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

Garth & Sierra

Garth  (KN)

It’s more than 10 years ago that the Merritt cats came to us from a cat population explosion to which many BC rescues responded.  We took in about a dozen cats initially, but the stresses of a feral existence can carry into later life, and all those years later, we now have only three of them left: Desmond, Michonne and Garth. When the reduced group was moved to Pen 3, for a while we had two clear colonies: the Merritt cats and the little tabbies. In the last year, the group became much more fluid, and there was more social interchange.

Garth (KN)

Garth is a laid-back gentle giant. Like all the Merritt cats, he’s wary of humans, and too quick an approach results in a rapid retreat to the hiding places. But he’s happy to lounge around in the back section and let himself be admired – and when the right human approaches in the right way, he will allow limited contact and the consuming of treats.

Garth in the middle of the cuddle pile
with Annie and Desmond  (LBF)

For a long time the anonymous little tabbies (I could never sort out who was who) were the other part of the population, presided over by our beloved Dell.  Then we added Annie and Nikki Sixx Toes, ferals from Semiahmoo, with Nikki, like Dell, being diabetic. Sadly, that didn’t work out – Nikki was feral enough that medicating him in the pen was almost impossible. Annie and Nikki were split up, and Nikki was brought into the SingleWide, where he is flourishing and no longer feral.  Annie took a while to decide whether she was in the tabby party or the Merritt one, but decided that the latter was more interesting, and can often be found hanging out with her new buddies.

Hickory, Mitzi, Sierra   (LBF)

Enter Sierra.  Sierra came to us last year from CATS rescue on Vancouver Island – she arrived with Hickory and Mitzi – though not from the same situation. The other two adapted fairly quickly – Hickory is the tamer of the two – and based themselves on the DoubleWide deck with the other semiferals. Sierra, however, was NOT going to be friends with anyone. She spent her time huddled in a corner of her cage, all her body language conveying that she didn’t want to be touched, or even acknowledged, despite all the Kitty Comforters could do to coax her.

Sierra in hiding (KN)

Sometimes you just get cats like that. There are places where they would say “she’s not able to be tamed or adopted; put her down”. At RAPS we have the space to be able to say “she needs to be a feral and take her own time”. Sierra was put into Pen 3 and allowed to make her own decisions. For a long time she huddled in a bed in the cabin, or found herself a cosy straw bed in one of the kennels. Very occasionally she would sniff at an extended fingertip before pulling away.  

Garth & Sierra (LBF)

But in the last few months she seems to have attached herself to Garth – perhaps recognizing a bigger version of herself, and a source of comfort.  Initially she hovered on the edge of the group, but increasingly she can be found with him, and since he will accept a little petting from feral-charmer Lisa, she is also accepting it, especially when she’s cuddled next to him. 

We're letting her take tiny steps, trying not to force her to anything before she’s ready. 

Recently we've transferred the Pen 3 cats into Pen 4 - the latter is a larger space, and we needed to make room for another group of young cats that shouldn't be kept caged, but who need to be limited in range until we find who might be tamable.  The original Pen 3 cats seem to be settling down, and Sierra and Garth are finding new places in which they can hide or hang out together.  Many cats need the comfort of a familiar space, and if we ever opened the feral pens, these ones would likely never come out. And so what? - the RAPS Cat Sanctuary is their home, as long as they need it.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Karen Nicholson

Video by Lisa Brill-Friesen