July rainbows

Neko, from the Leukemia pen  (KN)

One of the hard things about involvement in the Cat Sanctuary – and I think it has to be particularly hard on the med-staff – is the number of cats we lose through the year. The cat population at the Adoption Centre constantly changes, but it changes because Adoption Centre cats are gone to new homes. The majority of our Sanctuary losses are the cats we lose to age and illness, and it hurts to come in and find that a beloved friend has gone.

Denzel always sat with his paws neatly turned out  (BC)

Often this seems to happen in waves. We had a couple of months earlier in the year when we had only a couple of passings – but this past July has been painful: 12 cats gone in 26 days.  And somehow, to have them cross the rainbow bridge in this lovely weather feels all wrong.  

Jerry, from the Val Jones pen  (KN)

The first to go was sweet battered-looking Jerry in the Val Jones;  Jerry was one of the few FIV cats that showed the effects of the virus; he struggled with skin problems and mouth problems.  But he loved his feline buddies and his human friends, and was never happier than when having cuddles. Three days later we lost Neko from the Leukemia pen, and Denzel from the DW deck. Handsome Neko had been a very spooked feral for some time after coming to us, spending most of his time in the overhead walkways, but in the last couple of years his reserve had thawed, and he came down to enjoy petting from staff and volunteers.  Denzel was the last cat trapped at the old 5 Road shelter, before RAPS left it for demolition and rebuilding; he was a good buddy of Luke and Bodhi, and of Hamlet, now gone – the three tuxedos formed the core of what Daphne called the Mafia cats in the Catsino - and Denzel was the honorary consigliere.

from the gremlin Autumn was when she first arrived....

to the flirt who loved everyone   (KN)

The following day, sweet Autumn crossed the bridge. Autumn had been with us since 2012 when she arrived with her kittens; the angry hissy girl of those early days turned into a floofy flirt who enjoyed nothing better than human attention. She’d had mouth problems for at least the last year, and a lot of cage time while the vets tried to sort out what what happening with her.

Chumley, lounging in Pen 1 (MW)

Paula, exploring outside Pen 2   (MW)

A surprise passing was Juliette, one of the cats from what we call the Newton hoard. Most of that colony is doing well, but one of our concerns with them is how inbred they likely are, and it’s probable that Juliet was carrying a genetic timebomb.   Three days later, we lost four cats in a single day.  Two of them were seniors: Chumley (kidney disease) had been with us 14 years, and Paula (cancer) for a bit less; she was one of the Pen 2 cats who came to us in 2016. As we lost the older cats from that colony, Paula stepped up to become quite the bossyboots, changing from a hide-away girl to one who roamed the courtyard.  Lloyd in Pen 4 has gone to be with his beloved buddy Len across the Bridge, and with him was one of the Hotel cats from the past winter's trapping;  we never really got to know Kimpton well, and he was not a happy Sanctuary dweller, unlike his companions Westin and Wyndham.

Higgins, in the DoubleWide  (KN)

The following week, sweet Higgins passed;  he came to us as a battered boy, and he never really recovered his health, constantly struggling with skin conditions – possibly an auto-immune situation. He rarely ventured outside, making his home in the Double Wide, where there were always people around to make much of him;  he was pretty wary of other cats.|

Would there be any chicken for me?  (KN)

Two more shocks – little Nova, from the SingleWide, was gone at the weekend; Nova had arrived with her kittens, and been a very ferocious mama until they went for adoption;  once they were gone she settled into Sanctuary living, becoming a chickaholic and a happy dancer. The SingleWide seems very empty without her determined begging!  And sweet semi-feral Fletcher, who came to us with his buddies Fonzie and Flynn, had been hiding away and losing weight; both of them had cancer.  Fletcher had been learning that humans were not so bad, but the feral instinct is not to show weakness and by the time he was seen, it was too late.

We had all too little time with Fletcher   (BC)

So July was a pretty brutal month – and all that on top of losing Willow, Charlotte, Sylar, Flash, Marble and Adam in June. Four of those were seniors, and anticipated – the loss is never welcome, but the passing of senior cats has to be accompanied by gratitude for their long lives with us, and for all the love that was shared with them. And even for the relative newcomers like Juliette, Fletcher and Kimpton, we take comfort in knowing that their time with us was lived in safety, and with much love and care from staff and volunteers. Rainbows at the Bridge mean there was rain, and tears – but their light was so beautiful... 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Settling In

Shy Rosie  (KN)

Quite a number of cats have come to join us in the last six months or so. It feels as if we’ve lost a lot of our older cats in the last few years – we’re grieving the loss of sweet skinny Calvin just last week, and Quinn just before that; both casualties of kidney disease, which is one of the most common factors in feline health issues. We rejoiced when Sara Lee and Onyx achieved their 20th birthdays, but cats that live that long are like human centenarians – some people (and cats) have longevity genes, and others age much earlier, or are susceptible to health issues, especially when they have come to us from a feral background, possibly with poor nutrition in their past.

Burt Reynolds looks good in a tux  (BC)

But as much as we miss the golden oldies, our doors remain open to cats who need us – cats from other shelters, cats brought in by our own trapping team, cats with health issues...  This week’s blog is an overview of some of the cats as yet unprofiled, cats who are showing personality, but not yet ready to interact with us to the point where I have the material for a kitty-bio.

Monty is the senior newcomer  (BC)

The newest boy is probably also the oldest; Monty is in his holding cage in the SingleWide, and is around 17 years old. Sometimes people will surrender an older animal in order to get a younger one – this is not the case with Monty; he was much loved by his owner.  But a move necessitated by work would have been a big upheaval for the old cat, who is already fragile and dealing with kidney disease, and rehoming is not always easy. After a tour of the Sanctuary, the owner felt that Monty would probably do better in a quiet Sanctuary space, and arranged something with Sanctuary Manager Valerie that would reflect the care Monty will need, and the support of RAPS.  He’s a very sweet cat, and loves attention from the volunteers; it might be that someone would give him a home for his retirement years.

Darjeeling is not very sure about human contact   (BC)

Two cages away from Monty, there’s a 10-year-old grey girl who has been with us several months, but who has remained caged. Darjeeling is from Campbell River, a tufted-tail cat (the result of an injury, rather than natural) who is still not very happy with human visitors, and is most likely to react with a smack. She has remained caged because she came to us with what we believed were dietary allergies;  the vets have now decided to wean her off the novel-protein foods in the hope that she could come out of her cage and share with the other cats.  It may in fact be seasonal allergies rather than dietary ones, or stress issues, but without extensive and expensive testing, all we can do is to trial different things and see how she does.

Burt Reynolds, sharing all the love  (BC)

A walk over to the DoubleWide brought me to a reunion with now-uncaged Burt Reynolds. He came to us from Cats Cradle Rescue in Sidney, and was originally sent to us for his angry feral behaviour, but either tamed very quickly, or remembered a former life with humans.  He began his time with us going through a range of dental procedures, and has emerged in good spirits and settled well into life in the DoubleWide – it’s quite likely that his behaviour was a result of living in pain, and now pain-free, he has blossomed into Mr Personality. He is happy to remain an indoor cat, rather than venturing outside; he can now often be found on the cage-tops, but is ready to come down and interact with the people he knows. Possibly another boy who might find a home... 

Stetson is VERY suspicious   (BC)

Still caged is a cat who came from SARC (Surrey Animal Rescue Centre). like growly Root Beer. This boy has been much slower to respond to the Kitty Comforters overtures towards him. His name is Stetson, and he is making full use of the drape in his cage to stay out of sight.  When the drape is lifted, he huddles in the corner, with his big eyes full of anxiety;  I find that he responds well to NOT being looked at, but being offered little tidbits.  He disdained a taste of Churu, which is a favourite for so many cats, but he loved bits of cooked chicken, finally accepting them gently from my hand.  I suspect that “little and often” will be the trick with Stetson – and we may have to deprive him of his drape occasionally so that he learns that being visible doesn’t make him less safe. He reminds me of big Neko, with the leukemia cats, who took several years to accept and enjoy the attention of Sanctuary humans.  We’ve got time with this newcomer – he’s only a couple of years old.

Rosie shares her space with shy Daffodil  (BC)

Out in the Back Courtyard we have three “flower” girls who are beginning to settle into the larger community. Blonde Rosie has been here since the spring, but is pretty shy; she’s come to us from the Humane Society as the last of a Barnston Island colony; she’s around 8 years old. She hangs out around the Newcomers area and can often be found in company with Daffodil, who came to us from Kamloops a couple of years ago, but who has never joined the other Kamloops cats. Rosie seems to feel safer indoors, but can often be seen peeping through the stair railing into the courtyard when chicken tidbits are on offer. Both little girls are beginning to explore more.

Rosie's "roomie", Daffodil   (KN)

Their counter-cat is Primrose, whose pretty name belies her nature (for now, at least) – Primrose was dumped at our gate and spent a scary night in a carrier; her cage time to get used to us was also in the Newcomers area, but she was very picky about who she would allow to socialize with her; we had warning notices on her door for unsuspecting volunteers.  Once out of the cage, she made it quite clear that she disapproved both of humans and of other cats.  Like Shadow (girlfriend of Nikki SixToes in the SingleWide) Primrose is little and cute and dangerous. Staff member Karen somehow managed to get a warning-collar on her so we know not to confuse her with Nyx or Juno, and to watch out, but between Primrose, Gwen (who is increasingly venturing off the DW Deck and into the courtyard), and our Iranian Princess, there are some significant divas to keep on our radar!

Primrose is identified by her moods, and her collar!  (KN)

As the winter closes in and the weather gets colder, cats who are not already indoor residents begin to discover the advantages of Sanctuary life – warm rooms, fresh water that doesn’t freeze, and more indoor visitors bearing tasty treats. They may come in as scared cats, but they soon discover that there are big bonuses that come with life here.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Update: Feb 2025  -  Sadly, we lost sweet fragile Monty in mid-December.. Darjeeling has gone to fosterage, in order to be able to control her diet AND give her freedom from cage-life.  Stetson vanished into the back gardens when released, but is now much more relaxed, enjoying his explorations, and beginning to allow touch and treats,

Athena and Neptune

Volunteer PAULINE CHIN has been visiting with the Leukemia cats...

Athena - KN

Little Athena was originally part of the godly Pen 6 crew.  A few months ago, she tested positive for FeLV, so off to the Leukemia playground she went.  (The rest of the pen was quarantined for testing and it was only her results that showed positive.)

Trying to get Neko's attention - PC

In the first few weeks, she tried very VERY hard at making a feline friend.  As expected, her efforts were rebuffed by many of the cats - as we all know, cats loathe being forced into doing anything.  Keanu would walk away.  Dexter, Smoochie, and Bear are a tad too old for her taste.  And Portia made herself scarce.  Athena seemed to like Neko the most.  She’d greet him with a headbutt or body rub.  His reception was lukewarm at most.  Does she like him for his coat colour?  Or because he conveniently hangs out by the cat flap door?

Neptune - BC

After all her efforts, she was finally befriended by big black Neptune.  Poor Neptune has lost so many friends in less than 2 years (Henrick, Voodoo, Zanda, Ooley, Chateaux) that it’s fitting he would welcome her.  They’ve become cuddly buddies and constantly stick close to each other, like velcro.

Athena & Neptune - PC

With humans, Athena is vocal and demanding.  She expects gifts, but is very finicky about them.  She’ll take some small toys, catnip, grass, and the laser.  Wands are little too scary for her.  Unlike her feral brethren, she’s actually fussy about meat and treats.  She could enjoy a flavor one day, and ignore it the next.  Oh well… More yummies for the other kitties!

Athena - PC

While we work on Athena to welcome human touch, Neptune is mostly pettable now and sleeps less.  I look forward to petting his ultra soft fur.  It’s similar to Ninja’s plush coat.  Prior to Athena’s arrival, Neptune spent his time hiding in high places.  He’d only hang out by the couch if one of his buddies was present, acting like a shadow of sorts and mirroring their actions.  It’s funny to see him eating from the same bowl at the same time as another kitty.  

Neptune staying out of reach - PC

Ironically, Neptune is the largest cat in the area, yet still one of the shyest. What does he have to fear these days?  If anything, it’s FOMO on treats and playtime.  I used to have to lure him out with food.  If he didn’t appear fast enough, the other cats would devour his share.  Nowadays, he’s often in the main room.  If I pet him without an offering, he likes to nip my hand.  Then again, if I don’t give him attention right away, he also nips me.  (Did you learn that from Neko, Neptune?) Best thing is to leave a treat and step back.  If he wants seconds and thirds, he’ll keep approaching.  Same idea with pets.

Neptune - KN

Just like Athena, he’s a bit nitpicky on food and wands also send him flying out the flap door.  Unlike Athena, I haven’t heard a single meow out of him.  I have yet to find a toy he consistently likes.  He’ll bat catnip toys around until he gets them wedged in a corner.  Grass is worth a sniff.  He has no interest in non-moving toys.

Neptune & Athena - PC

What seemed like an unfortunate surprise actually proved a blessing.  Both Athena and Neptune wanted a cat friend.  Their bond has made them happier and less hidey.  Besides companionship, their confidence has grown.  That extra courage means all the FeLV cats can gather simultaneously in the main room for a felicitous visit, like a big family reunion.  Let’s hope this bond lasts a lengthy lifetime.

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Pauline Chin, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson