Hill House Haven

Handsome Mango  (MW)

It was just the way my Kitty Comforter shift worked out last week – I ended up spending a lot more time in the Hill House than I usually do, and renewed all sorts of friendships with cats who were choosing a cosy corner on a not-very-nice day.

Inside the Hill House  (BC)

The Hill House is the Front Courtyard cabin that lies between the Val Jones pen and the Old Rabbit Area (ORA), both of which I’ve written about before. It gets its name from cat-lover Stanley Hill, whose family made its refurbishing possible as a memorial, and he would have loved the bunch of cats who were making themselves at home in it when I visited.

Solar, sitting by the ORA window   (MW)

As I wrote last week, many cats are territorial – they like to be in a familiar space, and can sometimes be a little hissy when a feline stranger intrudes. The Hill House is actually a space in which intrusions are frequent, and most of the residents shrug them off. The covered courtyard known as the Old Rabbit Area has many very shy residents, and the permanently open window between the two areas makes it possible for the ferals to venture out into a safe space with (mostly) friendly cats. 

Tamale, who lives mostly in the ORA  (LBF)

While I was there, handsome Tamale ventured through the window, and though he clearly didn’t want physical contact, he was ready to let me talk to him, and to see that there were tidbits on offer, when he felt brave enough.  We think Tamale may be the brother of short-haired tuxedo Boston in New Aids; Boston accepts belly rubs now, and thinks humans are a Good Thing, when they approach gently.

Kia's look clearly says "Leave me alone!"  (BC)

Many of the Hill House regular residents, are exactly that - regular: this is where to go to find grey Solar or friendly Kahlua.  Kia will be found in her open cage – this grumpy girl was not happy about coming into our care, and she is one of the cats that has claimed her cage, refusing to move.  The two big Hill House cages are prime real estate because of their size, and it may well be that she has to be evicted to make room for a pair of cats who need to room together (Benjamin and Olivia once had this cage), in which case she will be forced to find another corner in which to indulge her Garbo-cat tendencies. Kia doesn’t encourage either feline or human sociability; minimal petting is tolerated, and then you can see her planning where to deliver the go-away smack.

TicTac with her boyfriend Mozart   (BC)

At the other end of the spectrum I could also find Mozart and TicTac cuddled together in a very small bed.  Handsome Mozart is one of a group we called The Teens; cats who came to us past the easy socializing stage, and who have taken their own sweet time about making human friends. Pretty Pistachio from that group got adopted, but Benny, Leo, and Caleb are still with us. Mozart’s striking looks always draw attention, but he’s actually pretty shy around people, and the Hill House is his favourite hideout.  TicTac came to us from the Adoption Centre last year as one of the cats with cage aggression, who was not showing well to potential adopters.  Once out of her cage and in the company of other cats she calmed down – and all the more so when she met Mozart, who she adores. He tolerates her attention and consents to share his bed, but I think the relationship is a little one-sided.

Sam - as content as he can be, surrounded by other cats  (BC)

I am interested in the fact that Sam also chooses to make the Hill House his base.  Most of us love Sam – but warily;  Sam desperately needs a cat-savvy human who is prepared to have Sam be a one-and-only, and he is incapable of demonstrating that to a visitor without getting distracted by other cats – at which point (much of the time) he gets really reactive.  Sam has never recovered from losing his owner, and he does NOT like this place – but most cat-savvy people already have cats. Still, Sam chooses to claim a corner of the Hill House, and as long as other felines don’t get too close, he enjoys the warmth and the proximity to treats.

Pretty Speckle  (MW)

Lots of beds and shelves mean that this is a popular place for sleeping, snuggles and socializing.  Speckle can almost always be coaxed off the trolley shelves to accept tidbits and treats. She has really blossomed from the wary girl she used to be when she first arrived.

Jenny - wary, but interested  (BC)

The big table on the left hides the litter boxes, but also provides a surface for cats who prefer to hide on the higher shelving, and occasionally venture down to try a little flirting with a human visitor.  Newcomer Jenny has joined the many black cats in the front courtyard;  it’s nice to have her be so identifiable by her white markings, and even nicer to see her starting to accept attention from us.

Toes - taking shelter in the porch area   (BC)

Even on the way out, there are cats who prefer the shelter of the porch to the more open courtyard. Tortie Toes and newcomer Frank had both decided that they would opt for cover;  Toes is often in the Yellow Shed when not sitting on the box-pile, but was happy to have a little attention from her corner in the Hill House porch; newbieFrank is still working out which corner he will claim as home, and I hope he will eventually come inside and join the Hill House Club.

Frank likes to tuck himself away in a box   (BC)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult & Michele Wright

Aggression? or Fear?

Junji - named for Junji Ito, manga horror artist! - (KN)

We’ve recently had a few cats come into the Sanctuary with a reputation for being somewhat spicy. 

The latest has been striking-looking Junji, who was transferred from the Adoption Centre when it became obvious that he was not going to make a good impression on potential adopters.  I was in the DoubleWide when he was brought across to the Sanctuary, and put in one of the large cages there. There was a great deal of feline bad language from him, and inevitably all the local big boys had to come and inspect the exterior of his cage, which probably raised his blood-pressure! 

Junji still caged and a little edgy    (BC)

The following day I visited, and with a certain amount of trepidation, went in to introduce myself to Junji. He was much calmer than I’d anticipated, allowed petting, hopped down to the floor via my knee and returned to his shelf without either bad language or bad behaviour. He was obviously happier now he had space to move, and less sense of confinement.  As the days passed, it was apparent that he was quite accepting of his surroundings, and once his vaccines had taken effect, Junji was released.

Junji the explorer  (KN)

Initially he roamed the building quite happily, avoiding the alpha cats, but exploring every inch he could reach. Within a day or two he was out in the courtyard and investigating with enthusiasm – although we put a collar on him, he has shown no aggression to humans, and only when challenged, to other felines.

Lounging happily (with a suspicious Celeste)   (KN)

Junji shows us an example of cage aggression, which is no big deal in RAPS, but which can spell a death sentence to a cat in a kill shelter. 

Bill the junkyard cat was not a happy (caged) camper 
in his early days with us    (BH)

We try to use cages sparingly. In the Sanctuary they are used when new cats arrive, to allow time for vaccines to take hold, for the cat to accept a new place, for them to get used to humans being around – and then we open the cage and let them make the decisions about living indoors or outdoors, openly or in hiding. Cages are also used when a cat needs medical treatment or restricted movement, or when it is one of several feral black cats who won’t easily be accessible for medication.   Most of our cages are large ones, allowing a scared cat to retreat right to the back. Several are 6-foot high, allowing visiting humans to sit with that scared cat. 

Honey, fresh out of her cage   (KN)

In the Adoption Centre the cages are smaller, but most of the cats are already people-social and adoption-ready. The stressor there seems to be that though the cats can have their time at large in the main room, they keep having to be returned to their cage. This was very much Junji’s problem. Another cat now in the Front Courtyard has a similar background – Honey was very reactive in the cage, and inclined to slap her visitors, but since being released and able to explore the area, she has proved to be a sweetheart, and has earned her “adoptable” bandana with her affectionate behaviour with visitors.

Honey flirting with all the weekend visitors   (KN)

Scared cats seem to have two main ways of dealing with their fear – they shrink into the smallest possible space and try not to be seen, or they decide that attack is the best defence, and make themselves as fearsome as possible. In a shelter where they may not have any option other than a cage, cats like this will be passed over for adoption in favour of a “nicer” cat, and if space is at a premium, they may not be given time to adapt. We are so fortunate that the Adoption Centre and the Sanctuary can work together in this way, and that cats like Junji and Honey have space and time to find themselves without feeling constantly fearful.

Lunette was sometimes known as "lunatic" in her early days with us.
She's a sweet girl now  (JS)

Thinking back, a lot of our cats have suffered from this cage aggression. I’m not talking about straight aggression – cats like Sophie and Parker and Gizmo have always been reactive and angry, regardless of whether they’re in a cage or not. But sweet cats like Lindor are remembered for their former cage attacks on unsuspecting staff and volunteers (several of them had warning signs on their cages) and now he looks for pets (and food) from just about everyone. 

Lindor the former cage slasher is now a love-bug   (KN)

Looking back at other blogs: Tyson, BB, Lunette, Bill, our beloved Leonardo diCatprio (RIP), and as yet unblogged cats like TicTac and Eddie – they are all cats who, in standard shelter conditions would probably be passed over and/or avoided altogether. Fear and anger came together – as they do with humans shut into cages! - and few shelters have the time and space to remedy the situation. Coming to the Sanctuary gave them time to adjust to more space, to quiet humans who were ready to allow them to work at their own pace, and finally, to explore a safe version of an uncaged world.

Eddie regularly attacked visitors to his cage
 - and then he walked out, and relaxed with everybody!  (KN)

It was routine, with Kitty Comforter visits to Eddie, that you would shed some blood – but when the door opened, it was a new, calmer Eddie that walked out into the Front Courtyard and made himself at home with us. 

It’s lovely to see it happening again with Junji and Honey. 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Brielle Hutchison, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint