A Tale of Several Tails

The Sanctuary plays home to more than 400 cats of a variety of types – and has been home to probably a thousand more in the course of our 16 years in Richmond. They come in all sizes and shapes, purebreed and moggies – if you want to find a cat of any description, it’s probably passed through our gates at some time. The purebreeds – cats like our Persians and Bengals – are usually here because of their bathroom habits, but those are habits that keep a number of cats from being adopted, unfortunately.

A variety of cats come with a variety of tails – everything from the long and elegant tail of Bengal Lucky, usually carried low, or the similarly slim tail of tabby Hannah, usually erect...

Lucky - MW

Hannah - PH

to the magnificent bushy fluff of Puffin or Owl

Puffin - MW

We have our share of tail-less felines, usually known as Manx cats. These vary from the totally tail-less cats like Sweet-Pea, Kilmer and Emery, (known as “rumpies”) to the cats who actually have a tail, but one which is shorter than normal, and has the last few vertebrae fused together. With the latter it’s not always possible to tell without an X-ray whether the tail deformity is genetic or the result of an accident.  Depending on the length of the tail, these are known as a “rumpy riser” (Huey), a “stumpy” (Blue, in pen 6) or a “stubby” (Abby)

Abby - MW

Sweet-Pea is at the end of the Manx spectrum, suffering as she does from what is known as extreme Manx syndrome, in which the shortness of the spine creates a form of spina bifida, making it impossible for the cat to control its bladder and bowels. Those of us who love our little trilling calico mop up after her, and cuddle her in a thick towel from time to time; she gets a daily bath, as does Kilmer, who has a similar problem – though not quite to her degree.

Sweet-Pea - PH

Sometimes we know that the shortness of the tail is not genetic. Little Marilee was one of a family of cats who were trapped, neutered and released back to the farm where they lived. Unfortunately, Marilee managed to get her tail trapped in a bit of farm machinery. The tail had to be amputated, and it was decided that the Sanctuary was the safest place for Marilee. The picture of a wary Marilee from her early days with us is in contrast to the relaxed girl she is starting to become.

Marilee - PH

Do you recognize any of these tails?

One thing you can usually be sure of – a raised tail signals a happy cat – and what can be happier than meal-time!

Dinner-time! - TS

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman, Tim Stocker & Michele Wright

Shadrack

A common introduction for visitors to the Sanctuary cats follows entry into the Double-wide trailer. As in most areas, cats who are eager for human contact hang around within reach, but there is always a little crowd up on the top of the cages – anxious for attention, but not quite sure that they want to be too close to hands. Waving paws and cute poses are intended to attract attention – and treats.

CF

 The common culprits, when I first came to RAPS, were this little bunch – Shadrack, Dekka, Minky and Danny. We’ve lost the last two in the intervening years, but Shadrack and Dekka love their treats so much that they’ve lost all their fear of humans and are eager for petting (especially if chicken is offered!)
Shadrack came to the Sanctuary in 2010 with his brother Shakey from a situation at a cement plant where they were trapped and brought to safety. Shakey, as you might guess from the name, had a neurological condition that made him a little unsteady on his paws. One of our volunteers fell in love with him, and adopted him to a home where he would be kept safe. 

Volunteer Chris Stewart, who knew them both, said that Shakey was friendly from the start, but Shadrack was more wary of humans and not ready to be handled. Once his brother had been adopted, he joined the cage-top crowd, where he could mooch just out of arms-reach.

Shadrack & Jingles - photographer unknown

Safety, of course, is moot: when there’s another aggressive cat on the cage-top, sometimes you’re safer on the floor.
Gradually Shadrack became more relaxed, and joined not only the crowd on the floor, but also the crowd out in the gardens.

He’s not an easy cat to photograph – he’s one of those very active boys, constantly on the move – and the common reaction to a camera focus is to investigate it as closely as possible

With me he’s become more and more affectionate; he’s not yet ready to be picked up and cuddled, but the paws come up on my lap, and he kneads and blinks his love.  Chicken is a bonus – he’s another of the chicken-addicts (though not as extreme as Owl!) but even when there are no goodies, he enjoys being fussed over.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Claire Fossey & Michele Wright

Sylar - update

Sylar continues as a work-in-progress. From the time Claire first featured him on the blog  he established himself as a pretty hissy feral boy.  But as with many ferals, the hissiness is teamed with a fascination for humans and their doings.

Just warning us off...

Sylar made the back courtyard his “beat” – usually on the deck of the Newcomers, or out in the area below.  Leslie routinely looked out for him, and he would hear her voice and come to investigate. Occasionally he would allow himself to be petted, and then would need to learn all over again that petting was not too scary.  Leslie pointed him out to me a while ago, but I never managed to get further than one-sided conversations and the odd scratch – touching was out!

this is the typical view of Sylar...

Then back in February we noticed that he had contracted the cat cold that goes the rounds. Like most colds, there’s not a lot you can do (warm baths and drinking lots of OJ are obviously not for cats!), and we don’t need to be treating a cold virus with antibiotics. But really snotty colds can also indicate a bacterial component, so Sylar was netted and caged in the double-wide for treatment and TLC. 

Unfortunately I have no photos from this period – he was in one of the less well-lit cages, and my camera has several dark blurry images from attempts to snap him. He hung out behind his drape, making warning angry noises when anyone entered his cage. But a lot of it turned out to be bluff – once I ignored the hissing and braved an outstretched hand, head-rubs and purring ensued, and then his bottom would go up and he’d try to roll over on his shelf with ecstatic wiggles.

Shall I stay, or shall I hide round the back?...

One of the things we love about the Sanctuary is that cats are not caged for any longer than they have to be. All too soon, Sylar was released, and vanished back into the back courtyard, and I have to begin over again. He’s become more consistent in the company he keeps and where he hangs out; he seems to be good friends with shy Quinn, and visits him around Waldie’s House, and he can often be found behind the cat-bed shelves on the west side of the courtyard.

Sylar hanging out with Quinn

He knows my voice, but is not yet ready to accept petting from me; if I sit on the floor of the courtyard he will circle around me at a radius that began at about 6-foot, but is slowly diminishing. He will occasionally accept a tidbit, but is not really food-motivated – and if food is produced, the producer is mobbed by the ravenous horde led by Owl, and Sylar backs off. So for now, it’s just patience and repetition.  He’s become one of my sponsor cats, and though I hope that’s a long-term relationship, I also hope it won’t take too long to get better acquainted.

I'm pretty cute, even if I am hissy...

Blog by Brigid Coult
Pictures by Brigid Coult & Michele Wright

Albi - update

Claire introduced us to Albi nearly three years ago when he was still in the early stages of settling down with us. Initially shy and a bit nervous, he established himself as a member of the Newcomers area – sometimes cosied up inside on one of the shelves or in an open cage, but more often out on the deck.

MW

Albi was named for the husband of one of our staff, and initially she wondered if it was a good match - he was edgy and nervous, unlike his more mellow human counterpart. But interactions with passing volunteers and staff became less and less stressful for him, and now he actually seeks out human attention.

Almost always, he indulges in a behaviour that you usually only see in a really relaxed cat – he flops over to expose his belly. He will allow a little gentle tummy-rub, but I think it’s less about seeking belly-rubs and more about saying “I’m vulnerable”

DW

He’s a little stand-offish with other cats – certainly with the pushy ones like Sid and Owl. I’ve found him exchanging head-bonks with a few quieter cats, and his territory has expanded beyond the Newcomers area and into the rest of the back courtyard.

He reminds me a bit of orange Gilbert in the front courtyard – initially very shy, and now soliciting attention and petting.  It’s wonderful to see!

MW

Blog by Brigid Coult
Photos by Debbie Wolanski & Michele Wright

The Sound of Mew-sic

Visitors to the Sanctuary are often surprised by how quiet the place is. Other than the occasional plane passing over, and some distant traffic noise, all is very peaceful. Unlike dogs, who are often very vocal, most cat communication lies in body language – both posture and touch.  There are, of course, sounds we would prefer not to hear – the hiccupping noise of an incipient hairball, the occasional spat as Treacle warns someone out of her space, the muttering of grey Leland telling us he’s in one of his bad moods. 

 

There are one or two particularly noisy cats, chief among which has to be Booster, who perches in the corner of a cage and yells until someone comes to pay attention to her.

 

Josie waits impatiently for Doug (or any other Josie-fan) to come and pat her bum – whereupon she trills her little Josie-song.

Other cats are noted for more subdued vocals.

Bubba, in Old Aids, talks to his favourite people until he is hugged, as he wishes.

 

Lucky is pretty quiet for a Bengal – but when he raises his voice, you hear it!

 

Cisco (on right, with Yoda & Fred) is vocal in his impatience in the tea-room as he waits for someone to pour coffee, and give him a little taste of cream.

 

Max, in the Val Jones, talks in a whiskey baritone.

On Sundays the vocals are dialed up as afternoon visitors arrive, and cats swarm the gate, saying “Feed me!  I’m starved!”  Wayne appears with his chicken offering, and the clamouring gets desperate. The same phenomenon occurs every evening as the feeds begin – there is always a chorus of already-well-fed but hungry cats.

Back courtyard Owl is particularly vocal when chicken is about,

though in this case it was a small moth he was after!

Pictures of cats with open mouths got me thinking about what they might be singing

O Solo Meow - Dodger

 

Purrrfidia - Esme

The (would-be) lion sleeps tonight - Achilles

 

Stray Cat Strut - Birdie

 

My purr will go on – Little Orange (PH)

 

(Everything I mew) I mew it for you - Skye

 

You got a fur-iend  - Skouch

 

Good vibrations - Arnie

 

 

What does YOUR cat sing?

 

Blog by Brigid Coult
Photos by (mostly) Michele Wright
with Brigid Coult & Phaedra Hardman