Alexandria

Alexandria - KN

One of the big Sanctuary Events of last summer was the arrival of more than 40 cats and kittens into our care, mainly thanks to the efforts of Leslie and the med staff.  The initial story was told in the blog entry Can there be such a thing as Too Many Kittens?

Kitten pile - LL

As we move into 2020, things are settling down. Most of the youngest kittens have been socialized and adopted out; some of the older ones – likely unneutered strays rather than ferals – are making themselves comfortable in the Val Jones pen with the friendlier FIV+ cats.  Pen 6 is still the home of a group of charming but very wary teens;  their progress will be encouraged by our cat whisperers, but at the moment it’s arms-length contact only – though they’re certainly displaying curiosity.

Aphrodite - KN

The young queen Juno - LBF

One of the reasons the feral colony ballooned so quickly is that young females come into heat at as little as 4-6 months, and once kittens start producing kittens the only way to curb it is to trap and neuter them all.  We have our share of small female cats in the Sanctuary who are often mistaken by visitors for kittens, and we have to explain that when a young malnourished female gives birth to a litter, she may never make her full adult size, because all her resources go to nurturing her offspring.

Little Simone and her big boy Bantam - MW

One of the trapped cats turned out to be a pregnant mama like this. Alexandria surprised everyone at the shelter when she suddenly gave birth to four or five kittens.  Probably because she was so young, some of the kittens didn’t survive, but she and the two living ones went into fosterage with one of our most experienced kitten nurturers. She proved to be a good mother – almost too good, because she was very protective of her babies, and very hard to handle.  Once they were independent, she was spayed and re-settled at the Sanctuary – as a feral, she was not a candidate for adoption, though both her kittens were adopted.

Alexandria - LBF

With no more kittens to protect, Alexandria was more amenable to advances from the Kitty Comforters. Once released from her cage, she was quick to explore and to socialize with other cats.

Alexandria has no sense of personal space;
Moxie is tolerant - KN

Among other little black cats, it’s easy to distinguish her by her distinctive chest and toe marking – which proved useful, when her exploring took the form of tree-climbing!

Satisfaction, once she's up! - KN

She’s pretty fearless, and a challenge to Gizmo, who’s the other serious tree-climber. Neither one will be particularly happy when the tree has to be felled – unfortunately, it’s not in healthy shape, and needs to be replaced.  We will need to bear in mind the need for some sort of climbing frame to replace it!

"I'm higher than you!" - KN

As for relationships with humans – she likes to play with wand toys, but she’s not much into a lot of petting, though Leslie says she will approach for nose-touches.  She has all the time she needs to decide when and if she is ready to trust us.

Blog by Brigid Coult

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

The Dryer Gang

Cats being the hedonists they are, it’s not surprising to find them curled up in warm places. Most of the Sanctuary’s cat-cabins have ceramic heaters, and even in sub-zero temperatures the outdoor cats have somewhere warm to be. In every building around the Sanctuary there are favoured places that cats choose – mostly related to warmth. In the Tea Room, you will practically always find Sadie face-planted as close to the heater as possible.

MW

In the Double-wide, there’s usually a crowd on the table just inside the door, and another (usually focused on Salty) on the couch. Hot air rises, and there are normally a good number of cats on top of the cages in the Connor. And the papasan chair near the courtyard stairs is always good for a cuddle-puddle as is the one on the Newcomers deck.

BC

But the favoured place has to be just inside the door of the Single-wide, where, as you enter, you are usually greeted by a furry pile.

L to R: Simone, Jenny, Jarod (Yap), Bantam, Belinda, Zoe
with Little Mama up above - PH

Personalities vary, but the core of the Dryer Gang, as they are known, are usually Simone, Bantam and Chickadee. The three of them came from an egg farm (now demolished) and it’s likely they were all related – according to our vet, Simone is older than the other two, and may well be their mama. You’ll find these three on the September page of the 2017 calendar.

Simone is one of those cats that visitors actively seek out.  She is a cuddle-bug, liking to be held upright over a human shoulder, rather like a baby. In her earlier days she would have come under the no-semi-ferals-adoptions ban, implemented after our experience with Jenny and one or two others; now she is older, calmer, and there is a long list of people that would probably adopt her like a shot. However, as with Salty, we have to consider not only her but also all her cuddle-buddies – losing her would seriously affect the dynamic of the group.

Simone and Bantam are very close - MW

Bantam enjoys his share of petting and cuddles, though he’s not as much in favour of being picked up as Simone is. Chickadee is shyer still, preferring that petting is restricted to the cuddle-puddle itself – it’s not so long ago that Chickadee still preferred the safety of the cage-tops

Zoe - always curious - PH

The trio is usually joined by Zoe – older than she looks, but still very active – sweet green-eyed Jenny, Little Mama, and most-recently, Diamond, who we feel is still mourning the loss of her beloved son Garfield. It’s lovely to see her settling in as part of the group, and sharing in comforting snuggles.

Diamond is comforted by Zoe - MW

They, and the many other cats who join them are a delightful group who never fail to draw the attention of Sunday visitors - whether or not the dryer is operating

...so how many cats can fit on a drier?....  MW

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman, Michele Wright

Kitties, It's Cold Outside

The snowfall of last week was reinforced by a blast of arctic cold, and along with the rest of the Lower Mainland, the Sanctuary has been at sub-zero temperatures.  The vast majority of the cats have decided that they really prefer the indoor life-style, and every bed - especially the ones under the heat lamps - has been claimed.

Front courtyard snugglers - Debbie, Petunia (back) Gilbert (front) & Spencer - DW
Fabio & Lucky are somewhere in the pile!

That, of course, makes for some difficulties for the volunteers – cats take exception to being moved off a comfy spot just because some human wants to shake a blanket out, or to change it for a clean cover. And the production of clean bedding is made possible only by careful use of the washer/dryer, because the system is easily overloaded – both by cats and by electrical needs. Having either the washer or the dryer running, of course, is much in demand; the warmth and the vibrations make the appliance top a preferred sleeping space.

One variant of the Dryer Gang: Diablo, Bantam & Simone - MW

Out in the back pens, the cats are also preferring to cuddle together and not venture out. Cleaning pen 1 yesterday, I found twelve of them watching me anxiously; most are semi-feral at best and would normally be backing away, but comfort came first, and they waited patiently while I replaced an ice-filled water-bowl from outside their door with one full of warm water, adding a splash of warm to the inside water-bowl as well.

A wary group of ferals - BC

In pen 5 May and Adam were eager to greet me (though that was in part because of treats in pockets), but Chinook, Willow and Salish also joined in the love-fest, enjoying the chance for some interaction since they’d not had the chance to get out.

From top: Salish, Willow & Adam - waiting hopefully - BC

There are, of course, always the cats who want to do their own thing. Our little grey Gizmo (not to be confused with orange Gizmo in the Moore House) is definitely a cat who walks by himself.  Now that he’s out of a cage, he’s interacting much better with humans, but other cats are still not his favourite thing.

Gizmo the Grey - BC

The cats in the feral pen would prefer not to be inside if they can avoid it; when I go in first thing in the morning to scoop their box and refresh food and water, they hurry out of their house. Cold toes are infinitely preferable to dealing with (horrors!) a human!

Smithy says "Don't look at me!" - MW

The decorations have started going up in the front courtyard; the carolers will be visiting on Monday at lunchtime, and cats are finding their patches of sunshine to make the fur coats compensate for the chill.

Jake's attention is caught by a possible food hand-out - BC

Bobby would prefer that he not actually touch the snow - BC

Some actually seem to enjoy it; semi-feral Autumn must have some Maine Coon in her little body, because her fur has grown in thick and luxuriant (especially her ruff) and I found her today rolling ecstatically in the snow.

Autumn actually loves the cold  - BC

The end is (theoretically) in sight, though;  more snow is forecast on Sunday, followed by warmer temperatures and a return to our usual Wet Coast weather. Pretty as the snow has been, it’ll be good to return to unfrozen water-bowls and functioning sinks again!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Debbie Wolanski & Michele Wright

Family Day at the Sanctuary

Though most of the Sanctuary cats have come in as singles – whether feral-trapped or as surrenders, we have our share of feline family relationships. Some of them have recently been featured – the “Cow Cats” – Mya, Kirstie and Teagan – are now out of a cage and hanging about in the upper reaches of the single-wide trailer. They’re unlikely ever to be very tame cats, though both Teagan and Kirstie will accept a little attention, but they still enjoy each other’s company. However many of our siblings largely ignore each other, and it’s rare that you find them together, so most of the upcoming pictures are of singles rather than pairs.  Claire introduced shy Tricia nearly five years ago and updated us on her progress back in 2013. Tricia is currently caged for a mouth infection, and actively solicits petting when visited – big progress from the shy girl she used to be.

Tricia - CF

Now we need to get working on her little sister Tara. Tara has been almost exclusively a back-pens cat – a little ghost who hovers around pen 1, but doesn’t want much to do with people. She was recently confined to treat what looks like an inner ear problem, and though still wary of being touched, is watching everything that’s going on. Having a cat caged, and accessible to the staff and the kitty comforters, is often a really good way of coaxing them into the next stage of being tamed.

Tara - BC

The last of our Val Jones family, Paulo and Latte hang out together in the front courtyard – but their togetherness is probably less about affection and more about a common goal of food and attention from humans!

Paulo & Latte - PH

Brother and sister Miller and Fiona also live in the front courtyard. Though they mostly live independent lives, we can occasionally catch them together.  Fiona’s usually a very friendly girl, though she doesn’t think much of Sunday visitors – she has a talent for hiding herself away until 4:10pm, when she emerges with an air of “did I miss something?”. Miller has progressed from being pretty feral to being everyone’s pal, and loves attention. The third of the trio is their sister Schatze (whose middle name should have been Houdini). Schatze lived in the parking lot until recently – she had a gift for escaping (though we never knew quite how). The nearby presence of coyotes encouraged us to bring her to pen 4 which is totally meshed in, and she’s stayed there – she was pretty miffed at first, but has now progressed to living in the hut with some of the other cats.

Fiona & Miller - DW

Schatze - MW

Families can be adoptive as well as blood relatives – and that’s true of the Dryer Gang: the first cats you encounter on entering the single-wide. They are centred on Simone and Bantam, who we used to think were brother and sister, but according to the vet, Simone is older than Bantam, and may well be his mom – even though he’s twice her size.  The other cats are unrelated – they all just love each other!

The Dryer Gang - MW

The single-wide is also the home of some of our maternal relationships:  tortie Sophie and her tabby son Hiro; Diamond and momma’s boy Garfield.

Hiro & Sophie - MW

Diamond & Garfield - DW

And a third maternal relationship which we thought was wheezy Marissa and her orange son Paylan,  has now been revealed to be mother/daughter (rechristened Sarah Paylan) – we should know by now that though orange cats are usually males, we have our share of the female variety.

Marissa & Sarah Paylan - DW

Happy Family Day!

Blog by Brigid Coult
Photos by Brigid Coult, Claire Fossey, Phaedra Hardman, Debbie Wolanski and Michele Wright

Two Grey Girls

On Sunday afternoons, many of the visitors that come in bring treats for the cats, and in fact some of our furry friends are so blasé about food by the end of the day that we have to restrict the canned food we put out. Rather than commercial dry treats, I prefer to have a little bag of chicken bits in my pocket, and before I leave, they get shared around.  Many of the cats love chicken more than anything – “chickaholics”, I call them – and they’re desperate to get their share. Cheetah and Jake lead the charge, but Paulo and Latte are right there, Tommy and Dirky, shy Gilbert and Diamond, and many others.

Often I will hear a little chirp from behind me, and find a small grey cat hopping from one foot to another in anticipation. For some time I didn’t know her name, until Leslie identified her for me as PETUNIA. It turns out she’s one of the egg-farm cats in the single-wide – from the crowd that includes April and Simone and Bantam, and she is probably a litter-mate to more than one of them.  At some stage she made a dash for the door and established herself in the front courtyard.

She’s a shy girl – she won’t allow more than the slightest touch – but is more than ready to take chicken from the hand. But the fact that she’s so food-motivated makes it more likely that the Kitty Comforters will eventually be able to tame her a bit more, and she certainly sees that there are good things that come from being around humans.

Another grey girl occasionally in the chicken crowd is SARAH. It’s interesting to me that Sarah actually used to be more active in the cat-crowd, and around people, and has now taken to hiding away in the feral cat area.  She is also very keen on chicken, and had no hesitation in swatting another cat out of the way if she thinks she can get away with it. 

Sarah was one of a group of cats brought to us by volunteer Mary He from a feeding site she tended – others in that family included Fern, Fabio and Cyrano.  It may be that Sarah’s withdrawal from a more active courtyard life is part of staying connected with her “family” who also inhabit the feral area.  She’s still a very wary cat, and like Petunia, she shies from fingers that don’t hold food, but I think she’s another cat that, with a bit of work, could become more comfortable with humans.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Michele Wright

Chickadee

Visitors to the Sanctuary are regularly greeted at the door of the Single-wide by a furry puddle of cats on top of the drier. They love the attention they always get there – after all, what’s not to like about getting the first chance at treats! – and most of all, they love the warmth and the vibration when the drier is on.

Chickadee, Simone, Bantam, with Jenny (back)

Certain cats can usually be found there.  Simone is always a favourite, and normally she and Bantam, who is probably her sibling, anchor the pile. They’re usually joined by Chrissy or Jenny, and sometimes by Bonnie Boy. But there’s usually another little grey cat in the cuddle-puddle, and she deserves an introduction too.

We think Chickadee came to us from an egg-farm on Blundell – Lisa trapped ten ferals there when the property was sold and slated for demolition. She is similar in appearance to Simone and is sometimes mistaken for her.  She might well come from the same litter as the Simone and Bantam – we don’t always know, when ferals are brought in, what their family relationships may be.

photo by Phaedra

When the dryer gets going, you occasionally find cats totally blissed out on the warmth. Chickadee can be so relaxed that her tongue peeps out.

Chickadee is more wary than the others about joining in the orgy of fussing over visitors; but when she knows you she can be very affectionate. Phaedra, who knows the single-wide cats better than any of us, says “She is nowhere near as approachable as Simone but if you are slow and gentle she can be receptive to pets. The key is slow and gentle though or she will freak out and run away. Not a pick me up and cuddle cat but there is always hope for the future”

She may be wary of humans, but she has lots of feline friends she likes to snuggle with, and who can show her that being handled really isn't so scary. We have a number of cats that have gone from being wary and shy to being shameless in soliciting attention. Let’s hope Chickadee follows Bantam and Simone’s great example!

Blog by Brigid Coult (with help from Phaedra Hardman)

Photos by Michele Wright and Phaedra Hardman

Warm and fuzzy feelings

To mark Valentines this year I decided to look at some of the cats that have obviously developed deep attachments to each other. For a few of them, they’re family relationships – mother and son or siblings – for others there is obviously The One Important Cat – and then there are a few who just send out the pheromones that say “I’m lovable!”, and the other cats gather around.

Bantam & Simone - CF

Any visitor to the single-wide will be greeted by the cuddle-puddle on the dryer – led by two grey cats who came from the same source, and are probably siblings. They are happy for a little interaction with humans, but they really love to be with each other.

Garfield and Diamond- MW

Blog-readers may remember Hiro and Sophie, who are often found together – Hiro is a mama’s boy, but has recently started to be a bit more independent. We have just welcomed to the Sanctuary Garfield and Diamond, who are similarly attached. They are in fact adoptable, but being at the Shelter was too scary for them in the small cages there; with us they have room to move as they please – but mostly to snuggle.

 

Liam and Lady Lightfoot - PH

Liam and Lady Lightfoot in the New Aids are often found together, but Phaedra tells me it’s rather a one-sided affair – Lady has something of a crush on Liam, which isn’t entirely reciprocated. Phaedra says, “When Lady snuggles up to Liam he will slowly move to another spot; usually she doesn’t take the hint, and follows him. Liam usually relents because he's a peaceful little guy.”

Many readers will remember our dearly loved Mario who had a harem of devoted followers of both genders who trailed round after him

Mario & Shrek (RIP) - CF

Just over a year ago we lost Mario to cancer and for a while his followers were bereft; Nelly in particular is wary both of people and of other cats and hasn’t found another love. But it was apparent that Mario’s mantle had, at least in part, descended on Salty, who can often be found on the double-wide couch, absolutely surrounded by furry bodies.

The couch cuddlers - MW

He does seem to have a favourite, though – he’s most often seen with Lana – so much so that we chose their picture for the February picture in the calendar this year.

Lana & Salty - MW

There are a few other cats who seem to have that magnetism.  Kiddie is a double-wide table-top cuddler - frequently found sleeping (or trying to) with another buddy

Prince & Kiddie - BC

 Shy black Jet in the back courtyard has a devoted following – here he is with one of his favourites

Jet & Mad Max - MW

and beautiful Foxy (Silverfox) in the front courtyard is usually found with his buddy Cheetah

Silverfox & Cheetah - BC

Sweet Pea is often avoided by humans, because of her dirty back end, but quite often she can be found cuddling with one of her buddies – Lillix, in this case

SweetPea & Lillix - LL

When Shuga was diagnosed with feline leukemia, she and her buddy Esme were delighted to be reunited in the Val Jones enclosure.

Shuga & Esme - BC

Many of the AIDS cats have become so as a result of fighting in their feral days – at the Sanctuary, “fixed” and fed and warm, they’re more often found cuddling together than doing battle. And now we discover that the newcomer in Old Aids, Bubba, is another charmer like Mario, for both cats and humans. Even the alpha male, Merlin, seems to gravitate to the new boy, and shy Kojak was seen being tenderly washed by him.

Happy Valentine’s Day – to cats and humans alike!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman, Claire Fossey, Leslie Landa & Michele Wright