Debbie-cat

Visitors to the Sanctuary know that one of the favourite places for front courtyard cats, especially in the winter months, is the area just at the top of the steps to the Single-Wide trailer.  At ground-level is a former paddling pool re-purposed as the Sanctuary’s largest litter-box; above it is a semi-closed area that holds a number of cat-beds surrounding a large papasan chair under a heat lamp.

Debbie, Gilbert, Spencer, Petunia and Lancelot
sharing the papasan

For ferals and former ferals who prefer not to be indoors, this is an area in much demand.  Cats in the papasan pile on top of each other to keep warm and cosy on otherwise chilly days. Boxes and beds underneath it offer a range of comfy places to hang out.

Little Debbie is a regular inhabitant of this area. Her distinctive nose-spot makes her easy to identify among the other tabbies, and she is one of the most reluctant to accept human contact. Many of her buddies are not exactly easy with people, but when treats are offered, cats like Petunia are quick to gather round, even though they don’t want to be petted. Unfortunately, Debbie doesn’t even want people to look at her, let alone to get within arm’s reach. Thank goodness for Michele's expert handling of lenses, which allow her to take pictures without looking as if she's looking!

This wariness can lead to problems for a long-haired cat. Debbie is one of those that has fine fur that mats from time to time, and she then has to go through the stressful process of being netted so that one of the med-staff can deal with her coiffure. It’s not surprising that she’s wary of us.

Debbie’s a long-term Sanctuary resident; she pre-dates human Debbie, but unlike her human namesake, she is not friendly and sociable. Some ferals gradually come to accept us, even to allow gentle petting. Marilee is a prime example of a feral who is starting to feel comfortable enough to be touched – when cuddling with Little Orange or Gilbert she is quite prepared for contact, and is now allowing select humans (sometimes even visitors) to pet her when she’s sitting alone.  

Marilee snuggling with Gilbert - MD

Debbie is hardwired for “cats good; humans bad”, and even a glance in her direction can sometime have her scurrying for shelter. This is where the RAPS Sanctuary comes into its own; under other jurisdictions a cat like Debbie wouldn’t have much chance as an untamable cat; with us, she is just one of many ferals that has a safe home here as long as she needs it.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper (last one) and Michele Wright (all the rest)

Kitties, It's Cold Outside

The snowfall of last week was reinforced by a blast of arctic cold, and along with the rest of the Lower Mainland, the Sanctuary has been at sub-zero temperatures.  The vast majority of the cats have decided that they really prefer the indoor life-style, and every bed - especially the ones under the heat lamps - has been claimed.

Front courtyard snugglers - Debbie, Petunia (back) Gilbert (front) & Spencer - DW
Fabio & Lucky are somewhere in the pile!

That, of course, makes for some difficulties for the volunteers – cats take exception to being moved off a comfy spot just because some human wants to shake a blanket out, or to change it for a clean cover. And the production of clean bedding is made possible only by careful use of the washer/dryer, because the system is easily overloaded – both by cats and by electrical needs. Having either the washer or the dryer running, of course, is much in demand; the warmth and the vibrations make the appliance top a preferred sleeping space.

One variant of the Dryer Gang: Diablo, Bantam & Simone - MW

Out in the back pens, the cats are also preferring to cuddle together and not venture out. Cleaning pen 1 yesterday, I found twelve of them watching me anxiously; most are semi-feral at best and would normally be backing away, but comfort came first, and they waited patiently while I replaced an ice-filled water-bowl from outside their door with one full of warm water, adding a splash of warm to the inside water-bowl as well.

A wary group of ferals - BC

In pen 5 May and Adam were eager to greet me (though that was in part because of treats in pockets), but Chinook, Willow and Salish also joined in the love-fest, enjoying the chance for some interaction since they’d not had the chance to get out.

From top: Salish, Willow & Adam - waiting hopefully - BC

There are, of course, always the cats who want to do their own thing. Our little grey Gizmo (not to be confused with orange Gizmo in the Moore House) is definitely a cat who walks by himself.  Now that he’s out of a cage, he’s interacting much better with humans, but other cats are still not his favourite thing.

Gizmo the Grey - BC

The cats in the feral pen would prefer not to be inside if they can avoid it; when I go in first thing in the morning to scoop their box and refresh food and water, they hurry out of their house. Cold toes are infinitely preferable to dealing with (horrors!) a human!

Smithy says "Don't look at me!" - MW

The decorations have started going up in the front courtyard; the carolers will be visiting on Monday at lunchtime, and cats are finding their patches of sunshine to make the fur coats compensate for the chill.

Jake's attention is caught by a possible food hand-out - BC

Bobby would prefer that he not actually touch the snow - BC

Some actually seem to enjoy it; semi-feral Autumn must have some Maine Coon in her little body, because her fur has grown in thick and luxuriant (especially her ruff) and I found her today rolling ecstatically in the snow.

Autumn actually loves the cold  - BC

The end is (theoretically) in sight, though;  more snow is forecast on Sunday, followed by warmer temperatures and a return to our usual Wet Coast weather. Pretty as the snow has been, it’ll be good to return to unfrozen water-bowls and functioning sinks again!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Debbie Wolanski & Michele Wright

Lorelei & Lora - two tubby torbies

 It is interesting that there are certain cats that you only see at certain times of day – or who react differently at different times.  In the mornings I find that front-courtyard Diamond is very wary; by late afternoon he’s ready to accept petting. Handsome Quinn in the back courtyard is very shy and usually stays well out of the way; but at dusk he comes out and, though not ready for petting, is ready to accept treats. There are many cats who love the Sunday visitors – and then there’s Fiona, who hides out until 4:10pm when the last visitor’s gone, and is then ready to appear and interact with the staff and volunteers.

Lorelei - MW

One little girl who has recently joined the chickaholic crowd in the front courtyard is Lorelei. She is often found disputing wall space with Petunia – they’re both small cats who like to get an advantage in height. Lorelei is less shy than Petunia; she will come for petting, and interacts quite comfortably with the other cats. 

Lorelei - MW

She’s one of our multicolored girls – a tortoiseshell/tabby mix, hence, a torby. At a distance she looks quite like tabby Jake, and then you realise that it’s not just fluff; this is a very solid little girl.

Lorelei on Cat-TV - MW

After the evening feeding, as dusk comes on, several cats emerge from the feral-cat area on the east side of the courtyard. Among them is Lora.

Lora - BC

In size, colour and body-shape, she’s very like Lorelei, but she’s got short fur, and has obviously had some skin problems, because the fur on her back is a bit patchy. In addition to her tubby body, she has skinny little legs.

Lora - MW

Lora is very shy, both with humans and with other cats. When Michele took this picture Lora was feeling cornered in her bed, and there was a certain amount of hissing going on,  Out in the courtyard she hangs around on the edge of the crowd. If chicken is being offered, she really wants it, but hangs back from the feeding frenzy; if you toss her a tidbit and another cat goes after it, she backs off and waits until it’s not being disputed. But though she’s shy, she’s obviously fascinated too – once food’s out of the way, she hangs around just out of arm’s reach – as only a cat can do – and occasionally lies down to show her belly. She will, very cautiously, accept a little petting, but prefers to limit it.

Lorelei & Lora - BC

Lora and Lorelei didn’t come in together; Lorelei was trapped at the docks about five years ago; Lora came in from a similar area couple of years later. But in colouring and body-shape, they are very similar – and they can often be found together.  For all you volunteers who excel in working with the feral cats, Lora will make a wonderful challenge.

 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Michele Wright

Two Grey Girls

On Sunday afternoons, many of the visitors that come in bring treats for the cats, and in fact some of our furry friends are so blasé about food by the end of the day that we have to restrict the canned food we put out. Rather than commercial dry treats, I prefer to have a little bag of chicken bits in my pocket, and before I leave, they get shared around.  Many of the cats love chicken more than anything – “chickaholics”, I call them – and they’re desperate to get their share. Cheetah and Jake lead the charge, but Paulo and Latte are right there, Tommy and Dirky, shy Gilbert and Diamond, and many others.

Often I will hear a little chirp from behind me, and find a small grey cat hopping from one foot to another in anticipation. For some time I didn’t know her name, until Leslie identified her for me as PETUNIA. It turns out she’s one of the egg-farm cats in the single-wide – from the crowd that includes April and Simone and Bantam, and she is probably a litter-mate to more than one of them.  At some stage she made a dash for the door and established herself in the front courtyard.

She’s a shy girl – she won’t allow more than the slightest touch – but is more than ready to take chicken from the hand. But the fact that she’s so food-motivated makes it more likely that the Kitty Comforters will eventually be able to tame her a bit more, and she certainly sees that there are good things that come from being around humans.

Another grey girl occasionally in the chicken crowd is SARAH. It’s interesting to me that Sarah actually used to be more active in the cat-crowd, and around people, and has now taken to hiding away in the feral cat area.  She is also very keen on chicken, and had no hesitation in swatting another cat out of the way if she thinks she can get away with it. 

Sarah was one of a group of cats brought to us by volunteer Mary He from a feeding site she tended – others in that family included Fern, Fabio and Cyrano.  It may be that Sarah’s withdrawal from a more active courtyard life is part of staying connected with her “family” who also inhabit the feral area.  She’s still a very wary cat, and like Petunia, she shies from fingers that don’t hold food, but I think she’s another cat that, with a bit of work, could become more comfortable with humans.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Michele Wright