Gardens and Gattos

Mercury (LBF)

Many of our cats have come to the Sanctuary as untamed ferals, and the experience of being caged is very uncomfortable for them – necessary, initially, because we need to take time to assess them and have the Kitty Comforters work with them – but often not something that can be sustained.

Fabian  (KN)

These are the cats who, in other circumstances, would be deemed unadoptable, and euthanized;  they don’t want anything to do with us, and in the buildings, they try to stay high up and out of the way, or hidden behind a drape. In the gardens they can find hiding places in the greenery.

Chirpy supervising planting  (KN)

Lindor helping with choices   (KN)

The Sanctuary is truly a sanctuary for them, because there are so many places they can hide, especially if they are back-courtyard cats. We have several volunteers who are gardeners, and much work has gone into filling flower beds, so that they can also be safe cat-beds. 

Leonardo diCatprio  (KN)

Preparing the garden to do some new planting always brings a few feline helpers, and planting needs to be done quickly to avoid too many deposits in the fresh soil. 

Hillie  (KN)

Some plants, like lilies, are not good for cats to be around, and they have been carefully eradicated; roses rather than lilies have gone into the beds, as well as splashes of colour with red runner beans (tasty for humans) and nasturtiums.  Summer interns have seen to the regular watering of both front and back gardens, and emptied water-bowls keep things moist.

Rico  (LBF)

Charlotte staying out of reach  (KN)

There is netting all around the Sanctuary to keep the cats in and the coyotes out – but the mesh is hidden for the most part by shrubbery, which offers shy cats all kinds of place to hide. Japanese knotweed springs up very quickly around the edges, and needs constant cutting back – but the cats in the north pens like it for shade and sleeping places.

Kramer   (LBF)

Some of the pens are grassed, and it’s often allowed to grow to give comfy corners for snoozing; maintaining it is hard, though, since the little feline “gifts” in the grass make a standard mower impractical, and the weed-whacker is pretty noisy.

Racks  (MRJ)

Potted Holland  (KN)

In the pens that are largely paved, greenery is provided with potted plants, and climbing plants. And if the pots are large enough, they provide another comfy place for resting.

Chaga  (MW)

Pen 6 has both real and artificial grass – but many of the inhabitants like to be up on the waist-level walkway where they can have shade and hiding places in overhanging plants, or sitting on the window-ledge of their play-hut.

Sandy goes climbing (KN)

Trees have their place too – both to provide leafy hiding places, and to allow for some height. We were all concerned when feral Sandy needed a back leg amputation to rid her of a cancer; it’s good to see that it hasn’t slowed her down much, and she’s even trying a little tree-climbing.

Ollie  (LBF)

Even Ollie will abandon his bed on the clean laundry to go out and enjoy a little sunshine and smell the flowers - and Alfred will take time out from bugging other cats to enjoy the garden world.

Alfred  (LBF)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Marla Rae Jenkins, 

Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Odin

 

Odin  (KN)

Odin came to us a couple of years ago at the same time as some of the many cats transferred early in our relationship with the Kamloops rescue and I’ve always thought of him as part of that group, but I now understand that he was a transfer from a Pemberton shelter. Many of the small shelters can’t afford to keep semiferals for long, and RAPS was glad to offer him an alternative.

Thinking about receiving a visitor  (LBF)

He spent his quarantine period in a cage in the DoubleWide, and volunteers quickly found that he was a cat who was happy to receive attention while he was there.  He’s a handsome black boy who can be told apart from all the other black boys by the little flecks of grey in his fur. He was a little timid at first, but as soon as he got to know his visitors, he was happy to receive petting and grooming, and would grab my hand gently if he thought I was about to leave his cage.

Come back! I'm not finished!  (BC)

Once he was released, he decided Sanctuary life was a little overwhelming. Initially he insisted on staying in his cage, but visits from assertive cats like Jasper convinced him that he needed to relocate, and he joined the shy cats on the back deck.  For a while it was hard to convince him that he was still safe, and often we had to get down on the floor to coax him out from under the big armchair!

Coaxing him out from hiding (BC) 

With the coming of the warmer weather, Odin was one of the Deck cats that managed to venture getting through the DoubleWide and the laundry room, and he succeeded in reaching the back courtyard,  He has made himself at home mostly in Pen 1 – only occasionally in the cabin itself, and more often in the kennels along the back fence.

On the prowl (LBF)

He socializes with the other cats, especially Rico, though he’s not really part of Zivko’s Boys’ Club.  He’s wary of humans, though he watches for his favourite people, and is glad of a visit;  recently we’ve been seeing him in other areas around the courtyard, though Pen 1, and the seats under the tree are his favourite places.

Around the back kennels   (KN)

Odin’s typical of the sort of cat that does best with us – he’s not really adoptable, unless it was to someone he bonded with. Right now he’s happy living semi-feral, but having the best of both worlds, with space to do his own thing, and food and company available whenever he wants it.  

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

Rico

"The edgy emo kid" - KN

It’s a while since we’ve had a Detective Cat at the Sanctuary. We say that the Detective Cats are the ones smart enough to find their way to us, rather than us having to go out and get them.  In some cases they may be cats who have been dumped on the property; in others, they are feral or semi-feral cats who are drawn by the feline society and by the potential of food.  If trapped, they are given the name of a fictional detective. Detective Cats have included Magnum and Kojak (now passed), Watson (adopted), Cagney and Horatio.  Steele, in the back courtyard, not only found us, he cat-burgled his way in, and was rewarded by being named for Remington Steele. 

LBF

Rico is our latest detective – named for Rico Tubbs, from "Miami Vice",  When the staff get reports of a strange cat hanging around outside, traps are set at dawn and dusk and watched carefully.  We’re not sure where Rico came from, but he was at least semi-feral, and savvy enough to know how to look after himself.  On the edge of fields and woodland, there are always rats and mice around – the stupid ones actually get into the Sanctuary – and a cat can live quite well if it can avoid the raccoons and coyotes.

BC

There were no flies on Rico – it actually took at least a week to catch him. Once safely behind bars, we were able to begin the process of coaxing him into trusting us. He’s obviously had some contact with humans, and was willing to be petted, though he doesn’t solicit touch. Typically, once “released”, it took awhile before he was ready to exit the cage, and he made the acquaintance of a few of the local host cats. Newcomer SophieCat wasn’t exactly a welcomer – she just believed that every bed was there for her benefit.

Bunk bed roomie with SophieCat - BC

Sharing with SophieCat was not what Rico had in mind. New cats in the Double-Wide either make their way to the back deck and the “Red Light District”, or brave two sets of doors to get into the back courtyard.  Rico had had the taste of freedom, and the back deck was too confining; it wasn’t long before he was exploring the back pens and enjoying the combination of safety and freedom.

KN

We have no idea where he’s come from – he has a look of our “cow cats” from the composting facility, but he is slimmer and more active. He’s not bonded with any of the other cats yet, and he’s wary around some of the dominant males, but we think he’s still pretty young, and feeling his way in feline society. He often hangs out in Pen 1 with newcomer Odin, who is also wary, and he has been found cuddled up with Darius, who’s a pretty easygoing boy, and a good mentor for him.

JB

Now he’s out and about, he’s less likely to approach us for petting – but he loves to play, and attention with a wand toy gives him a pretty good sense about which volunteers are good for a game. As the colder weather approaches, it will be interesting to see if he prefers to remain an outdoor cat, or if he also discovers that there are warm and cosy beds indoors.

LBF

For now he's happy to lounge around and catch what's left of the fall sunshine. Good detecting, Rico - you chose the right place to come to!

LBF

Blog by Brigid Coult
Photos by Jess Breitkreitz, Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson