them. He is often one of the “on the table” cats at coffee time, migrating his way from one person to another and enjoying the attention.

Darius being a lap-cat - KN

As he settles with us, it becomes obvious that he is a stray – a cat who once knew a human home – rather than a feral – born wild and not comfortable with handling. However, we will probably only adopt him under the semi-feral principle of bonding with a prospective owner. Our experience has taught us that unless a semi-feral or very wary cat really bonds with a human, then moving from a place where it is comfortable to a new home is a stressful experience - which is why Darius was as as angry and aggressive as he was when he arrived.

MW

Most of the successful adoptions in this situation take place when a staff member or a volunteer takes the cat – sweet, shy Mischa bonded with med-staff Jess, and has settled well in his new home.  But Mischa saw Jess almost every day; for a  cat like Darius to have a relative stranger take him would be very difficult.

The look of love (or begging for goodies!) - KN

So for now, Darius is a happy cat, with places to explore and other cats with which to interact, and we’ll see if there is a volunteer or a regular visitor to whom he is drawn, and with whom he might find a home, and safety for the rest of his days.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

The RAPS Calendar is Coming

The selections have been made; the captions have been written; the calendar charts are laid out; it’s just back from the printers now, and due to launch in the next few days.

Ollie was featured in the 2019 Calendar, so he has to miss a year.

I’m not going to spoil the surprise, but I’m going to give you a few of the photos that didn’t make it, for one reason or another. They are all by our volunteer Michele Wright, who freelances as Furry Friends Photography

This picture of sweet Pops was one of the ones considered for the cover.  We decided in the end that much as we loved it, the cover photo needed a "pop" more of colour,

Mischa missed his opportunity for the best of reasons - he got adopted!

I always ask Michele for "couple" and "group" pictures.  I love this one of Calista and Jamie - they love each other so much - but I wanted to see more of Calista's face.

The same is true of this one of Shaggy and Chanel, in the Moore House.  Shaggy lost his best buddy Spicer, and it's good to see him making friends with shy Chanel.

We had a lot of orange cats to choose from this year. Sprocket was definitely a contender, but someone else won!  I try to make sure that the calendar has a cross-section of colours and shapes, so that everyone can find a favourite cat somewhere!

There were several possible torby candidates too. Roe is a front-courtyard favourite, and always a greeter at the gates.

Chase appeared in a perfect autumnal photo. Unfortunately, he was also featured in another photo, so someone else got the autumn leaves in the end.

Skittles just missed as well - but these days this former feral spends more time climbing into people's laps than sitting and looking photogenic!

HoneyBear's incredible blue eyes were featured in 2018, so he was eligible for the 2020 calendar. But another blue-eyed boy sneaked in ahead of him...

I'm wary of including some of our fragile older cats, like little Debbie.

There will be three RAPS calendars: the Sanctuary Cats one, one of some of the Shelter dogs, and one for the RAPS hospital.  All of will be available from all our RAPS sites - The Sanctuary, the Shelter, the Hospital, and both Thrift Stores, as well as by purchase though our website. In addition they will be on sale at four of the fall craft fairs scheduled in Richmond.

Tubby Tiger was another adoption success!

Start making your Christmas lists now, and write "RAPS Calendar" by as many names as you can!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Michele Wright

Mischa

MD

Mischa came to us a couple of years ago as a surrender – one of two cats brought in when the family had to move. The other cat was outgoing enough to be an adoption prospect, but Mischa was very shy and it was decided that the Sanctuary was a better place for him.

MW

His first home in the DoubleWide gave us a chance to see how approachable he was; staff and Kitty Comforters alike spent time with him. He wasn’t actively unfriendly – no hissing, spitting and lunging (the KCs do shed blood from time to time!) - it just became obvious that he was a very private sort of cat, and didn’t much want people in his space.

MW

When it was time to release him, he rapidly made his way into the back pens, and investigated all the places he could hide. He became something of a ghost cat, avoiding attention, sneaking in to eat when nobody was around

MW

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Not only was he not keen on people contact, but he also largely avoided other cats – not aggressive in any way, just being “the cat that walks by himself”.  He presented a challenge for Kitty Comforter Mel, who spent a good bit of time coaxing him to interact with her, and to trust that she wouldn’t push him outside his comfort zone.

MD

He’s still not entirely easy with us, but is more ready now to relax around selected people, and allow a little gentle petting.

KN

I think I “get” Mischa – he’s an introvert who likes his own company, who’s not into parties, but would rather have small, high-value interchange than a whole bunch of small talk. He’s not edgy and high-strung like Emery, he doesn’t look to pick fights like Licorice – he just wants to be able to make his own decisions about when and where and for how long he will allow interaction.  And when time’s up, he heads back to his safe corners to recharge by himself.

MD

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

July 2019:  We're so happy!  Mischa (now Mishka) has gone home with his new mom, med staff Jess, and is loving life with his new family.