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

A Gentle Tortie

 

Chelsea  (MW)

We sometimes label people as having “attitude”, which, for felines of course translates as “cattitude”. “Tortitude” is often affectionately attributed to a cat with a tortoiseshell or calico coat who displays extreme attitude. Torties are characterized as feisty, strong-willed furry-coated divas – and we’ve had our share of them at the Sanctuary. 

KitKat's morning yoga   (KN)

Our beloved KitKat, who has just passed, was very much the queen of the front courtyard; in the DoubleWide you will inevitably encounter Lunette (dubbed “lunatic” in her early days) and in the back courtyard, most of the cats know to stay out of the way of pretty, feisty Princess.  Long-term volunteers will have memories of Emily and Treacle, and many others who displayed various degrees of tortitude.

Toes  (MW)

But like many characterizations, it’s a fallacy. Sisters Blaze and Toes are sweet girls with not an ounce of sass, and the same can be said for little Chelsea.

Chelsea has a box all to herself   (GA)

Chelsea is another of the cats who came to us from Sammy’s Forgotten Felines, in Kamloops; she arrived in the summer of 2021. We heard that she had been sharing space with some leukemia-positive cats, but testing showed her to be clear, and it was decided to release her into the front courtyard. She came to us because she had been labelled as a feral, but her timidity felt more like shyness than fear, and over her time with us, she has become increasingly outgoing, approaching to ask for petting and coming for lap-time.

Courtyard play  (KN)

She bases herself around the Hill House, though she roams the front courtyard freely.  Physically she reminds me very much of our beloved Daisy, but without the chromosomal abnormalities – she’s small, with a shorthaired dense coat. Like so many other torties, she has golden eyes which “pop” against her dark colouring.  She tends to be a loner – she doesn’t socialize much with the other cats, but neither does she show any aggression to them; she doesn’t display any territoriality (unlike her Hill House predecessor, Treacle!). 

Pet me, please   (MD)

She prefers to be above floor level when asking for attention, and will “play cute” on the shelf to ask for pets; in the courtyard she can often be found on the ledges around the trees, and though not one for athletic leaping, like Melon and Honeydew, she enjoys some wand play if there aren’t too many cats around.

Catnip bliss   (KN)

We’ll be watching her this spring when we open to visitors again, and hope that her sociability extends to strangers; right now it’s probably too soon to think about finding her a home, but if the right person fell in love with her...

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Graham Akira, Melanie Draper, Karen Nicholson, Michelle Wright

Feeeeet!

Freya's feet   (MW)

 If you are reading this blog, you are probably one of the many people who uses social media to indulge in your feline addiction.
We post pictures of our own cats, our friends’ cats, cat-memes, famous cats like Cole & Marmalade or Maru.  If we are lucky enough to be associated with a shelter or a cat sanctuary, our cell-phones are loaded with images. Kittens and seniors, feel-good stories and sad tales of abandonment, all touch our emotions. 
And one of the never-fail images is of FEET.

Bentley paw over nose  (KN)

Paws, to be exact.  Poofy paws, usually, with claws discreetly hidden.  Poofy on the top, and with a variety of patterned toe-beans below.

Claws are useful for Plum to grab a treat  (KN)

Human feet are definitely not so interesting. Nobody wants to look at pictures of cattle or horses’ feet – impressive though they may be. Dogs – well, perhaps some of them.  But cats’ feet almost always get an “Awww” response.

Jasper demonstrates the pile of paws pose  (KN)

Cats are DIGITIGRADE – meaning they walk on their toes. This is why it is so cruel to declaw a cat – you’re taking away the top joint of the toe, and everything is more uncomfortable without it.  Many declawed cats will end up in a shelter or a sanctuary because they hate to use a litter-box – it hurts their feet. And many will lose muscle tone because they don’t like to move around so much, and are unable to give their muscles a real workout without digging their claws into something.

Akiva has no claws - but he still needs to clean between his toes  (KN)

On a hot day, they can often be found with pads exposed – when you have a fur coat, paws may be the only place you can cool off by sweating.

Lindor cooling off, with all paws exposed  (MW)

Cats use their paws for much more than just walking. They climb (sometimes having to return backwards down a tree); they dig (with luck, mostly in the litter-box), they leave scent markings for other cats to decode, they fight other cats (especially Jasper and Gizmo), they swat unwary humans, they wash up with velvet paws, and then extend their toes so they can clean between them.

Mr Binx clean-up time  (KN)

Our Sanctuary cats give us a wonderful collection of feet to admire

Alexandria is one of our very active cats, and her flexible paws are often used for climbing.

Alexandria offers the Vulcan salute  (KN)

Jackie-O is also a climber, possibly made easier by an extra “thumb” on her front paws

Jackie O's paw  (KN)

Extra thumbs help to hang on   (MW)

We have several polydactyl cats at the Sanctuary. Raymond in Val Jones, Christina Aguilera in the Front Courtyard, and NikkiSixxToes in the Single-Wide all have more than their share of toes.

NikkiSixxToes could also be called Bigfoot   (KN)

A glass table-top in Pen 3 is an irresistible tool for getting feet pictures from another angle

The models on top  (LBF)

paws from below  (LBF)

This dark tortie girl was named for her blond toes!

Toes  (EW)

Sometimes we call them “murder mittens” – but often when you see them like this, the cat is usually asking for attention

Kiefer's velvet paws reaching through from the Single-Wide (KN)

Winston says "Reach out and touch me!" (KN)

And of course, there is nothing we like better than to have a purring pile of fur in the lap, and the sensation of being kneaded gently as the paws show how much we are loved!

Roe loves a lap!  (JS)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill Friesen, Brigid Coult, 

Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint, Erica Warren, Michele Wright

A Trio of Torties

For a good while now, the front courtyard has been home to just one tortoiseshell cat – Treacle, who mostly lives in the Hill House, and is beginning to show her age. Suddenly this winter, we seem to have torties everywhere we look.  In fact, there are only three newcomers in the front, but they have made their presence very evident.

KitKat - MW

KitKat came to us in the fall when the Sanctuary was a temporary home to some of the shelter cats while their regular home was undergoing remediation and renovation. She had been surrendered by her family for peeing – probably in a stress situation – and then at the Five Road Shelter she showed herself to be friendly enough, but was obviously stressed by the number of other cats, and, as so many of them do, expressed her feelings once again with her pee. When the time came to return her to the Shelter it was decided that the space we could offer her would be altogether preferable, though she would not be so obviously an adoption candidate.

KitKat - BC

A short period of being penned was followed by a front courtyard release, and a successful one – KitKat has made herself very much at home. Like many other torties, she’s not a big fan of other cats, but she mostly ignores them, preferring the company of humans, especially if they allow her to climb on their shoulders.  We think that this friendly girl might make a good candidate for the adoption list, especially if she goes to a home where she is the one-and-only, and is unstressed by other four-legged company.

KitKat loves shoulder-climbing - DW

Blaze and Toes came to us together from another rescue in the Interior of BC. The siblings had been trapped as young ferals with a group of cats, and were recognized as a bonded pair. As many of our visitors know, ferals can turn the corner and become very friendly. Blaze made the jump, but Toes never really did, preferring to steer clear of humans. Their family finally returned them to the original rescue, who were unable to find somewhere the two of them could be together. We have occasionally taken in cats from this rescue (most recently in a tragic situation with a hoarder who died) and it was felt that this pair might have a chance of settling with us.

Blaze - MW

After a short stay in the big cage in the Hill House, the two were released, and very quickly made themselves at home. Blaze takes her name from the marking on her face – less defined than KitKat’s very clear stripe.

Blaze - BC

Toes is darker, but as her name implies, her blond toes quickly identify her. Both are most active (and interactive with humans) in the evening at feeding time; Blaze quickly comes for petting while Toes hovers at arms-reach.

Toes - MW

Both have established themselves in one of the feral areas (the room with the yellow door), but they also enjoy being tucked away in the gazebo in the middle of the courtyard. Recently Toes took her gazebo passion to new heights.

Toes' adventure - DW

Time will tell if the confidence of other former-ferals will have an effect on Toes’ shyness, or if a feral-savvy home could be found eventually for these two sweet girls together.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Debbie Wolanski and Michele Wright