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

September Song

Tugboat (back) snuggling with Colin  (BC)

Many of us will know the phenomenon of a tune that gets stuck in the head – I call it “an earworm”. My earworm that keeps recurring is a Broadway song from about 90 years ago, by Kurt Weill. It’s about how when you’re young, you can let things go, or just wait, but as you grow older, you cling to the precious things.

SaraLee and CB Lincoln get cosy  (LBF)

And it’s stuck in my head right now, because it’s called “September Song” and reminds me of some of our Sanctuary seniors, and just how precious they are to us. When I first came to volunteer here, I wasn’t collecting photos in the way I do now, so I don’t have pictures of all the young versions of these loves, but you will see something of how they have changed with the years, and you can follow some of the back in the NekoBlog entries, using the Search box.

Sara Lee, younger and sleek

Our oldest girl is smoky Sara Lee.  Pictures of a much younger version of her can be found in Claire’s blog of more than ten years ago, and Sara Lee herself came to the Sanctuary as a very young feral mama twenty years ago. 

Sara Lee snoozing  (KN)

She was always anxious to “help” with quality control at feeding time;  now it’s just too hard to make the jump up to the table, and she prefers to spend her days nestled in blankets. But jumping is not an impossibility, when there’s someone she likes at coffee time; she will happily scramble up into a lap, and beg for attention and tidbits. A bit bandy-legged, with fur that no amount of (unwelcome) grooming will smooth out, she is nevertheless the diminutive queen of the back courtyard.

In his young days, Miller was something of a chonk   (MW)

Miller came to us as one of a trio – with his sisters Fiona and Schatze, now both gone.  Initially shy, Miller could often be found perched high up on a cupboard that required some athleticism to reach. These days it’s definitely too much for him, and the place has been ceded to Freya.   

Waiting for tidbits and attention  (KN)

Miller prefers something warmer and within reach – sometimes the papasan chair at the top of the steps, sometimes hidden in the gazebo.  But if he hears his name called, he will appear for treats and for a little snuggly “Miller time” with his special friends.

Sleek and lovely Hope  (MW)

Hope is another girl who’s been with us a long time. Her whole family arrived together: Mom Joanie, Dad Hudson, brothers Domino and GusGus, and our pretty grey girl Hope – all feral and wary, though they calmed down in time and became much loved members of the Sanctuary family.  Hope is the last of them left.  She bases in the Connor House corner of the front courtyard.

Thinner, but still enjoying life  (MW)

Hope is noted as having the softest, plushiest fur – she is a pleasure to have in a lap for petting. As she has aged, lap-sitting has become an increasing pleasure for her too – even when she has to compete with Cher and Roe for lap-space.

CB Lincoln in his healthier days   (MW)

Cinnamon Bun Lincoln – so named for his curly tail – has been with us since he arrived in our care in 2007 with a shattered pelvis, possibly a victim of a car.  15 years later, his appearance hasn't changed much, and he’s still hanging in; however, as we human oldies know, old injuries have a way of coming back at you with age, and he moves more slowly these days. 

Still with stretched-out legs to ease the joints  (BC)

He’s also one of those cats who has become a little senile with age – occasionally we will hear him wailing, and someone will go to reassure him that’s he’s OK and there are friends around.  He may be an old man, but Dusty still loves him and follows him around!

Onyx's eyes haven't changed!  (MW)

Onyx is one of the last of a group of cats who came to us from a hoarding situation. Deeply bonded with Topaz, the two of them claimed the water-heater room off the laundry as their turf. Having lost her sister  last year, Onyx continues to be mostly a loner.  She spends her summer days in the back of Pen 5 and as the weather gets cooler, she will probably return to the laundry-room shelves – she may be old, but she likes to climb.

The Old Lady  (KN)

She’s pretty deaf, and she’s not keen on being touched, but she ranks high with the chickaholics, and no matter where she is, she senses when treats are being handed out, and pushes to the front of the line to eat all she can; she’s a skinny girl, but she has a big appetite for chicken!

The dapper Mr Tugboat when he arrived  (ML)

Tugboat is probably not as old as Onyx, but like humans, some cats appear to age earlier, and some are still fit and healthy into old age. The sleek and handsome boy who came to us in 2010 is now a pretty ragged-looking 19-year-old guy with aching joints who needs medication to be comfortable.

...now, gone is the sleek grooming   (KN)

Like most old cats, he needs warmth, and he can usually be found snuggling on the doublewide couch with Plum or Colin, or right next to the heater in the tea-room – that is, if he isn’t getting his cuddles from one of the staff or volunteers. Tuggy is much loved.

snuggles with Debbie   (DW)

There are many other older cats that we are watching carefully as they age – their fragility tugs at the heart, and we want them to be as comfortable as possible in their autumn days.

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few -
September, November...
And these few precious days I'll spend with you,
These precious days I'll spend with you 

- Kurt Weill “September Song”

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Moira Langley,

 Karen Nicholson, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright, 

Big Birthdays for Small Seniors

Little Sara Lee   (MW)

It’s very often impossible to tell the age of a cat when it comes to us.  A vet will make an assessment based on a number of factors – size and shape, dental formation, eyes, activity – but for each factor, there may be counter-indications. With teeth, for instance, some cats suffer from stomatitis – an inflammation of the mouth that is often best dealt with by extracting most of the teeth – so missing teeth may not be a sign of age. 

Onyx   (MW)

We do have good assessments of the age of some of our cats, though, because they have spent most of their lives with us, and even a good approximation in the early days can help us mark some significant milestones with better accuracy.  So we’re pretty sure that both Sara Lee and Onyx have celebrated their 20th birthdays, and are chugging along just fine!

Onyx & her sister Topaz  (KN)

Onyx is one of the last of our “Donni cats”, coming to us from a hoarding situation many years ago. She and her “sister” Topaz were usually found together; neither was particularly comfortable with being handled, but they were OK being around people.  Their usual hangout was in the laundry room – preferably in the tiny room with the water-heater.  In finer weather they would emerge and sun themselves together in the courtyard.  Topaz crossed the Rainbow Bridge last year, but Onyx is still hanging in there. 

Onyx enjoying the sun, last fall   (KN)

The water-heater room is no longer accessible to her (too many pee incidents in bedding storage!), but despite her age, Onyx makes her way up the shelves to her favourite corner high up in the laundry room. Volunteers have to be careful about leaving a clear path for her – we don’t want her landing on a surface without secure footing, and falling – and she’s definitely a bit slower about getting up and down, but she’s very determined and makes the climb several times each day.

Hoping for a handout  (KN)

She’s not really a people-cat – but she does love people who bring soft treats (she’s one of the cats with minimal teeth), and when chicken is being offered her radar alerts her to join the begging crowd in the courtyard. She has no hesitation in standing up to the pushy felines – Pumpkin and Walker and Nyx can give shyer cats like Sylar a hard time, but Onyx stands her ground, and there’s nothing wrong with her chicken appetite!

In some lights, Sara Lee's eyes clearly show their different colours  (KN)

Sara Lee is another laundry-room girl, but unlike Onyx, she loves human attention. Her hearing is beginning to fail, and as it does, her voice gets louder, demanding that someone come pet her / feed her / turn on a tap... She doesn’t choose to climb to Onyx’s level, preferring to be within reach; her usual nesting place is on either the washer or the dryer, where warmth comforts and vibrations seem to soothe.

Contented smile  (LP)

Being on the drier also has the advantage of being by the sink at mealtimes. Catfood cans are soaked in hot water for ten minutes or so, to make the food softer and more palatable, and Sara Lee like to be where she can get the first taste of warm gravy. She does quality control for every single common plate, just to make sure she gets the best. 

Sara Lee sharing with Barbara (BC)

She trained little Barbara, before she was adopted out, and her usual sampling partner these days is big Cole – though it’s less a shared experience than of two single-minded cats ignoring one another. Sara Lee is quite social – she was a regular visitor to Spike and Princess’s cuddle-sessions, and she can often be found snuggled up with other buddies in the laundry room.

Sharing a bed with Cinnamon Bun Lincoln  (LBF)

Once the weather improves, and staff/volunteers are able to enjoy break-time sitting in the open air, Sara Lee will be one of the first to join them. She may be tiny and old, but she is an experienced and enthusiastic lap-sitter (though not a relaxed one – she stands in laps rather than sitting in them), and likes to navigate around the table to visit all her human friends.  If there is chicken on offer, so much the better!  The only thing that she doesn’t like about laps is that the humans will try to groom her, a process she doesn’t enjoy very much. One of the features of an aging cat is that often they will not groom themselves properly, and Sara Lee’s smoky fur (black on top and white underneath) is more matted than we like to see.

Love to the birthday girl  (LBF)

Just as we’ve recently been celebrating Betty White’s almost 100-year-old life, so we need to celebrate Onyx and Sara Lee’s 20 years – a significant achievement for a couple of cats who came to us from feral beginnings. We know that there are cats that live longer lives – just as there are humans who are still active in their 100s – and this pair couldn’t be in a better place to be medically tended and given love by many people.  Two tough and active little old ladies – here’s toasting you in Sara Lee’s favourite cat-gravy! - long life to you both! L’chaim!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson, Lisa Parker, Michele Wright

Live Long and Prospurr – the SuperSeniors

The RAPS Sanctuary has been situated here for more than 20 years, and many, many cats have come into our care.

Sara Lee (19) - KN

Because most of them were deemed unadoptable, and yet get the best care we can offer them, there are a considerable number of inhabitants who have lived with us most of their lives, and are now in their senior years.

There are various measurements of age, but most generally accepted are

    • birth to 6 months  - Kitten 
    • 7 months to 2 years – Junior 
    • 2 to 6 years – Prime
    • 7 to 10 years – Mature – equivalent of human mid-40s/50s
    • 11 to 14 years – Senior – takes the cat up to the equivalent of 70 human years
    • 15 years and older – SuperSenior – and like some senior humans, cats can just keep going!

Little Debbie (nearly 17) - MW

Most of the Moore House cats have come in to us as seniors, and in a warm quiet place, they are doing well. Earl Grey is around 19 years old; Rufus, who was adopted out, is about the same age.  Just as some senior humans remain fit and active well into old age, so for some cats; other younger cats may be visibly frailer as they appear to age earlier.

Jolene wears her 17+ years well - KN

Many of our cats have grown into their senior years in different areas of the Sanctuary, and we will not be moving them into the Moore House just because of age. We notice them slowing down a bit, often sleeping more, or seeking out the warm places, but most of them have their own territories and their cat-friends, and they are comfortable in their home. 

Onyx (nearly 20) - KN - misses her sister Topaz

Occasionally we will notice that an older cat appears confused about where it is or what is happening; it may begin yowling for attention, and needing more comfort. Senile dementia is a feline as well as a human condition. And as with humans, we find it’s usually best to allow the cat to remain in its comfort-zone, even if that is one of the outdoor pens. Sweet Gabby, who we lost a few years ago, was a cat like this, and we're now hearing it in his girlfriend Tara.

Princess (17.5) - KN

Other cats suddenly become more vocal, and the pitch of the voice changes. We think that this is often because hearing loss has set in, and the cat is not aware of the sound of its own voice. Old Kiko, who lived in pen 6, had a particularly penetrating voice in the months before she passed, and we're hearing something of the same in Tugboat's demands to be picked up and cuddled.

Tugboat (18) - JC

Greying hair is also noticeable, especially among the darker cats. Little SaraLee – formerly black with a smoke undercoat, has now become flecked with white fur. In spite of her 19+ years, she is able to jump up for lap-cuddles, or for quality control of gravy at mealtimes. Former feral Ruff has always had grey in his fur, but it has become more grey than black, giving him an elder-statesman aura.

Ruff (14) - KN - doesn't quite qualify as a SuperSenior
but his years as a feral cat have been hard

As cats get older, we have to watch them more carefully for all the things that affect senior humans as well – digestion and bathroom habits, mobility, weight loss and grooming. The Med staff have a list of cats who are checked every day, and both staff and volunteers may draw attention to a cat whose behaviour has changed. Often, a cat will be more demanding of attention – though it’s never a hardship to sit down and give extra cuddle time to cats like Tugboat.

Earl Grey (19) - KN

Because these cats have aged in our care, they don’t have the trauma of being surrendered into a new situation if they become incontinent, or noisy because of deafness. Sweet Earl Grey is happy now, but was depressed when he came to us. For him, it was like putting Grandpa into Assisted Living – he didn’t want a new place or new people (and cats) and it took a while for him to realise that it was actually a pretty good deal.  None of our resident seniors will be traumatized in this way – they can choose to go on living wherever they want.  And happy cats with good health care can live long lives – we have many who are SuperSeniors, and several who enjoy life into their twenties – the equivalent of reaching their century!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Jackie Chappell, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Note: having written this, we have learned that the Moore House is showing extreme wear, and we are probably going to have to move the Moore cats while it is being replaced. If you can give an old cat some love in his SuperSenior years, please contact Valerie Wilson, our Assistant Manager.

Sisters

“Sisters, sisters, never were there such devoted sisters...”

KN

In fact, we have no DNA evidence Topaz and Onyx are related by blood at all – they came in at separate times, and the vet estimated them at different ages.  But they came from the same place, they look remarkably similar and they tend to be found together.  Mostly, in the Sanctuary, we tend to think of them as Topaz-and-Onyx, and back when Claire introduced them on the Neko Blog, they were already an established pair.

KN

They are part of the little-black-cat population in the back courtyard, joining Celia, Sara Lou and a few others in the “who is that cat?” reaction from volunteers. They are less easily confused with their black Sanctuary “brothers” Ninja, Tyson, Jay-Z, all of whom are larger and glossier; these two old ladies show their age with less energy and rougher fur. They’re among the semi-ferals; they prefer not to have a lot of human attention, but they’re ready to accept the odd treat, and they love chicken handouts.

Topaz (KN)

We think that they are among the oldest cats in the Sanctuary; the vet's original guesstimate at her age would put Topaz at 19+; they are among what we call the Donni-cats, coming to us from a hoarding situation. There are very few of those cats left – bob-tailed Huey and pretty Princess still live in the Double-Wide.  Every day Topaz receives a dose of medication for a hyperthyroid condition; luckily she is more ready than her sister to enjoy human contact, which makes the medicating job easier.

Onyx (KN)

Onyx, who is listed as being a couple of years younger (though it was an estimate, and she may be the same age as Topaz), is much less interested in human touch and will shy back from contact. When you see them together, it's easier to distinguish them; separately, it’s possible to confuse the two.

BC

When it gets colder, Topaz and Onyx will probably move back to the warmth of the laundry room; for some years their favoured turf was on top of the hot-water tank in the small storage room. That’s off-limits to cats now, but there are plenty of beds there where the old ladies can be cosy.

KN

But for now, they’re loving the waning summer, finding places to lie together, and enjoying the sun and each other’s company.

Blog by Brigid Coult

("Sisters" from "White Christmas")

Photos by Brigid Coult and Karen Nicholson

Topaz

When I first went to introduce myself to pals Onyx and Topaz on Monday, only Onyx was present, and she wasn't all that excited about the whole introduction thing. I tried again a little while later and found that Topaz had returned from whatever she'd been doing and joined Onyx in their spot on top of the water heater.

Louise had described Topaz as the friendlier of the pair, who would sometimes come down to floor level for pats. Up high, Topaz wasn't quite so sure about me, and felt a need to retreat to an even higher shelf that was just about out of my reach and stare at me for a while before she could get into the idea of being stroked.

Eventually, she decided the she rather liked the attention. There's no competing with her affection for Onyx, though. Leslie describes the pair as inseparable, and says it's likely that they're siblings.