Another Wobbly Boy

Ranger  (KN)

More than a year ago we took in our beloved Tumbleweed, who totters around, occasionally tumbling over – an example of a cat with CH or cerebellar hypoplasia, better known as wobbly cat syndrome.  Currently we have another wobbly boy on our hands – but wobbly for a different reason.  

Pets for me?   (LBF)

Ranger has been a resident of Pen 4 since he came to us – initially landing there as a feral, and gradually warming to human attention, so that he really doesn’t deserve the feral label any more.  Most of the Pen 4 cats run and hide, or at least distance themselves when we enter the pen – Ranger comes towards us, looking for acknowledgement and sometimes petting. Occasionally when I come to do the morning clean-up he will be waiting at the gate. I let him come out and do a little explore around, and usually by the time I’m done, he’ll be waiting to be let back in to Pen 4.

Out and about....   (MW)

The med staff keep an eye on where the shyer cats are, and they always check pens 4 and 7, the feral pens, so when Ranger was not around it didn’t take long for someone to investigate, and discover the poor boy struggling to get around. He was gathered up and popped into a cage for investigation, where it became clear that it was a vestibular problem. This is an inner ear condition, sometimes caused by an infection, sometimes idiopathic (meaning the vets just don’t know what makes it happen). We’ve had our share of cats like this. Carly Simon, in the front courtyard, had a run-in with it last year, and has now totally recovered;  our beloved Willow, in the back, still shows the tilted head that is a remnant of the condition.

Tumbleweed & Willow  (BC)

So now we have Ranger safely caged so that he can be medicated. He staggers around like someone who’s had way too much to drink. Initially he was in a raised cage in Newcomers, but med-staff Louise has relocated him to one of the DoubleWide cages. This gives several advantages – the cages are larger, the shelf can be taken out so that he won’t be tempted to climb and jump, and he will have more human contact, being closer to the med-staff.

on the mend   (BC)

I was working in the DoubleWide when Louise moved him, and he was not happy about it. As I did my rounds with canned food, fresh kibble and water, I could hear him protesting this new space – as we all know, cats usually don’t like change! Once work was done, I went to find him and spend time with him. Initially he was very active – awkwardly climbing across my legs, and feeling out his space. Once he was more relaxed, he went to finish off his dinner, have a drink (a pretty splashy affair!) and then proceeded to climb all over me with wet paws. It took a few position changes for him to find his comfort-space, and then he relaxed and slept for twenty minutes.

Lap time with a sweet boy  (BC)

I’m old enough that getting down on the floor with cats takes a bit of planning, and getting up definitely takes work! But Ranger was obviously calmer as I extricated myself, righted his cage and slipped out – I hope that just that bit of TLC time left him feeling less a stranger in a strange space. Now we hope that the antibiotics do their job of clearing up whatever has affected his inner ears, so that, wobble-free, he can get back to his beloved Pen 4, his pen-mates and the good life he has with us at the Sanctuary.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Ferals in Four

Lloyd  (LBF)

Most of our back pens are open; when groups of cats come in we may restrict them to a single pen for awhile, but it tends to be a temporary thing so that they can become accustomed to their new lives at the Sanctuary.  One pen, though, is always closed. Pen 4 is the biggest one at the back and is the home to some of our most feral and scared cats. While we have a lot of ferals roaming freely, the Pen 4 cats are ones we feel will benefit most from a quiet life with minimal human interruption. 

Sierra   (KN)

That’s not to say that they have no contact with humans. But when you open the gate and they look at you in horror, or you enter the cabin to a panicked scurry of cats exiting, it’s a pretty clear indication that the intrusion should be kept short! So they get a brief visit from someone doing the morning cleanup, and one in the evening when the boxes are scooped again and dinner is delivered. The med-staff on duty will check on them, and occasionally one of the Kitty Comforters will visit.

Sierra & Lloyd  (LBF)

Cats like Len and Lloyd will benefit most from those visits.  The Kitty Comforters will take whatever time it needs to allow cats to relax and know that they’re safe; they are quiet and patient and they carry food with them!  And treats are essential. Many of these cats don’t know how to play, so toys are no good. But food – especially lickables...  Mmm...

Len & Lloyd  (LBF)

Len and Lloyd came to us a year ago from a rescue in Kamloops – we have tight ties with Sammy’s Forgotten Felines, thanks to Assistant Manager Valerie – and we have a few others cats from the same place. If you have a feral colony, it needs to be managed carefully – cats regularly checked and TNR’d (trap/neuter/release). If for any reason the cats cannot be monitored (perhaps a land-owner who doesn’t allow access), it may be better not to do the release – but then, of course, you have to find somewhere to keep cats that don’t want anything to do with humans. This is where the Sanctuary comes in – we are a resource for the rescues that cannot home unadoptable ferals.  

Ranger enjoying a little "out" time   (MW)

We thought they were around 5 years old when they arrived, and it was very obvious that these two would not be joining the big cat-party in the courtyard; though we caged them together for comfort, they spent all their time hiding, and resisted socialization. Pen 4 was the place for them, where they could be with other ferals, and have a variety of beds and houses in which to hide out. They share the space with chonky Ranger, who had come in as a feral flown down to us from Masset. Ranger is a poster-boy for feral socialization, having progressed from suspicious glaring, to allowing pets and accepting treats – so much so that he now has in-out privileges: he will wait at the gate in the morning to be released, explore around for 20-30 minutes, and then wait by the gate to be re-admitted! 

Len  (KN)

Lisa Brill-Friesen has made a serious project of the Pen 4 cats. It began when we moved the Merritt cats (Michonne & Garth, both now passed, and tuxedo Desmond) from Pen 3 – Lisa has infinite patience with these ferals, and for the others that joined them, especially little Sierra, who snuggled with Garth. Regular visits, quiet conversation and bribery have gone a long way, and Sierra now allows herself to be touched by Lisa (though by nobody else). Len and Lloyd are not ready for that yet, but they are interested, and they watch carefully as Sierra is petted and occasionally groomed a bit. They are starting to remain out in the open – though not too close – when we enter the pen. A short stay in a cage for dental care was a temporary setback, but any fine day brings them out to sit in the sunshine and watch what the braver cats are getting up to – and what they might possibly achieve in the future. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Kitties from Haida Gwaii

 We are enjoying the company of two cats who have come to us from far in the north-west of BC. 

Oscar (L) & Charlotte (R) - LBF

All around the province there are rescues that do wonderful work, but the long-term future of cats in their care is limited because their space and resources are also limited.  If the cat is very feral, sometimes the only thing to be done is to spay/neuter it and return it to its source. Feral cats tend not to live long lives, but you have to balance a life lived in safety but also in fear, and one lived in the surroundings it knows.

I'd rather stay here, thank you....   KN

Sometimes the cat is obviously a stray and not a feral, and the issue then is finding it a home. If that is not possible in the community, it may be possible in another one.  And just occasionally it’s a feral cat, but the rescue thinks there’s hope, with time – and RAPS has time and space for that work. The rescues are often able to partner with a local airline, and we pick the newcomer up at the airport.

Any closer, and I'll smack you! - KN

Oscar was found at a dump in Haida Gwaii.  He is a big blond former tom-cat, who began by trying to convince us that he truly was a grouch, but isn’t quite up to keeping up with the act. His game is given away by his teddy-bear companion; staff and volunteers have to be careful to leave Ted where Oscar can see him.  As we do with most ferals, we have left Oscar’s carrier in his cage, and he prefers to hide in it for the greater part of the day, emerging occasionally to observe the world from a different angle. When you enter his cage, he retreats, but he is much less hissy than on arrival, and with the people of whom he approves, he will allow a little touching - and loves to play.

Smiling for string-toy play - PC

He reminds me very much of OJ in pen 4 – and he may yet end up in that feral pen – but we’re going to make every effort to reach the pussycat hidden behind those hisses. He’s not very fond of the other cats that pass his cage.  In many ways he reminds us more of Ranger, both physically and in attitude.  Ranger (who also came from the NorthWest) is still in pen 4, but by his own choice now; he will come out occasionally, but it’s now “his” space. It will be interesting to see if Oscar acclimates in the same way. The Kitty Comforters are spending a lot of quality time with him!

Wide-eyed scared kitten when she first came - KN

Oscar’s travelling mate is very unlike him. Charlotte is a tiny girl with a lot of fluff. She’s still quite young – less than two years old, we think – but she’s had a litter of kittens. She was put in one of the quieter cages, and with some reason at the beginning – she appeared to be terrified. But scared and hissy as she is, she’s actually made more progress than Oscar in terms of getting out of her carrier, and in interacting with humans.

Playing with her buddy Jackie O  -  LBF

Her age is a bonus; she’s young enough to want to play, and that offers bonding right away. Kitty Comforters with patience (and a pocketful of treats) are coaxing her into trust, and her cage door is now open, though she prefers to remain in its safety.  She is less stand-offish with other cats than Oscar is; she has bonded with the cat who was in the next-door cage, Jackie O, and the two of them have been found cuddling together.  She’s even been seen to roll over and expose her tummy to a visitor – an indicator of trust, though not an invitation for belly-rubs (yet).

Looking more adult...   LBF

Ferals progress at very different rates. Star and Leona, who came in together, are light-years apart – Star wants nothing to do with us, but Leona, with patience, may be adoptable.  The same with these two – it’s way too early to determine that Charlotte will be adopted out, but the potential is there, and we will give her every chance to find her own home and her own person.

Pretty kitten - LBF

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Pauline Chin & Karen Nicholson

Ranger

Another traveller from the North-West, Ranger, like orange sibs Titan and Dixie, came to us through the good offices of Masset Animal Helpline

Ranger - KN

The Masset rescue folks know all the local cats - which is why they were so surprised when Ranger appeared one day, in a trap set for another cat. They guess that he was dumped or escaped from a boat that was docked there. He has the sort of muscular build and big jowls of an un-neutered tomcat, and that was the Masset rescue's first job, to get him "fixed". It was clear that he distrusted humans and he was not adoptable, and so he was flown down to us.  Deeply suspicious of us and of this place in which he’d arrived, Ranger crouched in his cage behind a drape and let us know that he did not want to be disturbed.  Gentle approaches from the staff and Kitty Comforters were scorned, and  the decision was finally made that he would join the feral cats in Pen 4.

Don't disturb me! - KN

Most of the cats in Pen 4 take one look at an arriving human, and scatter for cover. Only OJ (always hoping for treats) and Pebble (sister of feral Sandy) will normally allow contact, and both are increasingly willing to approach and interact with a visitor. The others hide in the shrubbery or at the back of the pen.

Only leaves here...   KN

When Ranger joined the group he was equally wary at first, but the dominant tom-cat inside quickly established that this was his territory, and we began to encounter him more often at the gate, letting us know that we were stepping on his turf. He wasn’t actively aggressive, but he was obviously watching us very carefully.

Advancing with suspicion - LBF

In these days of pandemic shut-down, the Kitty Comforter program has been on hiatus, but Ranger became a project for several of the staff and volunteers. Suspicious glaring gave way to curiosity, and closer and closer approaches. Tidbits were gradually accepted directly from the hand, and then he discovered the joys of petting, and of a good ear-rub.

LBF

Grass-stalks became the summer go-to toy for many of the cats, and Ranger was no exception. Despite his stocky body, he plays with the best of them, and he plays hard.  He's becoming more sociable with the other cats, and he and Pebble can often be found hanging out together

Pebble, Ranger (& OJ in the background) - KN

Many of our feral cats end up with us because they’re simply not tameable, and we don’t force them to accept contact with us – that’s why we have pens 3 & 4.  But it’s so satisfying when a cat like Ranger - feral or mistreated - decides that they can trust us. Obviously his earlier experiences with humans were not happy ones, but with us he's discovered that we let him go at his own pace and decide when he want to make contact.

Play with me, please... - KN

It’s starting to look like his confidence is rubbing off on some of the others, because cats who formerly avoided us, like Amelia Earheart, are beginning to join in the grass-stalk play. But
Ranger leads the way – ankle-rubs and petting that would not have been possible six months ago are now the norm – perhaps he’ll decide to try being a lap-cat next!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Pics by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Karen Nicholson

....aaaand.... ACTION!

In every area of the Sanctuary, there are boxes or pots filled with cat-toys.

Tyson chomps on a commercial toy - KN

And I think most cat-owners are probably in the same space – we think “I’ve not been playing enough with Chonky; I’ll get him some new toys”, and he plays with them for a bit, and then they go under the couch or behind the fridge, or wherever, nevermore to be used.

Silky - LBF

Ah, but summertime.... when the playing is easy....

Autumn - KN

It’s the season of LONG grass stalks, which are the perfect cat toy – they have exactly the right amount of spring to tempt a hunter, claws don’t get stuck in them, if they get broken, there are plenty more where they come from.

Kiwi - LBF

So big thanks to Lisa Brill-Friesen and to Karen Nicholson for some stretchy happy-cat pictures....

Leo - LBF

Used-to-be-feral Ranger reaching for his goals....

 KN

"Take that!" says Tigger, getting unusually energetic!

 LBF

Mozart (Poptart) is just a little quicker to grab than his brother Benny.

 LBF

Dodger doesn't do the streeeeetch very well, but the intent is all there

 LBF

Christina Aguilera, who is one of our polydactyls, thinks that it's really useful to have extra toes when you want to grab some grass.

 LBF

Aphrodite, floofy as she is, can stretch with the best of them!

LBF

Even Licorice, who is rather arthritic, and not much into action, wanted in on playing with grass stalks.

KN

There was a lot of action throughout the day - and there were a lot of tired cats at the end.

 KN

Blog (minimal) by Brigid Coult
Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Karen Nicholson