Hill House Haven

Handsome Mango  (MW)

It was just the way my Kitty Comforter shift worked out last week – I ended up spending a lot more time in the Hill House than I usually do, and renewed all sorts of friendships with cats who were choosing a cosy corner on a not-very-nice day.

Inside the Hill House  (BC)

The Hill House is the Front Courtyard cabin that lies between the Val Jones pen and the Old Rabbit Area (ORA), both of which I’ve written about before. It gets its name from cat-lover Stanley Hill, whose family made its refurbishing possible as a memorial, and he would have loved the bunch of cats who were making themselves at home in it when I visited.

Solar, sitting by the ORA window   (MW)

As I wrote last week, many cats are territorial – they like to be in a familiar space, and can sometimes be a little hissy when a feline stranger intrudes. The Hill House is actually a space in which intrusions are frequent, and most of the residents shrug them off. The covered courtyard known as the Old Rabbit Area has many very shy residents, and the permanently open window between the two areas makes it possible for the ferals to venture out into a safe space with (mostly) friendly cats. 

Tamale, who lives mostly in the ORA  (LBF)

While I was there, handsome Tamale ventured through the window, and though he clearly didn’t want physical contact, he was ready to let me talk to him, and to see that there were tidbits on offer, when he felt brave enough.  We think Tamale may be the brother of short-haired tuxedo Boston in New Aids; Boston accepts belly rubs now, and thinks humans are a Good Thing, when they approach gently.

Kia's look clearly says "Leave me alone!"  (BC)

Many of the Hill House regular residents, are exactly that - regular: this is where to go to find grey Solar or friendly Kahlua.  Kia will be found in her open cage – this grumpy girl was not happy about coming into our care, and she is one of the cats that has claimed her cage, refusing to move.  The two big Hill House cages are prime real estate because of their size, and it may well be that she has to be evicted to make room for a pair of cats who need to room together (Benjamin and Olivia once had this cage), in which case she will be forced to find another corner in which to indulge her Garbo-cat tendencies. Kia doesn’t encourage either feline or human sociability; minimal petting is tolerated, and then you can see her planning where to deliver the go-away smack.

TicTac with her boyfriend Mozart   (BC)

At the other end of the spectrum I could also find Mozart and TicTac cuddled together in a very small bed.  Handsome Mozart is one of a group we called The Teens; cats who came to us past the easy socializing stage, and who have taken their own sweet time about making human friends. Pretty Pistachio from that group got adopted, but Benny, Leo, and Caleb are still with us. Mozart’s striking looks always draw attention, but he’s actually pretty shy around people, and the Hill House is his favourite hideout.  TicTac came to us from the Adoption Centre last year as one of the cats with cage aggression, who was not showing well to potential adopters.  Once out of her cage and in the company of other cats she calmed down – and all the more so when she met Mozart, who she adores. He tolerates her attention and consents to share his bed, but I think the relationship is a little one-sided.

Sam - as content as he can be, surrounded by other cats  (BC)

I am interested in the fact that Sam also chooses to make the Hill House his base.  Most of us love Sam – but warily;  Sam desperately needs a cat-savvy human who is prepared to have Sam be a one-and-only, and he is incapable of demonstrating that to a visitor without getting distracted by other cats – at which point (much of the time) he gets really reactive.  Sam has never recovered from losing his owner, and he does NOT like this place – but most cat-savvy people already have cats. Still, Sam chooses to claim a corner of the Hill House, and as long as other felines don’t get too close, he enjoys the warmth and the proximity to treats.

Pretty Speckle  (MW)

Lots of beds and shelves mean that this is a popular place for sleeping, snuggles and socializing.  Speckle can almost always be coaxed off the trolley shelves to accept tidbits and treats. She has really blossomed from the wary girl she used to be when she first arrived.

Jenny - wary, but interested  (BC)

The big table on the left hides the litter boxes, but also provides a surface for cats who prefer to hide on the higher shelving, and occasionally venture down to try a little flirting with a human visitor.  Newcomer Jenny has joined the many black cats in the front courtyard;  it’s nice to have her be so identifiable by her white markings, and even nicer to see her starting to accept attention from us.

Toes - taking shelter in the porch area   (BC)

Even on the way out, there are cats who prefer the shelter of the porch to the more open courtyard. Tortie Toes and newcomer Frank had both decided that they would opt for cover;  Toes is often in the Yellow Shed when not sitting on the box-pile, but was happy to have a little attention from her corner in the Hill House porch; newbieFrank is still working out which corner he will claim as home, and I hope he will eventually come inside and join the Hill House Club.

Frank likes to tuck himself away in a box   (BC)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult & Michele Wright

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

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

Teens All Grown Up

Mozart, Caleb, Benny (LBF)

Real kittens – the tiny cute kind – almost never come to us at the Sanctuary.  There are two main reasons – their immune systems are not yet fully developed and they are susceptible to any number of infections they can catch from adult cats, and they need a LOT of handling to get them used to being with people.  The common wisdom is that up to 10-12 weeks old they can be socialized fairly easily. After that, it’s a much more individual thing – some tame easily, and other maintain their feral instincts.

Two happy adopted girls:
Aphrodite (MD) & Leona (ACA)

I have written before about our aging population, but we do also have a fair number of younger cats – most of whom have come in at around 6-months-plus as young ferals.  We will usually try to keep them apart from the general population and have our Kitty Comforters spend concentrated time with them, helping to learn that humans can be trusted. With some of them, the magic happens, a bond is created, and a cat finds a home - tortie Aphrodite and blonde Leona had early established themselves as the ones most receptive to human attention in the McLeod pen 6 and are now spoiled house-cats; the rest of their family prefer to remain out of reach and are part of the feral population in pen 1. 

Mr Megafloof - Mozart  (KN)

In a similar way, we had a group of “teens” in a separate area of the old Moore House.  Much time and patience was spent working with Benny, Leo, Caleb, Pistachio, Mozart and Mason, and for the most part they resisted all efforts.  We finally conceded defeat and moved them to the front courtyard.

Benny's another guy with cattitude  (KN)

Eighteen months later, and they are for the most part relaxed and happy. Pistachio and Mason really tamed up, and were adopted within a few months.  The others have made themselves totally at home in the front courtyard population.   Benny, the long-haired black boy, can be told by his characteristic curled plume of a tail.  He is now actually a little warier of human contact than his formerly shy buddy, blond Leo, who is more comfortable around people these days – especially if chicken is offered.  Leo is now one of those cats who will roll over and accept tummy-rubs from starry-eyed visitors.

Leo is one of our prettiest front-courtyard cats (KN)

Handsome Caleb has become a social butterfly with a number of other cats, but he is obviously most relaxed and at ease with his brothers, and can often be found snuggling or playing with them. The leader of the group is usually Mr Floof – Mozart (also known as Poptart).

"Handsome" is definitely the word for our Caleb (MW)

The incomparable Mozart  (KN)

There is no way this boy can be confused with anyone else – in both appearance and personality, he shines! Visitors often ask for him, and he’s usually happy to be fussed over for a while – until he decides he’s had enough, and disappears into the feral area, which is out of bounds to visitors.  He is happiest when the other cats are around him. We have often been asked about his adoptability, and the sad fact is that Mozart is a pee-er, and would probably not make a good house-cat.  But along with his brothers, he makes a wonderful Sanctuary cat! 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Ana Carolina Albuquerque, Lisa Brill-Friesen,

Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Two Alpha Cats

Alfie - MW

For a while, the Sanctuary office was known as the home of the Grumpy Old Ladies, and Kitty, Mindy and Tammy (who were all much beloved by the Shelter Manager) took pains to ignore each other at all costs. There were rarely any real battles, but there was a certain amount of bad language.

Kitty-Mindy-Tammy - RIP

We also have our share of grumpy male cats, but putting them together in a room to grump with each other is rarely a good move. The grumpy guys tend to be much more aggressive than the grumpy gals, and we try to encourage them to locate in different areas, and hope they won’t encounter each other too often.

Alfie - KN

The particular grumpy pair I have in mind, are both called Alfred. To be precise, the front courtyard boy is named Alfie, which sort of sounds friendlier than Alfred – but his usual mood belies the name. Alfie came to us last year, a late-neutered tomcat; you can generally tell the males that miss an early neutering because they tend to bulk up, and the head and jowls are often blocky. He was initially brought in as a stray with an abscess (probably from fighting) and adopted last spring, but returned because of peeing issues. We think he is around 10 years old.

Alfie - LBF

Alfie is blond and beautiful, like Leo – but he doesn’t live up to his appearance, preferring to be the courtyard bully. Cheryl tells me that a little while ago he had a thing for Mozart, and followed him everywhere, stalking him and picking fights. For a while we relocated him to the back courtyard, but the big boys there gave him a taste of his own bullying behaviour, and we eventually moved a slightly more subdued Alfie back to his starting place.

Alfie waiting for Mozart to come out - CT

He’s definitely top cat, and can be very vocal when wandering around.  Kitty-Comforter Mel says “He loooooves catnip, tries to be close to you but he doesn’t know how to show affection. It’s like he wants to be petted but growls at you. He pees on everything.” He will occasionally “make nice” with a human, but don’t count on it! - he’s just as likely to swat. He and Winston can sometimes be found exchanging greetings at the window of the Newcomers door; Winston is pretty shy, so Alfie has no need to show off.  Cheryl thinks Alfie’s at his best when he’s sleeping – she says “He reminds me of the Lion in the Wizard of Oz!” 

The lion sleeps tonight! - CT

Alfred-in-the-back is a handsome tabby manx gentleman. He came to us with a “peeing” label; lack of urinary control is sometimes a manx thing, but equally it’s often a stress symptom. His former owners reported that he'd had urinary crystals, which can be very painful for male cats. During his caged period with us, he seemed to be managing just fine with the litterbox, and since emerging he’s not shown any real sign of problems in that area – other than where it comes to other cats. 

If it fits, I sits - KN

Mostly, he's an independent guy. He will tolerate a little petting before he moves off; he's ready to accept treats or to interact a bit with humans, but he's not a snuggle-bug.

Any treats up there?  LBF

But where Alfred's problem lies is with aggression. He has established that he knows who the other pushy cats are, and he pushes right back. Cats don’t have a social hierarchy in the way that dogs do, but we do know that males, in particular, will attempt to establish their alpha status with each other (and with us!). Alfred has a particular “hate” on for Licorice; Licorice is not really a fan of other cats, and his arthritis often makes him grumpy, so being bugged by Alfred can produce a lot of yelling.

"Helping" with the gardening - LBF

Grey Gizmo and Jasper come in for some face-offs with him as well, but it’s Alfred and Licorice that makes us keep the “Bad Cat” spray bottle on the table outside the TeaRoom.  Cool off, Alfred – life’s much better at the Sanctuary when you can get along with the other cats!

A little quiet-time...  KN

Alfie and Alfred are both alphas – and life for both of them can be a bit fraught. It’s a good thing there’s lots of space at the Sanctuary, and hidey-holes where they can take time-out when the stress of being social gets to be too much.

Blog by Brigid Coult (with thanks to Cheryl, Lori & Mel)

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson, Cheryl Townsend, Michele Wright

Note: as we go to press, Licorice has been transferred to the office area, where we can monitor his diet. Perhaps Alfred will be a little calmer without his bête noire around...

....aaaand.... ACTION!

In every area of the Sanctuary, there are boxes or pots filled with cat-toys.

Tyson chomps on a commercial toy - KN

And I think most cat-owners are probably in the same space – we think “I’ve not been playing enough with Chonky; I’ll get him some new toys”, and he plays with them for a bit, and then they go under the couch or behind the fridge, or wherever, nevermore to be used.

Silky - LBF

Ah, but summertime.... when the playing is easy....

Autumn - KN

It’s the season of LONG grass stalks, which are the perfect cat toy – they have exactly the right amount of spring to tempt a hunter, claws don’t get stuck in them, if they get broken, there are plenty more where they come from.

Kiwi - LBF

So big thanks to Lisa Brill-Friesen and to Karen Nicholson for some stretchy happy-cat pictures....

Leo - LBF

Used-to-be-feral Ranger reaching for his goals....

 KN

"Take that!" says Tigger, getting unusually energetic!

 LBF

Mozart (Poptart) is just a little quicker to grab than his brother Benny.

 LBF

Dodger doesn't do the streeeeetch very well, but the intent is all there

 LBF

Christina Aguilera, who is one of our polydactyls, thinks that it's really useful to have extra toes when you want to grab some grass.

 LBF

Aphrodite, floofy as she is, can stretch with the best of them!

LBF

Even Licorice, who is rather arthritic, and not much into action, wanted in on playing with grass stalks.

KN

There was a lot of action throughout the day - and there were a lot of tired cats at the end.

 KN

Blog (minimal) by Brigid Coult
Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Karen Nicholson