Adopted - adoptable...

Smithy is the quintessential non-adoptable cat!  KN

For many years, visitors to the Cat Sanctuary have had the cats introduced as “unadoptable” – and for many of them, that’s just what they are:  scared ferals, cats with bad habits like aggression or litter-box avoidance, and cats with a variety of medical problems. When I first came to volunteer, we did minimal adoptions – perhaps ten in a year – and most of those went to volunteers who had bonded with the cats in question.

Both Twinks (formerly Peony) and Scooter (formerly Larkin)
came from the Sanctuary  (BJ)

But we’ve always had a number of what I would call stage-two ferals – cats who had come in wild and unsociable, and who had gradually eased into loving relationship with staff and volunteers. A great deal of the wariness about adopting out these semi-ferals came out of experiences where cats (Esme & Jenny, for instance) were adopted out, and then totally freaked out in their new homes, cramming themselves into inaccessible corners, and reverting to their former feral behaviour. In those situations, staff from RAPS went out to re-rescue the fearful cats, who were returned to the Sanctuary, to remain there for the rest of their lives.

The formerly feral Horatio became Louise's lap-cat (MW)

Looking back, it is easy to see that a number of steps were missed – there was not enough time given for the cats in question to bond with the adopter, there was no education about the adoption process, and there was no remedial action other than retrieving the cats. The mindset was on rescue and not on other possibilities.  Thanks to the work that has been done by cat behaviorists in the last decade, and experts like Jackson Galaxy and Pam Johnson-Bennett, we know much more about the processes that will work, from both ends of the adoption process.

75% of feral kittens don't survive to 6 months;
these babies will live, thanks to Lisa & Ken    (LBW)

The Adoption Centre deals primarily with the outcome of our rescue work; any time the team brings in a colony, there are practically always pregnant moms and kittens. We are lucky to have several wonderful fosterers who will watch over births, help new moms, and teach kittens that humans are to be trusted. When the kittens are old enough for adoption, they are brought to the Adoption Centre, where they can be visited; their adoption fees cover the cost of all their vaccinations and spay/neutering, for which their families bring them back to the RAPS Hospital.

Ernie, missing his Bert   (KN)

But though kittens are the biggest draw for visitors, they’re not the only inhabitants. We also take in surrendered cats, coming to us for a variety of reasons – usually humans who are no longer able to care for them. A senior pair, called Bert and Ernie, came in to us recently – very loveable and very unhappy about the change in their situation. They were checked over – there were some concerns about Ernie’s health – and caged together, with a request to the Kitty Comforters that they should be visited. Sadly, it was Bert whose health suddenly failed, and poor Ernie was left alone. Thankfully, someone stepped up, and Ernie has happily gone to a foster home where he will be well-loved for the rest of his life.

Benjamin & Olivia - gone to their new home  (BC)

While saying goodbye to Ernie, I heard that Benjamin and Olivia had also been adopted, which is wonderful news after all they’ve been through. The next cat in the Adoption Centre that we’ll all be rooting for is Greyson, discovered to have an infected eye probably caused in a fight; Greyson’s now one-eyed, but once recovered, will be someone’s beloved feline – he’s very chatty and friendly.

Greyson is loving the chance to explore, as he recovers  (ML)

Busy as the Adoption Centre is, some of the adoptable Sanctuary cats remain in the Sanctuary itself.  We are still hoping for homes for Whiskers and his brother Jinx, though the presence of other cats is starting to lead to some "stress pee-ing". But weekend visitors from the end of March will also encounter a variety of cats wearing “adoption bandanas”. These are not cats that we want anyone to point at, and say “I want that one!”, but they are cats that we hope visitors will sit down with, and get to know – preferably with repeated visits to give the cat a chance to bond with the human.  Sometimes we can ID the perfect cat for you – I still smile to think about how Strike “claimed” his new person last year, and how happy Elvis is with his family.

We miss our handsome Strike - but we know
he's happy in his new home   (KN)

Some of the potentially adoptable cats are still new to us, and finding their way – Truffle, Malibu and their crowd; some are part of the FIV cat community, and are not seen by all the visitors, but just love attention – Biggie, Simon, Billy Ray...  Even a couple of the FIV cats are adoptable by someone who can give them the special care they need.

Biggie loves nothing better than a good cuddle (BH)

What they all have in common is that any potential adoption needs a great deal of patience and time; most of them will not go home with you and settle in as if nothing has happened. The 3-3-3 rule is a really good one to bear in mind:
    • In the first three days: mostly in a quiet small space, with litterbox, bed and toys; let them approach you
    • In the first three weeks: allowing exploration at the cat’s pace, establishing a routine, finding a vet
    • by three months: comfortable with their space and their people, starting training

Some cats will adjust faster, but the failures usually happen when they are expected to do so more quickly, as with sweet Holly last year – her family returned her without giving her time to acclimate to a new environment – they wanted the relationship to be “right now”, and she was still scared. 

Holly's happier back with her cat-family  (KN)

The volunteers remain in prime position to bond with adoptable cats. I’ve not had a chance to blog about sweet Mortimer (mostly because he’s a black cat, and they’re notoriously difficult to get good photographs of!), but he came to us recently as a pretty reactive and sassy tom-cat, has had his neuter, and blossomed into a lap-cat (and an under-the-feet cat); he’s being adopted by a volunteer who fell in love with him while working in the DoubleWide. 

Chubby-cheeks Mortimer  (BC)

So if you’re coming to visit the Sanctuary from Easter weekend onwards and are thinking about adopting, think also about the personality that would attract you – do you want shy and gentle? active and inquisitive? a lap-sitter or a little aloof? a loner or cat-sociable? And then take your time to allow the cat to learn that you can be trusted to give them all they need to feel loved for the rest of their life.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Brielle Hutchison,
 Bev Johnston, Mandy Lichtmann, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Adopted!

 For many years, the Cat Sanctuary has been a home for cats that could find no other home.  

Not adopted: Beautiful Ollie just pees wherever he wants.... (KN)

Sometimes this was because they were feral, or very easily spooked; sometimes because they had been surrendered to us for bad bathroom habits; sometimes because they had health issues – but, for the most part, they came to us when they had waited too long in the City Shelter, or a shelter somewhere else, and space had become an issue.

Not adopted: Portia is both semi-feral and leukemia-positive (MW)

Things have changed. The single biggest issue has been that in this pandemic year, people confined largely to their homes have been looking for animal company, and not only the RAPS shelter, but other rescues have been finding it much easier to find adopters. So without the constant inflow of “unadoptable” cats, our numbers have been reducing.

Not adopted: Kin is a feral who prefers to stay well out of reach   (MW)

Sanctuary philosophy has been changing too. From having had a pretty hard-line “these cats are unadoptable” approach, we have increasingly been moving cats into homes.  Initially, this has been largely to staff and volunteers – the people who already know the cats in question, and are aware of potential issues and what may be done.  Because we had early bad experiences with adopting out shy semi-ferals (see Jenny's story), there was a reluctance to do so – but when the semi-ferals in question already know and trust their adopter, and that adopter is alert to the problems, we have seen some marked successes.

Larkin & Peony are now Scooter & Twinks
- and very happy!  (BJ)

Sanctuary cats are not for novice cat-owners, and the usual RAPS adoption requirements about no outdoor access are more important than ever for cats who have been used to a lot of Sanctuary freedom.  I hope that in the course of the next few months we may hear occasional reports from adopters about cats who have moved to a new home and settled in.  For now, here are a few of our happily-rehomed feline alumni:

Horatio (KN)

Horatio, former feral, finally decided that humans were OK, and that one of our med-staff was the best of the best!  She had given palliative home-care time to angry Frankie who couldn’t handle other cats; when Frankie’s heart-condition at last got the better of her, Horatio became her next home-cat, and he is ecstatic! 

Earl Grey (LBF) and Puma (KN)

We have worried about our seniors, as the Moore House has been gradually emptied in preparation for removal. Some of them have settled happily into life in the Single-Wide, but we were delighted when Earl Grey found a home, and even more delighted when his adopter returned to take Puma to join his buddy. The two old guys are happily settled together without other cats to bug them.

Leona claims the couch  (ACA)

Little Leona shared pen 6 with our McLeod clan of cats – but never really belonged with them. Almost always a loner, she waited by the gate for attention – both wanting it and dreading it. We finally moved her into the Double-Wide so that all the staff and volunteers working there would have a chance to help her get used to being petted. One of our volunteers fell in love with her, and now reports that Leona has settled very happily in her own home.

Darius & Mischa  (JB)

We are missing Darius these days, but are so pleased that another of our med-staff has taken him home. Former Sanctuary cat Mischa was already with her, and we hear that he has taken Darius under his wing and shown him around his new digs; the two of them have settled very happily together. Both are cats that spent a lot of time outside at the Sanctuary, and the ‘catio’ is a favourite place for the boys.

Her Majesty Queen Smokey is very comfortable
in her new digs (DJ)

Anyone working in the Moore House in the last couple of years has had to tiptoe around Smokey – a very angry grey girl who didn’t like either cats or people.  One of our volunteers was sure there was more than just “I hate everyone” going on, and has consistently made time for Smokey, establishing her boundaries, and spending extra time with her. Following the loss of her beloved Otis, she has offered Smokey a home, and is turning her into a lap-cat. We are so excited to hear the progress that is being made. Lots of patience and love...

There are a few other Sanctuary cats who have made their way to our Adoption Centre – for more information on who's available there, please check https://www.rapsbc.com/raps-adoption-centre/

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Ana Carolina Albuquerque, Jess Breitkreitz, Lisa Brill-Friesen, 

Bev Johnston, Daphne Jorgenson, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Room for Teens

One regular visiting-day question is “where are the kittens?”

Kittens always look SO cute!  - JS

Visitors are always disappointed to learn that any kittens in RAPS care are usually to be found at the City Shelter, waiting for adoption – and some of them go rushing off to visit there.
In fact, to get kittens to that point, there’s a great deal more RAPS care by the invisible (to the public) team of fosterers.  Any time a pregnant cat, or a mom and kittens arrives in our care, someone from the fostering team leaps into action.  Many of them reserve a room in their home just as a kitten-nursery; if that space is taken, stand-alone cages are erected on the dining-room table, and all formal entertaining is postponed.

Mama Carly Simon is now settled with us;
her kittens were all adopted from the City Shelter - MW/KD

Fosterers are used to the anxiety of waiting for a litter to be born, of tube- and syringe-feeding when necessary, of dodging a protective mom in order to clean a cage. They handle young kittens as soon as possible, to familiarize them with people – the weaning stage between four and eight weeks is usually seen as the best time – and when the kittens are old enough, they are taken to the City Shelter for adoption - while mama is spayed, to prevent another litter, and moved to Shelter or Sanctuary, depending on her temperament.

Four wary teenagers: Perry, Peony, Perkins & Della - MM

The problem comes when we receive older kittens, who are past that optimal window for easy handling. Socializing them when they are four months old or more can take a great deal of patience to overcome the feral instincts instilled by a feral mama. We will sometimes receive these ones at the Sanctuary. At the age of 4 months to a year, they are not yet fully adult – we would probably say that a 1-year old kitten is developmentally equivalent to a 15-year old human.  And though 15-year old humans can be delightful creatures, they are not as adult as they think they are! We don’t need any feline teen pregnancies, so all of them will be “speutered” (spayed/neutered) before they come to us.

Baby Beetle is all grown up now - but still shy  - MW

You may hear the Sanctuary’s Hill House sometimes referred to as “The Teens”, from its early function. These days we have fewer teens, and they usually go to a room off the quiet senior-focused Moore House.  At one stage it housed Sage and Silky, Cricket, Beetle and Frisky, it was a home for the young cow-cats, Mya and Kirstie, when they first came to us, for Perry, Perkins and Peony (all adopted) and now it’s the base for six youngsters.

Blond Leo relies on his braver friend Benny - BC

Leo and Benny came to us from a hoarding situation. They are less than a year old, and were initially very nervous about being handled. Benny rapidly settled; Leo was less ready to be touched. They were sited in the DoubleWide, and got a lot of attention, but large as our cages are, they really didn’t give this pair space to be as active as they would like. Kitty Comforters spent a lot of time and love on them, and it was obvious that it would just take a bit of time. The two of them are a younger echo of Lindor and Parker who came to us earlier this year – and with similar colouring and initial characteristics. Both Lindor and Benny are fuzzy and black, fairly outgoing and not afraid to engage; both Parker and Leo are slighter and blond, much more shy and in need of coaxing.

Mason loves having space to play - AM

In the cage facing them was a little black panther: young Mason; very hissy and swatty in his first weeks with us, but with the Kitty Comforters working with him, he became very keen on human company – going in to feed or clean his cage meant entertainment time!

It's a hard life, being a kitten, says Mozart - MW

In the meantime, there was another group of teens in one of the Single-Wide’s big cages, tended only by the med staff until we were sure that they were all healthy. This trio had come to us from the Interior, offspring of a feral mama, and about 8 months old. They were named Pistachio, Caleb and Mozart – Pistachio with a little moustache marking; Caleb with more black markings, and Mozart more grey.

Mozart & Caleb - KN

Now there’s been a general reshuffle and the two groups have been put together in the Moore House kitten room, where there’s more room for them to run and play, and for the Kitty Comforters to do the work of socializing them as much as possible.  We hope that they will eventually go to the City Shelter for adoption, but it may be that their feral beginnings are too ingrained to overcome, and they will end up staying with us like the other youngsters. Sadly for visitors, the Moore House is off-limits – they may be seen out on the deck if they choose; they can be admired but not handled.

Pistachio - MW

The Kitty Comforters, of course, are having a wonderful time – but they all know that how they play with these delightful fuzzballs will be vital in establishing patterns that will help Benny and Leo, Mason, Pistachio, Caleb & Mozart eventually to find new homes and grow to be confident cats.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Kati DeGraff, Anne Marchetti, the late Marianne Moore, 

Karen Nicholson, Jocelyn Schonekess, Michele Wright

Adopting a Feral

More than half of our Sanctuary cats have come in as ferals.

Smithy's first reaction always used to be a hiss;
 recently he's become more curious than aggressive - BC

Feral cats are those born wild, or living wild from a very early age. They run the range from the cats that take one look at you and turn to hide (or to hiss angrily at a human interloper) to the cats who have decided that there is no better life than sitting in a human’s lap. Ferals and strays are not the same thing; a stray knows what human contact is, and though scared, may more easily revert to tame behaviour.

Our beloved Dell came in as a terrifyingly aggressive cat;
we are sure he was a stray because of how quickly he settled with us.  - MD

For many years the Sanctuary has been a refuge for ferals, as well as for owner-surrenders and health-problem cats. When we’ve had a particularly friendly cat, we have sometimes transferred it to the Shelter at 5 Road, so that it can have its chance at finding a new home.  And because for many of those years, the Sanctuary was Richmond’s best-kept secret, that was very often the only way those cats might make a new start, if they weren’t adopted by one of our volunteers.

Sandy (L) and Pebble (R) are feral sisters;  Sandy still has the horrified
feral stare and is wary of humans; Pebble loves to be petted.  - KN

What we call the semi-ferals are those cats who have adapted well to life with humans at the Sanctuary; they are often among the welcoming committee at the gate, and come looking for petting and attention. But just because they seek attention doesn’t always mean that they are adoptable – experiences with cats like Esme and Jenny led to a general no-feral-adoptions rule. A cat that appears happy to be handled at the Sanctuary may freak out when taken out of its familiar turf and put into a new home.

Sweet Jenny is entirely at home in the Single-Wide - MW

Many of us, of course, have ferals or former ferals at home. My own little Kissa, who passed last year, would hide when anyone except me or her favourite cat-sitter entered the house.  It took her more than two years of living with me before she allowed herself to lap-sit.  I have friends who care for neighbourhood ferals, who have adopted them as their humans, and who come and go from their home with great comfort.

Watson was very scared when he came in to our care;
he now lives happily with one of our volunteers.  MW

But at RAPS we feel a strong responsibility to the cats who we allow to leave in someone’s care. A cat that escapes from a new home may never return if it’s on unfamiliar territory. When you adopt a cat from the RAPS City Shelter, you will complete a questionnaire intended to ensure that you will provide a safe home for your new friend. If you adopt from the Sanctuary, you can expect, in addition, to be grilled by our Manager and/or med staff. Will this be an only cat? What is the potential access to outdoors? Do you have a room that can be a sanctuary for its first days or weeks? What’s your experience with ferals?

Peony - now called Twinkles - was a half-grown feral kitten from a composting
centre when she came to us; she's another cat who has found a home with a volunteer.  MW

Some of our former ferals we will never adopt out – cats like Simone and Latte have lived with us for years, and we would not want to have a relocation make them unhappy. For them, the compromise is sponsorship – the knowledge that you are contributing to their welfare and to a continued happy life with us. But others have become contented outgoing members of the welcoming committee, and when the right person comes along an adoption may be possible. The impetus has to come from the cat; when a visitor appears weekly and the cat makes a bee-line for them every time, discussions can take place. Sadly, many of those bonds happen with people whose situation may not allow for an adoption, and they become among our most faithful visitors in order to have time with “their” cat.

Pretty Cher is mostly a one-man cat,
and her guy comes to visit with her every Sunday - MW

The majority of adoptions from the Sanctuary are actually owner-surrender cats who may have been too stressed at the Shelter to show well, but who blossom in our hands.  Tiger, Terra, Suki (now Cassie - first blogged here by her new owner), Mookie and several others are doing very well in new homes – but the Sanctuary was never really home for them. Cats like Cricket or Silky in the front courtyard, and Willow or Hillie in the back are all a very different affair – they are all cats who have known the wild life as youngsters, and they are all used to a life without boundaries (other than the Sanctuary walls). We would need to be very sure that they had bonded with a human they had chosen, and that the potential owner understood that giving a home to a feral may be a much longer process than with a tame cat. Cricket, in particular, is outgoing and sociable with visitors (as both Jenny and Esme were), but that is no guarantee that she would be a good candidate for adoption.

Cricket loves attention - but she loves her relative freedom still more - MW

We do have feral adoption success stories – especially from among our volunteers, who establish a relationship of trust with one cat or another. But even with a feral-savvy adopter, it can take much patience, waiting for the cat to decide that it can trust again after relocation - Watson's human tells me that it took more than three months for him to come out of hiding.
Many of our ferals, friendly and shy alike, will need to live out their lives in our care, confident that with us they are in a place of safety.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

A Trio of Cow Cats

Feral cats come to us in a number of ways. Most frequently someone will report a cat or several cats hanging around, and one of our staff or volunteers will go out and set traps. Occasionally it turns out that the stray does indeed have a home, but often it is a cat that has lived wild for some time.

a part of the complex where a large colony of cats live

One colony of cats that is well-established (at least, to the cats’ satisfaction) is at a nearby composting plant. The staff there had noticed regular patterns of feline comings and goings, and were able to recognise some of the cats. Stephanie, one of our volunteers, has made it a personal mission to identify and trap as many cats there as she can, knowing that this is not the safest of sites for them – coyotes, hawks, eagles and other predators hang around.

Juvenile bald eagle looking for lunch - PH

Any fully adult feral cat may simply be spayed/neutered and returned to the area to take its chance, but when we know of female cats having litters of kittens, trapping them and trying to socialize them becomes a priority.

older cat, too wary to be trapped - PH

Stephanie has observed that many of the cats around the site are black and white, in a variety of patterns (sometimes called "cow cats" from their pattern similarities to Holstein cows), and she has identified the older males who have probably sired most of the kittens. Peony and Della were from a spring trapping at a nearby site, and in May Stephanie managed to trap three black and white girls.  Phaedra was with her when Mya was trapped, and chose the name; Teagan and Kirstie were names chosen by Stephanie for the other two. The three are likely siblings.

The newly trapped Mya  - PH

Phaedra says that Mya was the wildest kitten she'd ever encountered - she made the trap rock and bounce all over the place. For the first part of her stay she was angry and unapproachable, and Phaedra feared that she might never tame up - but then Leslie made breakthrough, much to Phaedra's delight. 

Kirsty kitten takes a dim view of being at the Sanctuary - PH

Kirsty was fostered for a while and then came to join her sisters.  There was a lot of initial hissing, but it proved to be mostly bluff.  Teagan bonded with another kitten, Yorkie, who was very handleable, and she took her cues from her buddy.

 

Teagan ready to run - PH

When we have really small kittens, they are fostered out for maximum handling, and then go straight to No 5 Road for adoption. But with half-grown kittens, there’s no way of knowing if they will tame, and the med staff at the Sanctuary have taken to a two-step pattern. In the Moore House, where most of the senior cats live, is a separate room with its own patio; we’ve been keeping the kittens there, apart from the general population, but where they can have some of the Kitty Comforters working with them.
For some time we would look into the Kitten Patio and find black-and-white bodies crammed into corners or having climbed up over the windows; being socialised was NOT in their agenda. But gentle determination and regular visits have worked their magic, and the no-longer-kittens were recently transferred to stage two: a transfer to the single-wide trailer.

Mya & Kirstie enjoying their new home - BC

There they are together in one of the large, walk-in cages, and are discovering that humans are to be welcomed; all three happily accept petting, and even belly-rubs (not welcomed by every cat!).

Mya now totally relaxed - MW

Teagan enjoying a stretch - MW

Like Perry and Perkins and Della and Peony, they will soon be released into the general population of the single-wide. They will probably not go to No 5 Rd for adoption; cats from such a feral background are likely not to be great adoption prospects, though if they develop a close relationship with a volunteer, sometimes exceptions are made.  In any case, any potential adopter would need to be very experienced in dealing with a semi-feral cat.

Kirstie wants MORE play - MW

Big thanks to Stephanie and her team for rescuing these sweeties (and many more!).  Quoting Phaedra: "These girls have been a joint effort of love by volunteers, kitty comforters and staff. I'm delighted at how happy they seem and proud to be a part of a team that can work magic like this."

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Phaedra Hardman & Michele Wright