The Divorce is Called Off

Princess & Spike are back together! - BC

Many people think of cats as solitary creatures – and we certainly have our share of felines who would be perfectly happy if every other cat at the Sanctuary disappeared.  But we also have many cats who are happy to tolerate each other’s company – and even a few who have clearly bonded relationships.

Dusty & Ridley - BC

A quick scan of past blogs will give us an array of Best Feline Friends: Adam & May, Rudolph & Salish, Samantha & Chimo, (Chimo's love, PawPaw, is gone, but he and Samantha are good buddies), Dusty & Ridley.  Some have been bonded for most of their lives with us; others have had bonds with other cats, now passed, and have sought out a new BFF.

Princess & Spike - MW

Spike and Princess have been a “couple” for some years. Though they didn’t arrive from the same place, they could almost always be found sharing a bed in the Double-Wide – preferably somewhere close to the med cage and the possibility of treats.

Princess - LP

And then at some stage in the last few months, they started drifting apart – I noticed it most often when showing visitors around, and finding Spike occupying his regular space, but Princess high up on the cage-tops, or out in the back courtyard.  Various other cats shared Spike’s bed, but Princess seemed to prefer keeping her distance.

Watching the old med-cage door - JN

About six weeks ago, the med-cage (and that’s really all it was – a walk-in cage where the med-staff could track cats and dispense medications) was enlarged to about twice its size by expanding into the space of an adjacent cage and the equivalent corridor.  And it just so happened that this bit of corridor was the home base for Spike, Buddy, Tugboat and half a dozen others.  Of course, there is no lack of available alternate space, but there was a week or so of negotiating feline realty, and of deciding who wanted to base themselves where.  During this period, little smoke-cat Sara Lee had a cage-stay for some dental care, and with her release, all the patterns seemed to change again.

Sara Lee - KN

For years Sara Lee has been my quality control assistant at mealtimes, but now her place has been taken over by Miss Parker, who is much less ladylike (though equally enthusiastic) about getting the first taste. Sara Lee normally hovered on the other side of the laundry room, but I started to find her in the space she had once shared with her friend Kiddie.

SaraLee, with her late friend, Kiddie - DW

 And then, suddenly, there were three – Sara Lee occupying the middle of a basket, and Spike and Princess flanking her.  Couple mediation?  A menage a trois? I don’t know – but the three can often be found together, with the alternate combination being Spike and Princess being lovebirds once again, with Sara Lee in an adjacent bed.

A small bowl - and three loving cats - BC

All our cats are safely spayed and neutered, of course – but, as with humans, loving relationships are less about biology and more about psychology. And these three seem to have found a balance (like Capilano, Walker and Chinook) in which they all have a part to play in making each other happy.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Joanne Nicholson, Karen Nicholson, 

Lisa Parker, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Oliver: Cuddle-monster

Oliver is the Sanctuary cuddle-champion!

Oliver explores the cats' play-tunnel - KN

We have a number of cuddly cats – often thanks to the work of the team of Kitty Comforters, who focus their attention on the caged, or shy, or newer cats.

Fido makes an acceptable cuddle-buddy - KN

Some cats, of course have come to us because they are NOT cuddly – Eli, Jobie, and many others are beautiful to look at, and occasionally allow themselves to be petted, but they’re not lap-cats, and they object to being picked up and fussed over if they’re not in the mood.  And when their objection gets labelled as “aggression”, they end up with us.
Oliver is very much a people boy, and loves to be picked up and held. His problem is that he suffers from feline herpes virus.

There were so many people to snuggle at the volunteer party! - DW

The most common virus, as we humans know, is probably the cold. And the more people you have together, the more a cold gets passed around.  Mostly it runs its course, and the body recovers; sometimes we fight through it; sometimes we curl up and sleep it off.  It’s the same for cats – the various cold germs that inevitably float around will affect cats from time to time. Mostly they have minimal effect; occasionally a cat will be snotty-nosed or congested enough that a period in a cage for treatment is recommended.

Oliver loves being outside - TV

Sometimes the cold stays in the cat’s system – sweet Tibet is often sneezy; Ridley has to be watched for recurring congestion. Some of them may carry this feline herpes virus, but for them the effects are minimal. In extreme cases, the eyes are also affected, with lesions in and around the eyes, and eye ulcers. These viruses are specific to cats – humans are not affected by them.

Enjoying the sunshine - DJ
(the lesions round his eyes are very apparent in this photo)

We understand that Oliver contracted herpes virus in utero; we have no knowledge about the rest of his litter-mates, but he has been under care since being a kitten. His eyes are severely affected, and his vision impaired, though not enough to prevent him getting around easily. During his initial cage-period with us he constantly called for someone to come and sit with him, and give him some fussing.  Not long after release, some dental work was needed, and much to his annoyance, he had another cage-stay.

Open the gate right NOW, and cuddle me!   TV

Now Oliver’s out and about again.  If things are busy, he’ll find a corner where he can curl up till someone can pay him attention; as soon as a lap’s available, he’s ready to be held – he prefers the upright posture against a shoulder where he can nuzzle into a neck or into hair.  Flare-ups of the virus can be provoked by stress, but now Oliver’s assimilated himself into the feline population, he seems to be doing very well.

Snuggles with med-staff Louise - LL

Oliver would be at his best in an only-cat home (or one with another herpes virus cat) where he could get lots of attention, but where his humans were aware of his health issues. Ideally, cats with herpes virus shouldn’t be around other cats – it’s not as dangerous as the feline leukemia virus, but for cats with a compromised immune system, any infection is a bad idea. But we’re simply not able to cage all the virus-carrying cats in the Sanctuary; we rely on staff and volunteer awareness about washing hands and bedding, and on the fact that so many of those cats wander freely outside in the courtyard and the back pens.

Oliver loves to snuggle into Kitty Comforter Chris's beard! - VL

Oliver is the sweetest most affectionate boy ever at the Sanctuary, and joins Emery in being a cat whose cuddles give as much comfort as he gets.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Daphne Jorgenson, Leslie Landa, Vicki Lo, 

Karen Nicholson, Tanisha Vincent, Debbie Wolanski

February 2020 - I am happy to report that Oliver has been adopted by the parents of one of our volunteers. They know that he will always need a little more care, but that it's more than balanced by all the love he will give!

Mister Valentine

Just as we have what I call the Garbo Cats (here and here), so we also have our share of cats who enjoy each others’ company. Sometime that’s no more than a tendency to stay in the same area; sometimes it’s obviously a family thing. For many years Mr Popularity in the Sanctuary was our beloved Mario, who attracted a large following of ferals who relaxed around him. We lost Mario to cancer a few years ago, and some of his ferals have followed him, most recently, Nellie, who I like to think about as being reunited with him at the Rainbow Bridge.

Couch cats

But Mario’s mantle has fallen to another gentle giant. When Salty came into the Sanctuary, he was deeply bonded with his sister Shelley, but the magic wore off, and the two now live independent lives. Shelley’s a roamer – you’ll find her all over the place. Salty, on the other hand, can usually be found in his favourite place on the double-wide couch, surrounded by a crowd of other cats.

Cinder, Salty & Ridley, Dusty - MW

Salty obviously gives off the pheromone that says “Love me! Trust me!” It’s not quite to the extent Mario had it – with Mario, sometimes everyone wanted to lie on him, and all you’d see of him in the cat-pile was a little orange and white fur at the bottom. Salty likes a little more space around him – but it’s often the same cats who are sharing the couch with him. Cinder is a regular occupant, as is Luigi, and Watson, who was adopted and who we will soon be hearing from, loved his cuddle-buddy.

Watson with Salty - PH

However, the most favoured companions are Ridley, Colin and Dusty. All three are ferals, and all three have become more approachable through their association with Salty.

Holding paws - MW

Ridley can be distinguished among the black cats in the cat-pile by a little patch of white on his chest.

Cuddling in tandem - BC

He’s still a little wary around humans, but with a not-too-full couch, it is possible to sit with the two of them and stroke Ridley without being swatted.

Salty with Colin - MW

Colin’s one of our all-black boys, distinguishable mainly by the elegant lynx-tips to his ears. He has become much more friendly overall; he’s usually underfoot at feeding-time, rising on his back legs to rub against the feeder and make sure he’s not overlooked.

Salty & Dusty snuggles - BC

Dusty and Salty could be mistaken for litter-mates – especially now he’s put on some mid-life weight. She is very wary of human contact – especially when she’s alone – but like Ridley, petting is possible when Salty is around to give her confidence. She follows him around with adoration in her eyes.

Dusty & Salty - BC

Just occasionally, all this togetherness gets to be too much for Salty, and he has to go and sit on the top of a cat tree or in a corner somewhere where nobody else can lie on him.

Salty goes solo - MW

 A little time to himself – and then he heads back to the couch and to his adoring retinue

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman and Michele Wright