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

Under the Radar and Overhead – part 1

Pauline sent me the foundation for this blog last month, and it’s taken me way too long to get posted! In fact, she blogged about so many cats, that I decided to split it into two sections...       BC

The majestic Pax - BC

With National Black Cat Day, Black Cat Awareness Month, and Halloween all in the October rear-view mirror, spotlighting some furry black friends is way overdue.  Many new black cats have arrived this year.  They tend to be under the radar and relatively shy or feral.  These are the ones who will likely be seen on a Sunday afternoon.

A Beetle in a Box - PC

Beetle has been making more appearances in the front courtyard this year.  Recognizable by his lynx ear tips, he arrived with his sister, Cricket, in 2017.  He hides much of the time.  Now, he will hang around nearby, socializing with other cats, but just out of reach. Occasionally he takes “out of reach” very seriously, and climbs from the front courtyard glider onto one of the struts that hangs out over the courtyard. He can’t get any further, but he seems to delight in looking down on the rest of the cat-world.

Layla showing her good profile - MW

Inside the Connor House, you might see black Layla - one of several cats that came to us from a hoarding situation.  Her fluffy appearance is alluring and she’s open to pets sometimes.  Layla is quite polite.  Unlike other cats, she won’t get upset if she gets overlooked, nor swat when over-stimulated.  Too many humans and she will look for higher ground and hang out with feral Frisky.  All-black Frisky, with very few defining characteristics, spends all day on the cage top and has zero interest in humans.

Zeus on arrival and after surgery - PC

Beautiful Zeus, fully recovered - KN

Zeus is a quiet fellow picked up as part of a massive trapping effort.  He has a large fluffy head and prefers the cage top.  Zeus didn’t particularly socialize with anyone.  Approach slowly, with your hands visible, and he might allow touching.  He’s still adjusting to his new life in the Val Jones corner, but doing much better since having surgery for entropion – inward-growing eyelashes. Life as a feral cat must have been very scary for him when he couldn’t see properly, and his eyes hurt. His surgery left him looking a little like a werewolf for a while, but now he’s out of pain, he is accepting attention from the volunteers with much less fear.

Handsome Pax - MW

Found in the same area was medium-haired Pax.  Pax is labeled as semi-feral, but has a positive opinion about people.  It didn’t take long for him to purr and enjoy the comforts offered up to him.  He’s an energetic boy, who sometimes earns a timeout for roughhousing other cats. There are some strong personalities in that pen! Pax has a distinctive shaped head that leads us to believe that he is the baby daddy for a number of the kittens trapped in the same place.

Neptune - PC

FeLv+ Neptune came in with Portia and Voodoo all the way from Portland, Oregon.  Portia, who is the calendar cover star this year, is comfortable in the baskets around the outside area of the leukemia area.  Voodoo (now gone) had a tipped ear and preferred the high rafters.  Big black Neptune is still cautious around people.  Sometimes, he’ll allow me to pet his soft coat.  He might choose to sit near me or chill out overhead.  These days, he won’t go anywhere without his BFF, Henrik, and he is also very friendly with his lookalike, Chateaux.  Both black cats are shy around humans.

Cheateaux - MW

Shy and feral seems to be a theme for black felines.  Hopefully, this will help ID the small panthers you might find.  More black cats to be spotlighted in part 2!

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Pauline Chin, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright