Who Lives In The Moore House?

Volunteer Pauline Chin offers the blog this week.
The Moore House, a.k.a. GeriCatrics, a.k.a. the seniors’ home, has seen many new residents in the last several months.  We’ve had to say goodbye to some dear kitties and hello to some new ones.

Jack - MW

Black Jack is usually the first one seen, snoozing on the chair by the door, or parading around on the counter-tops.  He’s one of those cats whose mood depends on the amount of attention he receives.  The more he gets, the happier he is.  If his attention tank is empty, he will tap, grab, and block your path to the exit until he gets what he wants. Jack was edgy and aggressive when he first came to us; thanks to the work of the Kitty Comforters, he's now a happy lap-cat!

Pretty bob-tailed Chanel - CP

Sophia has an intense stare - MW

Chanel and Sophia are more selective about company.  If they feel comfortable, they will quietly approach and accept a bit of petting.  Other than that, they prefer to remain on higher ground and observe. Sophia's fur mats easily and she doesn't much like being groomed; once the summer comes she will get a lion-cut and feel much better about being pettable!

Shaggy in his favourite place - MD

Shaggy, Marble, and Bluebell are drawn to the couch.  On good days, the trio can be found sunning themselves on the deck.  Shaggy and Marble are gentle giants.

Marble holds court - MW

Marble is the nicest tortie girl I’ve ever met and is never pushy.  I recognize her by the orange lightning bolt mark on her forehead.  I must admit, it feels empty without the furry presence of Spicer, Peng Peng, Princess, and Nalah all jockeying for the seat next to me, with big girl Orio beckoning me over to her shelf. 

Lou claims the heater - PC

Orange Lou is the quietest resident.  This 15 year old arrived last autumn and has claimed the heater for himself.  Just like late Momo, Lou also has his own bed on the floor, so he never has to walk far for food or navigate shelves.  He’s thrilled to receive human attention and takes pleasure being brushed.  He’s a cat who wears a permanent smile on his face.

Smokey glares from the safety of her cage - DJ

Smokey’s owner had to move to a care home and couldn’t take her along.  Smokey is still a work in progress.  She is known for being aggressive towards humans.  She has been released, but hasn’t quite opened up yet.

Blanche keeps an eye on the outdoor area - KN

Blanche, who came to us as a cat who couldn't get enough of being outside, has been transferred from the Double to the Moore for her lack of mobility - she has three torn ACLs.  But that doesn’t keep her from jumping on shelves! When she’s relaxing in a bed, she’s open to pets and belly rubs.

Sweet Jimmy is very shy - PC

Grey Jimmy is a foster-turned-resident.  He arrived with his buddy, Boots.  Both were wildfire refugees from Cache Creek.  After months in our care with no response from their human, a SNAP test was done, revealing Boots to be FLV+.  Boots joined the Leukemia crowd and Jimmy stayed in the Moore.  I find Jimmy likes to peek out from the cat tree.  Sometimes he’s friendly.  Sometimes he seeks refuge atop the cage.  Boots gave us plenty of purrs and cuddles during his short stay.  He loved to say hello during visits to Leukemia, but we had to say a final goodbye in March.  Just goes to show quality time ranks higher than quantity!

Bluebell is queen - MW

Four more Golden Oldies - Rufus, Fluff, PomPom and Wink - were introduced in the blog about a month ago (sadly, we've just lost PomPom).
For us volunteers, the Moore House is an endearing place.  We know time with some of these senior felines is very limited.  Time spent is precious and gratifying for everybody.  For cats suddenly separated from their humans, we step in to heal their heartache and accompany them for the remainder of their journey.  When it’s finally time to cross the Rainbow Bridge, there’s love and kindness on both sides.

Blog by Pauline Chin

Photos by Pauline Chin, Brigid Coult, Melanie Draper, Daphne Jorgenson, 

Karen Nicholson, Chris Peters, Michele Wright

Calendar 2019 out-takes

It’s coming.... it’s coming....

Jasper: "Listen up, folks!"

It’s almost time for the new RAPS Cat Sanctuary Calendar for 2019!

Reefer: "Did you say it's coming?"

Once again, photographer Michele Wright provided a great selection of photos from the Sanctuary inhabitants, and once again, it was hard to make choices, and to bring the final numbers down to the chosen fourteen.

Pico: "Where is it?"

We hope that you will hurry to get your calendars ordered so you can see who made it – and so that you can plan your Christmas lists so that you can give Cat Sanctuary gifts to all your friends and families.

Palma - we loved the colours of this

The photos in this blog are some of the ones we loved, but that for one reason or another just didn't make it into the final selection.  Sometimes it was because we already had a photo of that cat; sometimes we didn't need another black one; sometimes it was a good shot, but perhaps not a calendar picture you might want for an entire month.

Handsome tortie Blaze was just beaten by another tortie.

I'd asked Michele for a couple of pair or group shots, and we loved this one of Walker and Capilano playing together.  But for me, one of Michele's talents is eye-contact with cats, and these guys weren't watching the camera!

Walker is the only creature Capilano loves

Pico is so photogenic!  But she'd already featured in the 2018 calendar, and much as we love her, it was too soon for a repeat - plus, we already had a tree-climber!

Pico is a fearless climber

Everyone who works in the Single-Wide knows and loves Bossanova - though his love isn't given to everyone! His was the last photo that we reluctantly moved into the "not 2019" column.

Life is a serious business for Bossanova

Sophia always reminds me of an elderly lady with wild hair - especially, when she's just had a body-shave to deal with her constantly-matting fur!  She was a cat I ended up deciding not to add because she one of our old Moore House cats, and therefore a bit more fragile than some. It's so hard when we lose a calendar cat, and have to see their image months after they've gone. We lost Tricia and Faith who featured in the 2018 calendar; Sophia and another couple of cats ended up being put in the "no" pile for potential health reasons.

Sophia says "We are not amused!"

Looking over these photos, I can't help but smile - but I think you'll be smiling too, when you see the photos in Calendar 2019. Copies will be available in all the RAPS facilities - the 5 Road City Shelter, the 6 Road Sanctuary, both Thrift Stores and at the Hospital as well as online - and they make wonderful Christmas gifts.
When you give, they live... every calendar sold supports RAPS cat-care.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Michele Wright

Reluctant Lions

Bear in full fur - MW

With the summer heat also comes a regular phenomenon at the Cat Sanctuary – lots of hair! Volunteers  regularly spend extra time with a variety of brushes and combs in hand, grooming blissful and grumpy cats alike. Some of them seem to be able to attend to themselves fairly well (bar the odd hairball); others definitely need human assistance. Our summer students (see future blog) are cleaning all the nooks and crannies where cat-hair accumulates; we could probably compile another dozen cats from the fur that comes off each week. Long-haired, short-haired, they’re all shedding like crazy.

Dell's fine hair mats easily - MW

But there are always a few cats for whom grooming is a problem. We have our share of tubby cats who don’t do so well at cleaning themselves because the rear end is so hard to reach – a little shave job around the tail area is usually enough to prevent messy backsides.  Often these are short-haired cats who otherwise have no difficulty in grooming.  However, there are several long-haired cats whose fine fur always seems to mat, and for whom being combed is a real problem.

For anyone who wondered if Bear was big or just fluffy... - DW

The first one this summer to get the traditional lion cut was Bear. Formerly an inhabitant of the Leukemia Room at the back of the Single-Wide, Bear and his buddy Smoochy have become inhabitants of the Val Jones pen (extended now, for Bear, to the Old Aids area). Bear is not always the most approachable cat, and certainly not an easy one to keep groomed; by late spring it was obvious that his mats were giving problems, and he was finally whisked off to the vet for a full lion-cut.  It was obviously something of a surprise to everyone to discover that this enormous ball of fluff was actually a scrawny little body underneath.  We offered him a sweater, which was not appreciated! When the summer heat finally arrived, Bear must have been one of the few who really approved.

MW

He’s now grown out a couple of months of fuzz and is looking quite good!

MW

One of the back-courtyard regulars, Matt doesn’t appreciate being groomed in the regular way, with the inevitable result that he’s a mess by early summer. Last year he got away with just having the worst clumps taken off; this year our lumpy fuzzball got the full treatment, and is now going by the nickname of De-Matt!

"Do you have chicken? Or shall I go back to bed?  -  BC

He’s obviously a bit embarrassed about it all;  he’s found himself a comfy bed to retreat to, and emerges only when he thinks it’s worth showing his face.

MW

Former Pen 6, now Moore House resident Sophia is a constant grooming problem.  She came to us from a closing shelter on the Sunshine Coast, and a volunteer there told us that she was always grumpy for them too – until she got her haircut.  Then she would be sweetness and light, soliciting petting and being very affectionate – for about three weeks, before she reverted to her “Don’t touch me!” mode.

Pet me, please! - BC

Sophia’s just had her summer lion-cut, and as predicted, she can’t get enough attention. The challenge for us will be to keep her enjoying being handled, and to prevent the mats recurring in the first place.

Undressed, but still handsome!  - BC

Handsome Dell in pen 3 is another with long fine fur that mats.  Two years ago we gave him a lion cut, and then managed to keep him groomed so that it wasn’t necessary last summer.  But during the winter months a fallen tree meant limited access to his pen, and his regular grooming partners couldn’t keep him brushed out, so that by the time the summer came, it was obvious that Dell would need attention. Leslie and I managed to get the worst mats off in a cuddle session, but it was not an elegant look!  So when Dell had to go in for a dental (five teeth out!) they took the opportunity of having him sedated and gave him the full lion cut.  Currently he’s in a cage while his mouth heals, so by the time he returns to his own pen, he should have a little protective fuzz.

Come in and pet me - I'm bored!  - DW

There are one or two others with clumps of fur that may need a bit of attention – though we hope not the full works – but for the time being, we’re all busy with combs, furminators, grooming gloves and the like, to keep ahead of the summer mats.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Debbie Wolinski, Michele Wright

Twin by Name

The two Lincolns share a shelf - DW

When we welcome newcomers to the Sanctuary, various things come into play with naming them.  If we know nothing of the cat in question, it’s usually up to the med staff to choose a name – preferably one that’s not already used, and one that begins with an alphabet letter that’s not too well populated.  The cat may be named after someone responsible for catching it (like Zimmer) or if it found its own way to us, it is given the name of a TV detective (Magnum, Kojak, Cagney, Watson...)

Sophia (top) & Sophie (bottom) - BC

But if it comes in to us with a name in place already, we try not to change that – we don’t know how much cats recognize their own names (though they certainly recognize voices). And so, inevitably, we have a few naming duplicates.

Orange & tabby Hannahs - MW

Our two Hannahs both live in the back courtyard.  Neither shows much interest in the other; tabby Hannah prefers people to other cats – vice versa for orange Hannah

Tabby & b/w Lucys - PH

Both our Lucy-cats are ladies of solid proportion, and again, both are back courtyard cats. Tabby Lucy would rather stay in the warmth of the laundry- or tea-room, unless the sun is out, in which case she sunbathes happily; black-and-white Lucy is usually found somewhere round the entrance gate

Cinnamon Bun Lincoln is less elegant and pushier than his long-haired "twin" - MW

The two Lincolns are Double-wide cats who occasionally visit in the back courtyard; both love human attention.  Handsome Lincoln can usually be found posing on one of the DW shelves;  Cinnamon Bun Lincoln (named for his curled tail) can be pushy when it comes to getting human attention, and is occasionally known to make his pee-mark!

Sophie/Sophie/Sophia - MW

 We have several Sophies: there’s tubby Sophie in Pen 2, who’s ready to greet all visitors; tortie Sophie in the Single-Wide; sweet Sophie of the beautiful green eyes in the Moore House – and there’s Sophia, also in the Moore House.

Calista - front (MW) - and back (BC)

Calista is not the most common name – but we have two of them, and they’re both shy. Front courtyard Calista is Renee’s sister; she has her favourite people, but tends to stay out of the way when there are too many visitors around. Back courtyard Calista is still pretty feral, but volunteer Marty has been working with her, and she’s allowing feeding, and (finally) a little petting.

WobblyBob (BC) & BellyRub Bobby (MW)

At one stage we had four or five Bobbys – the only ones now are Belly-Rub Bobby in the front courtyard, who loves everyone (but especially volunteer Chris) and Wobbly Bob in the back, who really only loves people when they have chicken in hand!

Mary SW (MW) & DW (CF)

Mary in the SingleWide is a sweetie; a former feral who has lost her shyness and enjoys attention. Her namesake in the DoubleWide is still very feral, and prefers to stay hidden up on the cage-tops.

MadMax & New Aids Max - MW

Mad Max, also in the DoubleWide, is something of a misnamed boy – neither mad-angry, or mad-crazy; Max is very shy, and wary of humans unless they have something worth hanging around for – he’s another chick-aholic. Beautiful orange/white Max in New Aids is something of a newcomers, and has not had his Neko-profile done yet – watch this space!

Princess with BFF Spike (DW) / manx Princess (MM)

I guess Princess is a fairly common name for female cats. Our royal trio in the Sanctuary includes the beautiful girl who is Spike‘s BFF and hangs about near the med cage, the little black and white manx in the Moore House – less beautiful but entirely lovable – and the elegant Princess Diva, who is the cat who walks by herself in the back courtyard.

Her Highness, Princess Diva - MW

Repeated names -  but all very individual personalities – there’s no confusing one of these cats with his/her “twin”!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Claire Fossey, Phaedra Hardman, 

Marianne Moore, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Update from Pen 6

Last summer I introduced a group of cats who had come in to us and had taken up residence in Pen 6. There has been quite a bit of in-and-out from that pen, and I thought readers might like an update.
The two big black girls, Cookie and Carla, came out of the pen. Crabby Carla was making everyone else’s life miserable, and it was hoped that we might be able to get their weight under control.  They were caged together for a while and then released. Sister-love did not prove a dominating force, and the two split up. Carla has established herself on the double-wide deck with the semi-ferals there; she continues as crabby as ever.

Cookie - MW

Cookie can usually be found in the volunteer tea-room, and appreciates human attention. Both are still large – it’s very difficult to restrict food in the Sanctuary set-up, and we rely mostly on getting large cats moving a bit more. Carla apparently likes to play, so volunteers are encouraged to use wand-toys with her.

Laredo - BC

Old Tana passed in the fall., but in happier news, a few of the original inhabitants have been adopted: Mrs Trotzki, Doodlebug and Rebecca have all got their own homes now, and we couldn’t be happier for them!   We were told that Rebecca and Laredo were a bonded pair, but saw no sign of it, and she was such a sociable people-cat that splitting them up wasn’t hard. Laredo is cautiously friendly with people, but is also known to swat occasionally, and he seems to have settled in with the rest of the Pen 6 inhabitants.

Sophia - MW

Grey and white Sophia went to the Shelter too, but had health problems, which have taken a while to deal with; medical attention has not left her happy to receive other attention, and she does not welcome the prospect of a good grooming, which she needs! She’s now living in the Moore House with the oldies!

Blue - MW

Still with us are Blue, Simba and PawPaw. Blue is not sociable with the other cats, but enjoys human attention on his own terms. He likes to be above and behind me when I am sitting with one of the other cats in my lap,  and he plays in my hair. He’s a lap-cat in a limited way; you can have him on your lap, but don’t touch too much!

PawPaw - MW

Simba - MW

Simba continues to be a greeter and a lover; he adores attention, except for the grooming kind, which, like Sophia, he needs. Some cats just matt very easily, and I suspect Simba may be sporting a lion cut when the weather warms,  Sweet PawPaw proved to be diabetic; now we have his insulin under control he is no longer looking so fragile.

Faith - BC

Other cats from the same source have joined them; they include white Faith, who tends to be the cat who walks by herself – for the first few months of her time with us she preferred to live in one of the outside kennels rather than mingle with the other cats. The cold weather has driven her in, and she’s tolerating them now.  Crackers is a calico, but one with a lot of black in her fur patterning, and cautiously friendly. The two tuxedos are handsome Troy, and the rather older and less glamorous (but very cuddly) Mabel.

Crackers - MW

Troy & Mabel - MW

All these cats came to us from a private shelter which is now closing down, and another six of them have just arrived at the Sanctuary, with the promise of at least a dozen more to come. We’ll be working to make more space for incoming cats – and more space to introduce them in the Neko Blog

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Michele Wright

January 2018 - Crackers, Troy and Mabel all went for adoption in the past year and are happily settled in their fur-ever homes. We were saddened to lose Laredo suddenly and unepectedly