Three Little Maids

Betsy, Zoey, Cleo  (BC)

Although we continue to get single cats arriving into our care, we are one of the few rescues around that can take in a group of cats together. Many of the small rescues doing excellent work around the province know that when they are unable to find fostering or adopting for ferals, or they have a full clowder to accommodate, they can call us and we will do our best. The Pen 3 group from Alberta, the Kamloops cats who have largely migrated out of Pen 6, the still-scared colony from Cranbrook College – these are all cats who have come in as ferals, and are gradually adjusting to life around humans. Some are socializing well, others would rather stay out of reach – and our setup makes that possible for as long as the cats need it.

SweetPea and Owen - happily adopted to their own homes now  (LBF)

In 2022 we took in a dozen ferals whose colony caretaker had passed. They were an unusual colony,  we were told they were ragdolls, but seemed to have much more Himalayan or Siamese in appearance. A classic Ragdoll is a large cat, usually with big blue eyes, very human-orientated, and with a fine, non-matting coat. Many of these cats were small, they had never been socialized and feared humans, and matting was definitely a problem!  Only two of them reached the point of being easily handled, and both SweetPea and Owen were adopted last year.  The others remain very wary and avoid physical contact; because they don’t allow grooming, the necessary de-matting is a matter of shaving the worst knots out under gentle sedation. 

Skye, the fourth (and shyest) little maid  (LBF)

The smallest members of this group of cats all have a sealpoint colouring, and I think of them as the Three Little Maids (for those who know their Gilbert & Sullivan operettas) despite the fact that there are actually four of them. The fourth is Skye, with a slightly mottled facial pattern and a head-tilt from a bout of vestibular disease, and she joins the larger cats in preferring to hide away from human contact.

Big-eyed Betsy   (BC)

The other three are hovering in the space between wanting attention, and still being wary. Betsy (I call her Bitsy-Betsy) is a tiny girl with enormous eyes. To be accurate, it’s the pupils that are enormous, and there may be a sight problem in Betsy’s future. Pupil dilation is normal in cats when the light is dim, or sometimes when a cat is stressed. But it’s also a sign of progressive retinal atrophy, and can lead to blindness. Currently Betsy shows no signs of visual problems; she escorts me around my Friday morning back courtyard cleaning – and it’s not just following me: she leads the way, so that I have to be careful not to trip over her. 

Betsy  (BB)

She was one of the earliest cats this summer to have her mats shaved out, and the skinny little body underneath the fur reinforced just how ragdoll-like she wasn’t!  Luckily, the med-staff who shaved her were able to keep enough fur to allow for a comb-over so she didn’t appear totally naked. She’s not really comfortable with touch, but will allow the odd brief stroke as long as she doesn’t see the hand approaching.

Zoey's regal pose is offset by the crossed eyes  (KN)

Her usual companion is her sister Zoey.  You have to be looking at Zoey from the front to distinguish her from sister 3, Cleo;  Zoey has the classic Siamese cat crossed eyes squint, called Strabismus, in which the retinas are misaligned. 

Zoey and her garden-buddy  (BC)

She is the only one of the three to allow petting; she doesn’t actually solicit it, but she will sometimes come and sit within reach, and when I reach for her, the bum goes up in happy anticipation. A couple of times I have been able to scoop her into my lap, where she remained happily for some fussing.

Cleo watching warily from a distance  (KN)

Cleo and Zoey look identical from the back – or at least, they did till a couple of weeks ago, when Cleo had her visit at the Sanctuary Salon, and had her back mats shaved. Now I can do a quick ID – at least, until the fur grows back!

A little more relaxed - specially with food on offer  (BC)

These three girls have joined the chicken crowd that gathers round when I bring out a baggie of tidbits. They don’t beg and fuss, like Calvin or Pumpkin – they just sit there and give me the eye. Unfortunately, they’re a little too ladylike to grab, and when they wait a moment to pick up the offered treat, someone else is likely to get it first. They won’t accept it from my hand yet, so I need really good aim to toss the tidbit right at their feet;  at that point all of them are capable of giving Pumpkin The Look that says, “Mine!”, and he backs off.

Zoey  (BB)

I don’t think these three are going to be the sort of cuddle-bugs that Owen turned into – but patience and persistence (and treats) will have them being more comfortable with us.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brit Burant, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson

Owen

Owen  (KN)

Of the little colony of cats who came in from the Kootenays last year, the majority remain shy and wary of much contact with us, though most of them no longer confine themselves to Pen 8, which was their first home here. Just two of them really embraced Sanctuary life:  little SweetPea built on the socialization she had from foster-mom Kati, and showed herself willing to be petted and cuddled;  it wasn’t long before she was adopted. (Her sister Curious is still not happy about much in the way of human contact.)

Owen  (LBF)

Handsome Owen has always been the most outgoing of the remainder of the colony. Though he enjoys his cats-only bonding time with Basil and Percival Snugglebutt, he has embraced his inner Ragdoll and loves lap-time and treats with staff and volunteers.  

Hanging out with Percival Snugglebutt  (LBF)

When the Kootenays cats first came to us, we were told they were Ragdolls. In fact, we rarely have purebred cats of any sort at the Sanctuary – most of our cats are mixed-breed, and many have come to us as a result of not being spayed/neutered, so we never know quite what genetics are in play. In appearance, Owen, and many of the others, have a more Himalayan appearance – paler long-haired body, dark face and legs – but without the smooshed-in face of the purebred Himalayan. Owen steps outside the norm with snowshoe paws, and his body-coat is darker than the classic Siamese/Himalayan shading.

Owen with shy Bailey  (LBF)

Owen’s not the largest of the group – that’s probably shy Basil’s role – and none of them are really at Ragdoll size, though cats from feral beginnings are often smaller because of early malnourishment. But Owen obviously likes people; he asks to come up on a lap, is easily handled and loves his treats and fussing.  

Independent and confident  (BC)

He has now joined the ranks of the “bandana cats” wearing an identifying scarf on visiting days, and we would love to see him adopted to someone who recognizes his cat-colony background and who can give him time to settle into new surroundings with a family to love him.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

He did it!  Owen was adopted by Mel & Scott, who also have Bagheera, Aphrodite (Dottte) and Scooter in their new Alberta home. Happy new life to you all!

Lynx-point Lovelies

Curious & SweetPea  (LBF)

 A new clowder of cats came to us from the Kootenays last year, and were introduced to the blog in November.  This spring, the gate to Pen 8 was opened, and many of them emerged quite confidently.  One or two shy ones prefer to remain in known territory, but the others have made themselves at home in the back courtyard, and are frequently found exploring towards the eastern side of the Sanctuary.

Big Daddy (Percival) and SweetPea  (LBF)

The majority of the cats have the characteristic sealpoint colouring of the Himalayan breed, though there are no doubt other strains in their genetics. Blond Percival Snugglebut is also known as Big Daddy, and was likely responsible for some of the kittens who have now been adopted.  The two pregnant mamas who arrived were the two little lynx-point girls – very similar in appearance.  SweetPea is the more confident of the two and her eyes are blue, while Curious’s eyes are more yellow. 

Curious, aka "Furious"  (KN)

What would RAPS do without volunteer fosterer Kati? So many cats and kittens have passed through her loving care, and many would probably not have survived without her expertise. Whether the mama is feral or tame, Kati gives them a safe place for birthing and assists with extra feeding when needed. She has probably shed much blood in the process; feral mamas can get pretty annoyed when babies need to be removed for weighing and checking.  The kittens are always the priority for Kati; she is an important part of the socialization process before they go to the Adoption Centre.

SweetPea (LBF)

SweetPea and her five kittens arrived first, at the beginning of July but all the family were small and dehydrated - SweetPea ended up going back to the RAPS hospital for emergency surgery, while Kati bottle-fed the babies until they were weaned, and could finally go to the Adoption Centre. Curious had her kittens in Kati's care, and similarly, they struggled; only three of the five survived. Neither of our lynx-point girls was very keen about this fostering period, but of the two, SweetPea became the most reconciled to some degree of handling. Curious, Kati says, was “a horror show!”, being a very scared and feral girl.  I assume that more of Kati's blood was shed! When the kittens graduated to the Adoption Centre in September (SweetPea's litter was the "I" litter, and Curious had the "J" litter) the two young mamas were brought to the Sanctuary and obviously derived much comfort from being around their friends again.

(Seriously) Curious, and SweetPea  (LBF)

Fast forward to these late spring days, and both SweetPea and Curious are out and about, exploring, getting to know other cats, and finding that humans are, after all, not so bad as all that.  Curious remains reticent – she’s not aggressive, but she’d rather not be touched just now, thank you very much. SweetPea, on the other hand, is obviously remembering Kati’s care, and allowing other people to get close to her; she allows herself to be petted, to enjoy some lap-time, and with staff member Lisa, some real cuddles.

Sleepytime for SweetPea - LBF

The Kootenay cats are, like the Kamloops ones in Pen 6, a very cat-social bunch. For people who look at cats as being solitary and independent, watching the bonds among these clowders is heartwarming.  Yes, we have a number of cats at the Sanctuary who don’t like other felines – and quite often that dislike is a reason for them being here. But for this little family, it’s unlikely that we would ever split them up, and if that were ever to happen, potential adoptees would need to be adopted with one of the other family members to give them comfort.

Happy snuggles - Percival, Owen, Basil & SweetPea  (LBF)

Happy news!  SweetPea has been adopted!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen and Karen Nicholson

Finding Sanctuary

Percival & Owen  (LBF)

We are getting to know the Pen 8 newcomers, and vice versa – they are getting to know us in turn, and learning that life is not really as scary as they had thought when they arrived.

Cleo & SweetPea  (LBF)

This little clowder of 12 cats came to us all the way from the Kootenays.  They had lived semi-feral, and when their caretaker died, the local shelter knew that they would be too much to manage, and reached out to us. Some of them are touchable, but most still shy away from contact.

Owen & Bailey (LBF)

When they first came to us, they were caged in ones and twos to allow them to decompress after a stressful journey, and to give us time to make medical and behavioural assessments. We were told they were ragdolls, but they don’t have the characteristic inverted V on the face; there’s more Himalayan or Balinese in their appearance. 

Percival Snugglebutt   (KN)

Three males are at the heart of this little colony.  Handsome blond Percival Snugglebutt is also known as Big Daddy, and is responsible for some of the kittens that have gone to the Adoption Centre. He is tailless – not Manx breed, but one of those cats that just have the genetic mutation for no tail - in fact, some of his offspring are also tailless.

Owen  (BC)

Owen has settled well, and is starting to allow contact. He hangs out with Percival quite happily, but can mostly be found among all his darker girlfriends. He is easily distinguished by the little blaze on his face. He is playful and food-motivated.

Basil   (BC)

Basil is paler in colour and his blaze is more prominent. He’s a little warier than Owen and not as easily coaxed by food offerings.

Betsy   (BC)

Learning who’s who among the girls is almost as hard as distinguishing among the courtyard black cats.  Most of them have the characteristic dark face and dark stockings of a Himalayan. They tend to stay together by preference; a visitor entering the pen is often greeted by the scurrying of little sealpoint shapes.

Skye  (LBF)

Betsy, Cleo, Zoey and Skye have the classic sealpoint markings.

Bailey  (KN)

Bailey is both larger and paler – bluepoint rather than sealpoint.  She seems to prefer to hang out at the back with Basil. Myrtle is also bluepoint, but is currently under care for dental problems. The other cat missing from the photos is Kali, a very shy calico who is rarely seen.

Sweetpea & Curious  (LBF)

The smallest (and probably the youngest) two are both lynx-point – gold-eyed Curious and the longer-haired blue-eyed SweetPea.  Both arrived pregnant and had their babies in fosterage. At least some of the kittens were sired by Percival (we can tell from the missing tails), but there may be more than one father involved in creating a litter. These two have had home-care and are more comfortable with being handled than the others.

Owen, Zoey, Betsy (and Curious hiding at the back)  (KN)

The Kootenay rescuers did valiant work in keeping this colony together, and getting them to us, where they can be safe. It’s rare that “breed” cats like this come into our care, but having lived feral for so long, it is likely that the Sanctuary will be their home for the rest of their lives.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson