News of the Newts

Anjou - white with pale markings, like so many of the Newts  (KN)

Visitors to the Sanctuary – and in particular, to the back courtyard – have learned that the only pens open to cats and humans alike are the left-hand ones: Pens 1, 2 and 3. Most of those visitors are very understanding of the need to give the cats some safe space without strangers to frighten them. They accept that most of the feral cats in Pen 4 will remain totally hidden during visiting hours (oh, we miss Ranger!), and that the cats who live in Pen 8 (from a Victoria hoarding situation) are still very wary. They enjoy coaxing the semi-ferals with medical issues to the gate of Pen 7 for treats. Pen 6 is currently empty, but will soon be reassigned.  The pen that fascinates many of them is Pen 5, currently housing “the Newts”.

Muskrat (began as Muscat) likes to climb!  (KN)

These sweet cats came to us early last year, rescued from a bad hoarding situation in Newton (hence the nickname). I blogged about them last spring, when they were living in Pen 6. Our original hope was that they would become more used to us and to safe living, that some of them would prove to be adoptable, and that they could be assimilated into the general population. What we have discovered is that their upbringing has left them more fragile than we would like, and that in all likelihood, that they are immune-compromised to various degrees.

Handsome Chicago is the darkest, and the only tabby  (KN)

Sadly, their bathroom habits are pretty messy – not having learned about litter-box use in their kittenhood, they just poop anywhere. They have lots of litterboxes to choose from, but their pen needs regular patrolling (one of the less exciting part of volunteering at a cat sanctuary!). And judging from occasional offerings, there are a few of them who have gut issues – handsome tabby Chicago is currently caged and on a limited diet. 

Yarlington & Mutsu - also known as Thing 1 and Thing 2  (KN)

Last fall they began a round of upper respiratory infections (URIs), and of course, like any good family, they shared them around – no sooner did we get one cat caged, treated and returned, than another would have to be treated – and then the first cat would get another variant of whatever was going on.

Merlot's torby colouring makes her easy to recognize  (KN)

In any sanctuary, URIs are going to be inevitable, but by winter we had all the Newts in cages – some in twos and threes – monitoring their health and tracking what medication was working for them. In the meantime, their Pen 6 was scrubbed out and sanitized, hoping to get rid of all the germs from snotty noses.  Pen 6 had never been considered as a long-term home for them, but it was apparent that most of these cats were unlikely ever to be adoptable, between their bathroom habits and their health issues. Pen 5, next door, had been an open pen for years. It was initially known as Packers Pen, for the feral cats who came to us when Steveston Packers closed, then as the Five Road pen, for the influx of felines from an overflowing 5 Rd City Shelter (back when RAPS ran it), then just as Pen 5, taken over by a group of the Kamloops cats, with a number of ferals occupying the back reaches.

Sungold - from the very dark to the very pale  (KN)

Cleaning that out was a big job, but it gave us a good area to place this group of recovering invalids, and it gave them space to keep their distance if they chose, or to have room to play and interact with staff and volunteers. They have done well with this resettling;  there are still some issues, but as we get to know them better, med staff are more able to identify and isolate as needed. Many of them still show the scars of their origins: the bleach burns, the neurological issues that affect their back-end movement, and the fragility that has taken some of them away from us. But they love it when someone comes and plays with a wand toy, and there are several who are fast on their feet, and quick to catch the feather target with athletic leaps.

Kyoho is one of the most affectionate cats  (JS)

Currently we are treating them as if they are all immune-compromised, sanitizing before we go in to them as we do with the FIV cats. We may eventually allow limited numbers of visitors in under careful supervision, but for now they look on longingly as the younger cats outside have their fill of wand play as well. We try to watch out for visitors who want to reach through to them, or to poke a wand toy through the mesh, but the requests for care frequently lead to good discussions about the reasons for the rules, and increased interest among those watching.

Tobiko shows the Newts how to play;  when they
get the wand, he's the one outside the pen, looking in (JS)

With the removal of Chicago to a cage, the shoal of white and orange cats becomes harder and harder to identify as individuals. They definitely have their favourites – Sean, who cleans their pen on a Friday, generates a lot of interest; Selena will often come in and wand-play during visitor hours, much to their delight; Justin will do the same both in and out of their pen for their entertainment; most of the Kitty Comforters make regular visits. But they are unlikely to be able to join the general population, for their health’s sake, and we will do our best to enrich their lives as much as we can.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Karen Nicholson and Justin Saint