Nugget and Fernando

Nugget approves of more volunteers!  (KN)

Back in May I blogged an overview of some of the many black cats in the Front Courtyard, with a mental note to myself that I needed to do something similar in the back. There are a lot of seemingly anonymous black cats who disappear in the many cabins and hidey-holes around both arms of the courtyard, but it's rarer to find friendly ones who look for attention.

Fernando  (KN)

Everyone knows Tyson, of course – our “illegal immigrant” loves to get petting and cuddles from both volunteers and visitors; Tyson is quickly identified by a single white whisker (which he occasionally loses and then manages to re-grow). Arwen is the friendliest of a black trio that came to us from Salmon Arm via Kamloops; her sibs Keno and Orson are touch-me-not ferals.  Alexandria mostly lives in Newcomers, but every now and then we spot her and her white toes visiting the great outdoors. We are beginning to see black Donny exploring warily; she arrived with her bonded “sister”, orange Chrissy, and both are still pretty cautious. And who can miss our sweet JackieO, polydactyl and tail-less, who loves a lap (though you may need a protective towel in order to appreciate the experience). And that's only a few of the plain black cats, with a number of tuxedos to boost them!

Nugget's white locket is on show; he has a few other while hair patches  (KN)

But while volunteers are taking a break at the table outside the Tea-Room, the most likely black cats to come visiting are Nugget and Fernando.  Nugget (like tuxedo Aster) came to us from Broken Promises rescue on Vancouver Island. He is easily identifiable by the collar he wears – a signal that he is pretty reactive.  

We tell weekend visitors that collars indicate spicy cats; in fact, many of them are not so much actively spicy as just very sensitive. Broken Promises sent Nugget to us when they couldn’t find a foster home to take him; at the Sanctuary he has found he has space to avoid other cats, and discovered humans who will read his body language. He loves the basket in the TeaRoom when he doesn't have a favourite person with whom to sit.

Both collar and locket on display  (BC)

Nugget loves attention, and will hop up on a lap without an invitation. Petting is welcomed, but, as with many of the sensitive cats, is better confined to the above-the-collar area. Move further down the back, and the tail starts twitching; ignore the cues, and you will need band-aids!  The worst aspect of Nugget is that he is one of the cats who seems to have a chronic cold; through the summer months it’s not so bad, but when the cat-colds hit, Nugget’s are always the snottiest, and he continually needs to have his face washed.

Dozing is Nugget's favourite thing; bonus points if on a lap  (BC)

Fernando has been with us about 4 years; he’s about Nugget’s size, though a little slighter, with a slightly tattered edge to his right ear. From a distance, he looks black;  close up, and you will see that he has little flecks of white in his fur.  He is one of those cats who sees a hand hanging down from a chair arm, and immediately rubs against it; he loves attention, and is sometimes willing to be picked up for a lap-sit, though he’s not as comfortable with it as Nugget.

Lori brought goodies  (BC)

Fernando came to us through one of our loved-and-missed volunteers. Lori was every Sanctuary cat’s favourite person, arriving on Sunday afternoons loaded down with fresh-cooked chicken and fish – a labour of love now adopted by volunteer Carol (who also crafts our seasonal decorations and the painted stones). 

Fernando  (KN)

A few years ago, Lori moved back to Alberta to be closer to her family. But as she was packing for the move, she was concerned for a little feral cat who was often found on her porch;  he was not tame, but she had fed him and given him a place to hide.

Fernando  (KN)

Before she left, she trapped him and brought him to the Sanctuary, knowing he would be safe with us. Fernando is now about 10 years old, and very likely would not have survived that long as a lone feral cat. His initial years with us were like many of the other ferals – wary, suspicious – but he has become much more trusting with time, and adores attention. I think he’s not a cat that would ever be adoptable; former ferals don’t do well with transportation and relocation, and will often revert to their feral mindset.  Fernando is relaxed and comfortable with us in his permanent home.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Leslie Ann Burgess, Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Promises Kept

Nugget  (KN)

I have often mentioned in earlier blogs that RAPS Cat Sanctuary does not work in isolation, and that we have strong ties with other rescues around the province. The most consistent one is probably with Sammy’s Forgotten Felines in Kamloops, with whom our Manager, Valerie, was associated, and we have a number of cats who have originated from there – but we also work with rescues on the Kootenays and on Vancouver Island.  Most of these are grass-roots organizations, funded by local donations and made possible by the devoted work of volunteers. Many have very little space, and rely heavily on those volunteers to foster the rescues they take in until a more permanent home can be found for them.

Thistle  (KN)

Our visitors this past Saturday afternoon included a small group from Broken Promises Rescue near Victoria. Over the past year, we have taken some of their cats, and they were anxious to see how they were doing, and that they had settled safely into a new life with us.  We had a heads-together with Karen, to identify them all, and to establish the ones whose names had been changed, and where they might be found, and then I abandoned the regular visitors to the care of Kate and Brad, and became their exclusive tour guide.  

Chance  (BC)

We began in the New Aids pen, with a visit to Chance. Chance had come to us from Broken Promises last year because he was FIV+ and could not be released to a feral colony after neutering; he had loving care from a fosterer, but was still very hissy-swatty when he arrived into our care. Quiet, and lots of patience from the Kitty Comforters helped him to relax, and he now is one of the established lap-claimers in the cabin.  It’s hard to know if his happy reaction to the visitors was because he recognized voices or just appreciated company, but he was quick to jump up and ask for petting and treats.  It will be interesting to see if he decides to explore outside as the weather warms; he’s been almost exclusively an indoor cat since he arrived.  We introduced some of the other cats as well – both the very social ones like Biggie and Obelix, but also with a quick visit to shy Boston, as well.

Nothing Nugget loves more than a box!   (KN)

Returning to the back pens, we did a little hunting round to see if we could ID any of the more recent Broken Promises cats, and to let the visitors see the space available to our resident cats.  At least one of the BP cats is in Pen 4, and most of the Pen 4 cats are expert hiders; that afternoon Ranger (from Haida Gwaii) and Annie were the only ones basking on the path, and everyone else was safely tucked out of sight. A return to the main courtyard and the TeaRoom gave us an encounter with Nugget, enjoying his under-the-chair bed.  Nugget wears a collar as an indication of his tendency to be reactive, which is the reason he’s with us; when he began getting aggressive with the other cats with whom he was fostered, it was clear that he couldn’t remain in a standard home.  Like Chance, Nugget also seemed to recognize his visitors, and wriggle-squirmed in an effort to get more attention.

Aster  (BC)

The Double-Wide is off-limits to visitors usually, but under these circumstances I was able to take just one person in, while we hunted for a couple of the newer cats who had joined us.  I was pretty sure I knew where Aster hung out, and there she was!  She had come in with the name of Daisy, but for us there is only one Daisy, and the name was retired after her passing. Keeping the flower theme, this little one became Aster, and her buddy became Thistle. 

Thistle  (BC)

Both are still pretty shy, and divide their time between the Double-Wide and the courtyard, but with visitors around, I guessed that they might well be indoors. I think Aster recognized the voice calling her, but she was still nervous enough that she preferred to remain on the cage-top in her safe zone; she was interested, but not brave enough to approach.  I hoped Thistle might be on the back deck, but at that point he was hiding, and didn’t appear until later.

Gwen hoping for goodies   (BC)

A couple of other Broken Promises cats were around; poofy tortie Gwen hovered anxiously, hoping for chicken handouts and quite unmoved by the presence of her rescuer.  Blond Tucker was sound asleep in bed and not to be disturbed. We returned to the courtyard and more joyful interactions with Nugget.

Tucker - Do Not Disturb!   (KN)

Broken Promises takes its name as a reminder that we make commitments to the animals in our lives.  And when those promises are broken, when we don’t spay/neuter, when we hoard, when we act without compassion, it is the animals that suffer. The team at Broken Promises is there to pick up the slack, to try to remedy some of the carelessness and cruelty.  And their commitment goes beyond taking in animals and finding homes for them.  Even when handing them over to another organization for care, they want to follow through and make sure that all is well.  Truly, promises kept...

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson