Lost and Found

Miller (KN)

After the celebrations of Christmas, we start anticipating the prospect of a New Year – and inevitably that includes some retrospection as we remember what we’ve been through in the past twelve months, and, particularly at the Cat Sanctuary, who we’ve lost in that time.

HoneyBear  (KN)

In fact, 2022 has been a year in which fewer cats have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but there have been some notable personalities among them. The list has to be led by HoneyBear, our blue-eyed charmer, whose neurological quirks caused both his incontinence and his “Ministry of Funny Walks” gait. Once visitors encountered our boy, we could be sure they would always ask after him again.

Marty, our love-bug  (LBF)

Lovers of the Single-Wide cats were particularly hard-hit in the summer, when we lost seven cats in less than three months. First was Bluebell, the Dowager who was transferred when the Moore House was closed; a week later we lost Siamese Presley. Little Marty put up a brave fight with a tumour, and was a central figure for some loving from both cats and humans; less than a month later we lost Mr Pink, another especially loving boy.  All too often cats hide their illness until it’s too late for any treatment.

Mr Pink (JS)

Cats with feline leukemia are almost always more prone to having something that seems small become fatal; their systems don’t have the resiliency needed to combat an infection. Since August we have said farewell to Nandor, Catalano, Banff, Brian and sweet Jane (who features in the 2023 Calendar which went to press just before her sudden passing).

Jane (LBF)

Rudolph & Salish (KN)

Bonded pair Rudolph and Salish in pen 5 have both gone. Rudolph had an anaesthetic reaction to dental surgery in January; Salish passed in June – she missed him so much.  Most of the Old Boys club in Newcomers has also gone; Albi and Woody passed on the same day, and Moxie less than a month later.

Ruff (KN)

We remember sweet Ruff with fondness – his extreme shyness when he arrived, his amazing floof, the way he bonded with Karen – and I still find myself looking for OJ when I enter Pen 4:  he was another feral boy who finally decided that humans were not so bad after all.  Onyx was one of our dowagers, at least 20 years old. Having been largely an indoor cat for years, she moved out to Pen 5 this summer, and then wouldn’t move back in when the weather turned. Med-staff Catherine took her home to fosterage for her last few weeks of comfort and loving.

Puck (BC)

And two other front-courtyard senior tuxedos have passed in the last month: little Puck was our beloved Marianne Moore's cat, and she has crossed the Bridge to be with Marianne again, and sweet Miller (at top) was beginning to age early in the fall, and became very frail and tottery in his last few weeks.

Oscar (LBF) and Gypsy (DW) - gone to new homes!

So we grieve their passing, even as we give thanks that the lives they lived were made possible by the love and care they received at the Sanctuary.  There are never enough homes for all the cats we take in – especially in a year like this one with a prolonged kitten season.  We are grateful to the people who have taken in Sanctuary cats like Oscar and Gypsy and given them hope for a new life, and also to all the supporters whose help allows us to give lifelong home-space to otherwise unadoptable cats like incontinent Jasmine or moody Jade or JJ, to the cats who come with Feline Leukemia, or the shy ferals who want nothing to do with us. Every life is precious, and RAPS will continue to offer Sanctuary to cats who have no other options.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, 

Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint, Debbie Wolanski

The Old Boys Club

Moxie  (MW)

More than a year ago I blogged about the Boys’ Club that much of the Back Courtyard has become – the little “families” of male cats that constitute their own small colonies, and how they interact. There are a number of females to be found there as well, but many of the latter seem to prefer the solo life. However there is one group in particular that I specially love. Strictly speaking, they’re a “Newcomers” group (not because they’re new, but because that’s what we call the area between the SingleWide trailer and the courtyard). Now that we’re finally getting warm days, they’re deciding that being out in the sun is a much nicer place to be.

Woody enjoying the warmth  (BC)

Woody was an adult when he came to us in 2006, so we estimate he’s around 17 years old – perhaps more. He is one of those ferals who doesn’t hide in terror, but just prefers to stay out of the way; he’s pretty sociable with other cats, and now tolerates humans – especially the med-staff, who bring him his medications in tasty food disguises.  He used to spend all his time in the Newcomers, but we now see him appearing in the courtyard on a regular basis.

Best buds - Moxie & Pumpkin  (KN)

Moxie is the last of his family; his brother Willi and sister Samantha have both passed. He's been at the Sanctuary since 2009; we think he’s more than 17 years old. I remember him as a dapper tuxedo gentleman, bonded with a little tortie called Vienna; in his senior years he’s looking a little more scruffy, and he prefers the company of his own gender, though he is tolerant of Alexandria’s tendency to do yoga inches from his nose.

Moxie is reluctantly willing to share space...   (KN)

Dark orange Albi was named for the sociable husband of a former staff member – but feline Albi was anything BUT social.  He arrived in the Sanctuary in 2012, and we think he’s now around 14 or so. At first he was a very shy boy, preferring to hide away, though allowing occasional petting - we think he was likely a stray rather than a feral.  In the last few years he has begun coming to us, looking for contact – he is one of those submissive cats who almost immediately rolls on his back, trusting his vulnerability to our hands. 

Sweet Albi - ripened to perfection  (MW)

All three senior gentlemen have slowed down considerably; they like a quiet pace of life, with occasional treats and petting, and a lot of sleep, cat-style. They are often chivvied out of it by the younger and more energetic Pumpkin.

Pumpkin  (KN)

Pumpkin came to us as a youngster in 2015, so he might be 8 or 9 years old. He was found near the 5 Road Shelter;  we don't know if he was dumped off or made his way there. At the Shelter he was very resistant to human contact initially, and brought to the Sanctuary as a feral, but work with the Kitty Comforters, and some serious food motivation have changed his outlook on life. Pumpkin is one of those cats who hears the chicken bag before it ever comes out of my pocket, and he is focused and athletic in intercepting treats intended for other cats. I love the Pumpkin blog that Kitty Comforter Moira wrote about him the year after his arrival.

Woody & Moxie, watched by Pumpkin  (KN)

Pumpkin adores the three older cats, and can often be found bunting and rubbing and tail-weaving with them – in fact, he is so enthusiastic about it that his strength sometime pushes them off balance. He can also be found sharing sleeping space with them in the Newcomers area, and I suspect his energy helps to keep them going. When the old guys appear in the courtyard, Pumpkin will not be far away, and we all love to see the affection among them.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

August 24: 2022 - it's been a hot summer, and the heat is hard on old tired bodies.  Woody and Albi passed the same day in July, and though Moxie appeared fine, he was missing his old buddies. What looked like an ear infection turned out to be a mass, and he followed them over the Bridge last week.

Pumpkin has moved his social activities to include Sylar and Quinn - the Boys Club is still in action!