Lucius

Lucius is on the prowl  (KN)

The Pen 3 cats who came to us from Alberta more than three years ago have remained a cohesive family unit.  Many of them have become adventurers who roam the length of the Back Courtyard, but they prefer to be together, and they always return to mutual snuggles in their own cabin at night. 

Summer snooze with his shy buddy Reinhardt  (KN)

Since they arrived their personalities have become clearly defined. There are several quiet ones, like Reinhardt, who prefers not to encounter us too much, and there are the social butterflies like Cornelius. Up at the top end of that happily social spectrum is Lucius.

Handsome boy  (MW)

Lucius is a tubby-tabby – dark tabby with classic markings – who is more than happy to play rough (though not nastily) with other cats.  He’s a people-positive boy who has made himself a favourite with staff and volunteers, and is always ready to make nice for visitors – happy to jump up on a lap for a cuddle and actively seeking out petting for as long as the petter will indulge him. Despite his size, he’s not strongly treat-motivated – touch is the best treat for him.

Enjoying the winter with his buddy Cornelius  (LBF)

Many of the Pen 3 cats would probably be adoptable – but they are really dependent upon each other, and even Lucius, self-confident as he is, would do better in adoption with another of his family to bring comfort. Most of them are also used to being able to roam freely within the bounds of the Sanctuary, and might need access to an enclosed garden, or to a catio for "safe freedom".

The outdoor kennels are good summer resting places  (KN)

Lucius’s self-confidence took a hit recently. He is used to being the big guy, and the easy winner in a playful rough-and-tumble. Unfortunately, he encountered Root Beer.  Root Beer carries a very sensitive personal bubble around him and is not a fan of other cats. We moved him from the Front to the Back Courtyard so that he could have more space to roam, and he spent some time in a DoubleWide cage getting his meds adjusted so that he could feel calmer.  Lucius obviously said the wrong thing, and Root Beer decided that only one of them could be Boss Cat.  Luckily there were people around, water was deployed and Lucius finally escaped, a warier but wiser cat.  He’s sticking closer to home in Pen 3, these days, and has learned a lesson about not messing with the older guys.

Posing   (BC)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Sweet Holly

Holly  (KN)

The swarm of little cats that came to us in 2021 from an Alberta hoarding situation are steady fixtures now.  A couple of them were adopted (Finneas and Shimmer) but between having no visitors since last fall, and almost-overflowing adoption centre, the rest of them have remained in their Sanctuary home. They have adapted to various degrees; some, like Reinhardt, are not interested in interacting with humans; others, like Cornelius, flirt with humans and cats alike.

Peeking out for attention  (LBF)

My own little heart-cat in this clowder is pretty Holly. She might well be Reinhardt's sister; though with different colouring, they have similar shape and the same beautiful translucent green eyes.  Initially very shy, Holly has blossomed with the people she trusts.  She doesn’t range as freely as some of the boys, and Pen 3 remains the centre of her community. But when you enter the cabin, Holly is always one of the greeters.

Can I come up on your lap?  (BC)

What makes a cat get labelled “tame”? For me, it’s usually about comfort with touch, and especially with lap-time. My own boy is “tame” but carries the remains of a fearful feral, and has only recently started crossing my lap – he prefers to rest beside me.  Holly has no hesitation in jumping up in my lap; she loves being fussed and petted, and is pretty food-motivated.

Happily exploring  (KN)

Holly’s drawback is her fur – like many fine-furred cats, she mats easily, and if volunteers don’t have time to brush her every day (and we don’t!), this seemingly fluffy gal suddenly presents with big lumps close to the skin. It’s a constant problem, especially with the outside-pen cats – there’s no way we can handle them all every day, and Holly’s the sort of cat that needs daily grooming. Right now there are several cats with bad haircuts, where mats have been clipped out by the med-staff;  when the warmer weather arrives, many of the bad haircuts will be exchanged for something more drastic, and there will be little lions in the back pens.

Jason with Holly  (LBF)

Not surprisingly, Holly is none too cooperative about being groomed – I’m sure those mats hurt! - and most of the grooming I can do is confined to preventing new mats appearing, rather than taking out the ones that are there. At least she is happy to be handled; her buddy Cornelius has similar fur, and is often seen with dreadlocks. Though friendly and flirty, he is less tame and doesn’t really want all the handling that goes with being groomed.

Cornelius & Holly  (LBF)

Of all the Pen 3 clowder, I would put Holly high on the “possibly adoptable” list. Because most of these cats are so social, I would guess that an adoption application that involved her and one of her buddies would be the most likely to be approved, and would make a move from the Sanctuary less stressful for them both.  When we open again for visitors later in the spring, a lot more people will have a chance to visit with the Pen 3 cats, and with some of the others who are not ready for a stay in the Adoption Centre, but who are definitely adoptable.

Holly  (KN)

To have a home where she might be groomed and petted every day would probably be Holly’s idea of heaven. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson

Finneas

Finneas  (BC)

There are so many great personalities among the cats who came to us from Alberta and started in Pen 3.  Originally, they were penned while we assessed if these were to be potential adoptables and would need work from the Kitty Comforters.  It rapidly became obvious that these guys, for the most part, were not lacking in confidence, and repeated jail-breaks led to the permanent opening of Pen 3.

Early days in Pen 3   (KN)

Finneas began with this colony, but while they were still closed down, he managed to injure his foot, which abscessed, and necessitated bringing him in for treatment.  The poor boy was not a happy camper – not so much about the injury, but he hated being caged, and cried all the time. This in turn meant that both staff and volunteers spent more time sitting with him, and he became more and more comfortable with human contact.  Now he divides his time between visiting in the DoubleWide and being out in the back gardens with his buddies.

In the courtyard, initially staying at a distance   (KN)

In the DoubleWide, he takes over an empty cage or a cat-tree, catches someone’s attention and flirts like crazy – purring, rubbing, rolling over – giving all the signs of a cat who really needs human contact.  Out in the garden he is warier – hovering at arm’s length, doing the just-out-of-reach thing that cats are so good at. He will sniff at fingers, but takes a while to decide if he will allow any touch at all.  Half an hour later you’ll see him back in the building, and it’s all “Pet me! Touch me!”  Every time I see him he is more confident about contact, and I'm sure that indoor behaviour will soon influence the outdoor interactions. 

Finneas with his pal Sherbet   (KN)

He still visits with his Pen 3 buddies, but he’s no longer a permanent part of the clowder. Many of them tend to operate together – where you see Cornelius, you will also see Jason and Shimmer and Lucius.  Some of them, like Scarlett, prefer to remain mostly in Pen 3, on safe territory; others, like Reinhardt, are solo wanderers. Finneas interacts with the others, but then returns to the DoubleWide, which seems to have become his own safe place.  Because the group came in together, we're not sure who's related to who, but I suspect that he's a brother of tubby Lucius; there's something about the matching tabby faces, and they both have quite thick tails.

Come pet me NOW!   (BC)

When the Adoption Centre has found homes for all of the many kittens it has been housing, it will likely be some of these Pen 3 cats that will be transferred for potential adoption.  Finneas would probably not have been on the original list, but he’s definitely a candidate now – as long as you find him in the right situation, he’s ready for any amount of love and attention.  Someone is going to be lucky to have a new companion!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Pen 3 - Part 3

 

Finneas   (KN)

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve had an introduction to the teenagers in Pen 3, and started to identify the ones who may end up in their own forever-homes, and those who are people-wary and may never make that progression.  

Reinhardt & Lucius   (KN)

Part 1 introduced the Shakespearean crew:  William Shakespurr, Mewlius Caesar, Mercutio (who went straight to adoption) and Cornelius.  Part 2 offered the dark cats for Halloween: Shimmer, Sherbet, Gemini, Jason, Jenkins, Baker, Lucius and Holly. 

Reinhardt   (LBF)

Six more are presented this week – mostly tending on the shy side, but starting to make real progress in their comfort with being around humans.  The most wary of them is dark tabby Reinhardt;  he is cat-social but people-averse;  he is very good at finding hiding places and staying out of the way – and yet, he’s curious, and wants to see what’s going on.  On Sunday afternoon when I visited, there was a lot of scurrying around the pen – and Reinhardt had taken himself up on the roof of the cabin, and was soaking in the fall sun, and keeping an eye on things.

Golden   (KN)

The other two males are Golden (orange with strong tabby markings) and tabby and white Finneas.  Golden was obviously named by the same person who named his buddy Baker  as well as Banff and Creston, who are leukemia cats – there are lots of places that would make good cat-names!  Obviously, it’s a wonderful name for him!  Both Golden and Finneas are wary of contact, but interested in activity.

Baby & Beans  (LBF)

The three females are torbie Scarlett, calico Baby and tortie Beans. All three are on the shy end of the spectrum, allowing some touch, but not really comfortable with it yet.  Baby is active and curious, and endlessly interested in what’s outside the pen.  She is often one of the first to the gate when a visitor arrives, and she listens and watches for exciting movement. 

I know there's a mouse out there!  (BC)

Pen 3 backs on to the exterior of the sanctuary and stupidly brave mice are known to regret their bravery around these cats – one of the occasional penalties of being on a morning shift is to find and remove the victims.

Beans  (KN)

Beans is delightful – torties have a reputation for cattitude (or tortietude), but Beans has it only in the nicest way. She hovers around where the action is, and occasionally ventures close enough for contact; she likes treats but is not as food-motivated as the guys are!

Miz Scarlett, posing   (BC)

Sweet Scarlett (named for the actor or the character?) holds herself slightly aloof.  She doesn’t seem to be part of the crowd, but she can stand up to cats like Jason who get in her space, and send them away with a smart smack!  She’s a beautiful girl – and it feels like she knows it; watch her pose!

Scarlett & Baby   (BC)

It will be interesting to see how the dynamic of this pen changes when the most human-social cats go to the Adoption Centre – will the shyer ones relax when there is more space?  We will look forward to coaxing them into more contact with us.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson