Jasper the Third

It's funny how names repeat - we've had three cats named Jasper, all with very distinct personalities. Sweet tabby Jasper was a front courtyard boy; Jasper II was a friendly black cat with Feline Leukemia.  Our third Jasper came into our care something over a year ago.  We were told that he was picked up as a stray on Bird Road – the lady who reported him to RAPS said that he came to her door and seemed to want attention, but that he didn’t really want to be petted. A trap was set, and Jasper went to the Shelter.

let me out! - MD

Initially he didn’t do very well there; like a lot of newly arrived cats, he was overwhelmed by his surroundings, and refused to eat for a while; with time and kindness his appetite returned, but his manners didn’t. Quite often a newly neutered tom-cat calms down quite noticeably, but the surgery had little or no effect on Jasper’s behaviour, and his aggression made him a poor candidate for adoption.

Deceptive innocence - MW

He was transferred to the Sanctuary and popped in a cage in the DoubleWide so that the Kitty Comforters could have a go at socializing him a bit. We’ve had our share of cats who have come in with a bad reputation, and have learned better ways of interacting with humans – Chimo is a prime example. Jasper seemed to crave attention, but he did it with biting and clawing; you turned your back on him to your peril, and ankles were a favourite target. Once released into the general population, he turned that aggression on other cats, and had to be repeatedly placed in time-out.

Spades: Will you pet me, or can I nip you? - KN

We were having similar problems with a black cat called Spades – also a stray, brought in by a lovely lady who continued to visit her buddy every Sunday.  In the interests of the other cats, we decided that these two needed to be segregated together, and they were placed in the “kitten room” of the Moore House – now that we no longer have kittens at the Sanctuary, it’s a good space to put cats who need room to have visitors.  The Kitty Comforters continued to visit the pair faithfully. For the most part, the two avoided each other, and though there was the occasional clash, both were able to establish their own space – Jasper usually inside, while Spades preferred being out on the deck.  Ankles continued to be targets, and though both cats learned to enjoy using wand toys with their visitors, humans had to be careful about allowing their hands within reach.

Attacking a toy - MW

Recently we found an adoption home for Spades, living as a stable cat where he would receive food and attention, but have space to roam and hunt as he used to. We were sorry to see him go but we knew it was the best thing for him. And rather than leave Jasper living alone, it was decided to try integrating him into the general population again.  This time, he was placed in the front courtyard, so he wouldn’t encounter any of the cats with whom he had previously had confrontations.  For the most part, he has become a loner, not interacting much with other cats – though we keep an eye on how he acts around the more dominant cats like Iris and Puffin.  As you will have seen in last week’s blog, he’s currently making his mark as a gatecrasher, hovering hopefully beside the front courtyard gates. He doesn’t want to escape – he just wants to be on the other side, and if he’s not in the mood to be picked up and returned, he can usually be coaxed into a transfer cage and then relocated.

Waiting hopefully - KN

Jasper is finding his place with us.  Having been less than a year old when he arrived, he’s starting to mellow out of the terrible feline teen years and into adulthood. He’s not a cat to take lightly, but he’s discovering the humans that he can love and with whom he can relax, and he can often be found riding the shoulder of summer student Karen, who is his sponsor and his favourite person.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

The Volunteer/Cat relationship - Candy Chen

While we were planning the 2016 calendar, we invited a couple of volunteers to submit photos. In the end we didn’t use the ones that Candy Chen submitted, but they’re beautiful, and I’d like to share some of them with you.

Candy says: 
I have been volunteering at the Sanctuary for around two years.  At first I volunteered in the RAPS thrift store, and a lot of volunteers there told me about the Sanctuary.  I'm currently a university student, working hard to get my degree. Right now, my life is filled with school and work so my Sanctuary time is precious.

Freckle - unusually fierce!

I do the back pens on Saturday mornings, but I’ve worked in most of the other areas of the Sanctuary as well.  I don't have cats at home. I really do want to have one but my families aren't the best with pets. I do have plans of getting one or two or more after I'm independent of my family!

Darwin

There are quite a few cats that I look for when I have time. The most special one to me is Kojak from Old AIDS (a lot of cats I know are special to me, but if I have to pick one, it would be Kojak). My very first shift in the Sanctuary was the Old AIDS area and Kojak took my eyes right when I was in the room. I believe it was his handsomeness that attracted me at first. After getting to know him, it really just his sweetness that made me adore him.

Kojak, in my opinion, isn't the easiest cat to get close to; his "coolness" made me really want to get close to him, so I guess this is also another reason why I try to spend a little time with him when I can.

Another cat I love is Puffin in the front courtyard. At first, it was his tail that really stood out to me. Then it was his "chest air" that attracted me. Lastly, I really like how he looks! I have heard about how Puffin bites, but he is just such a sweet cat (though I had been scratched by him before)! I love how he pushes his head against you (hand or chest) when he wants some pets.

My biggest wish for the Sanctuary and the cats is that someone really rich would suddenly want to spend a fortune on making the lives of some cats better :)

Candy and single-wide friends

Blog by Brigid Coult & Candy Chen

Photos by Candy Chen

Adoptable? – or not? – part 2: the behaviour problems

Behaviour-problem cats are usually the chronic pee-ers, and the biters. In both cases, we don’t always know whether the behaviour is the result of some sort of stress in the original home or the sanctuary environment, or whether it’s a well-established habit.  The No 5 Road Shelter has passed on to us several cats who have been surrendered for peeing, and who have subsequently been adopted as an only-cat, with no sign of the behaviour problem in question – sometimes all it takes is guaranteeing the cat a status as the one-and-only in a home.

Sometimes the elimination problem has a clear origin – declawed cats are frequent culprits. Thank goodness, declawing is increasingly something that vets are unwilling to do – it can be a traumatic and pain-filled experience for a cat. Even after the paws are “healed”, the cat often suffers discomfort in the litter-box, and proceeds to eliminate on a softer surface. And the owner, who has declawed the cat to protect the furniture, then surrenders the cat – also to protect the furniture.

Deety - DW

Deety is one of our declawed cats. We’ve not got him as a problem eliminator, though; he has his own corner, from which he rarely moves, and his own litterbox. Instead, he is a problem biter. His very strong declawed paws are expert in catching on to his victim and pulling them in for a good chomp – and there’s nothing wrong with his teeth!

Puffin - MW

I don’t know whether Puffin was actually surrendered for biting, but while in a cage at the No 5 Road shelter, he bit a visitor who brought their face too close to his space. Puffin is another loner in the front courtyard, but doesn’t actively seek human attention. He’s so beautiful, though, that we have to warn visitors to limit their petting, and to act with caution. Another cat we all step warily around is Baby (he’s safely locked away when we have visitors). Most of the time he’s quite shy, and wary around other cats – but there’s some little switch in his brain which occasionally drives him to bite – and when Baby bites, he bites HARD!

Baby - MW

With some cats the elimination problem is a physiological one – and the Manx cats are prime examples of this. In extreme Manx syndrome, the shortness of the tail is linked to lack of control over sphincter muscles – and consequently cats like Sweet Pea have no sense of when they’re “going”. We just mop up after her, wherever she wanders. Sweet Pea adores being cuddled on someone’s lap, but you need a thick towel to protect yourself!  She’s not an adoptable prospect – and in a kill shelter she’d last no time at all – but this truly is sanctuary for her.

Sweet Pea - MW

There are an enormous number of litter-boxes in the Sanctuary, with various materials including clumping litter, sawdust and woodchips – and there are still cats that choose to do their business right in the middle of the courtyard, or against a closet door.  With some of them it is habit – they just don’t want to take the time to find a box.  With others, it’s a way of dealing with the plethora of cat-smells in the place – it’s part of territorial marking. Very often these problem cats struggle at the Sanctuary because of the presence of other cats – see The Garbo Cats – who knows if they might be adoptable candidates for someone who’s prepared to be patient, and willing to guarantee no further cats?  Other cats are part of the standard warning to visitors – “don’t put anything down; it’ll get peed on!”

Jake - PH

And this is the King of Pee – the cuddliest cat in the front courtyard. He’s happy, he’s sociable, he’s in good health – he’s just got that annoying little habit of anointing everything!
But we love you anyway, Jake!

Blogger: Brigid Coult

Photos by Phaedra Hardman, Debbie Wolanski & Michele Wright

Update: Coco

I'm pleased to report that Coco is now completely out of hiding and ready to make some new human friends.

When Martha posted about him at the end of July, he was still very much adjusting to his new surroundings (and situation in general) and needed quite a bit of convincing to let her get within petting range. When I came across him this evening, he was relaxing in the front courtyard. I noticed the white tip of his tail and wondered who this cat who looked a bit like Puffin (black & white, fluffy, white bit on the end of his tail) was. Not having seen his tail in his shy portraits from July, I didn't clue in that this was in fact Coco until Leslie told me.

Coco (left) and Puffin

He's also much more confident than he was when he came. You still have to approach him quietly and gently, but if that one request is honoured, he accepts pets quiet readily. Even if you inadvertently come on a bit too strong or, as I did, have just a bit too intimidating a camera, he'll slink off out of reach, but only just. Then he turns, sits, and watches you with interest, quite ready to have another go at making friends if you're willing to take it a bit slower this time.

Clearly a sweetie, just as advertized. So nice to see him out and about.

Puffin

Puffin was brought to the No. 5 Rd. shelter as a stray, where he stayed for 2 months before landing himself with a reputation for being unpredictable by attacking a woman in the face. And so he came to the sanctuary.

He only arrived yesterday, and so we don't know yet if the whole scratch-and-bite thing was a one-off incident or, if not, just what can set him off. He's got a collar on for now to warn people he may take a chomp and we're being cautiously welcoming - lots of pats and strokes but no up close cuddles and nuzzles for the time being. Leslie says some cats who act out when they're at 5 Rd. do very well at the sanctuary where can they have more room.

He'll be living in the front yard once he's had all his shots. If you want to meet him, look for a handsome boy similar in appearance to Tugboat but with a ring of white near the tip of his tail.