Fargo & Della

Fargo  (KN)

Cats who come into the DoubleWide are generally released there after their cage-stay is over. Some of the more feral ones are quick to make a getaway into the back pens, but there are always some who get as far as the back deck and think “this isn’t too bad!”  The back deck is full of good hiding-places. In the area overlooking the Tea-Room there’s a big comfy mattress for those who like to snuggle, and when the temperature drops, the heat lamp will go on and offer a magnetic attraction. In the rest of the room, there are draped shelves and stuffed armchairs that can be slept on or under; for the cats who want to be out of reach, there are always the runways up close to the ceiling. And there’s a cat-door in the corner for those who like the outside option.

Fargo & Della  (BC)

In the spring of 2021 we took in a group of cats who had come from a rescue in Salmon Arm. Many communities in our province are doing good work, trying to control a feral cat problem. Some of them work with fosters to tame scared kittens; some have barn-cat programs; some simply TNR (trap-neuter-release) and maintain the feral colonies. Sometimes none of those options will work, or an existing colony is under threat from urban development and an already stretched-to-the-bone rescue will turn to us for help, knowing that we can allow ferals to be ferals, and we won’t euthanize them if they can’t be tamed.

Della (BC)

Having been TNR’d and released to colonies in 2019, this group of scared, hissing cats was gathered up, arrived with us, had their cage-stay, and were released. The little black ones vanished into the back courtyard; Arwen, Keno and Orson can be found hiding around the back of Waldi’s Hut on the south side, or in the shrubbery at the east end. They are very wary of humans, and being little black cats, manage to stay mainly out of sight.  Two of the clowder, however, decided that the DoubleWide Deck offered better things. They discovered the cat door, but they also discovered more comfort, warmth and food indoors, and their outside visits rarely last long.

Fargo  (BC)

Fargo is the more courageous of the two – minimally... The DW cage in which they spent time remained open to them, and occasionally one would see a grey streak darting from it to the deck or back.  Gradually he became brave enough to stop and look, and as long as you stood still and didn’t make any moves, just talked quietly, he was ready to make visual contact.  

Fargo (BC)

He joined the group that gathers around when chicken tidbits are offered, and is ready to advance and ask for more, though not yet comfortable with coming too close. In the warmest weather, he joined the other deck cats in finding somewhere outside to relax where it was cooler.

Della on guard  (BC)

Della is much more wary. She stands out among the other little tabbies in the area because of her dark colouring – a contrast to the lighter shades of Ursula and Dior. She is not a chicken addict like Fargo, but is comfortable enough with him to share a plate at dinner time, even with a scary human watching. When I went to visit with them earlier this week, I climbed up to sit on the edge of the platform and was immediately surrounded by the bolder cats – Denzel and Hamlet, Bodhi and Luke – all wanting attention and food. Fargo couldn’t decide whether to join the crowd or to jump down to floor level, and finally made the leap, joining the equally chicken-addicted Sooke. 

Della  (BC)

Della held her ground and refused to get drawn into competition, but watched, letting me know that I should keep my distance for now.  The med staff tell me that she was used to being fed by humans as a colony cat, but has not so far allowed touch.

Dinner-time!  (BC)

The change in their behaviour in the last six months or so is notable. They are around cats who are not afraid of us, and they’re picking up the hints. They’re not ready for physical contact yet, but it will probably come – and with the winter months ahead, they will probably be joining the other former ferals in accepting our presence more calmly.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

The Great Escape

Well, strictly speaking, it wasn’t an escape (or it was one carefully planned by the staff.)  But the cats think it was an escape.

Mitzi musing on the outdoor experience  (KN)

Visitors to the Double-Wide will find there are several barriers to access. The main door is quite heavy – but there’s a cat-door carefully situated there for the times when there’s no human to be butler.  The door between the laundry room and the main room is very light, and there’s a cutout in the frame at the bottom. Many cats have learned how to open the door from either side, and the cutout prevents any tails from getting caught. And then between the main room and the deck, there’s another door – and once again, a cat-flap allows access.

Loki learning to manage the door  (KN)

For years the cats who have gravitated to the back deck have been the shyest ones, the ones who are wary of humans, even when out of reach. In this safe space, some of them have learned that we’re not so bad – but they are still wary about moving out of their space and braving what must look like an obstacle course. And to be honest, that’s what it is – the laundry room door in particular is a real barrier to a very shy or feral cat, and often that’s a good thing, since the cat spends more time where we can keep an eye on it.

Ringo hovering by the deck door   (BC)

Ringo is typical of this sort of cat.  He spent most of his first year tucked into a Back Deck corner as high up and out of the way as he could manage. He froze around humans, and floor level was not comfortable for him.  Then gradually we found he was making his way into the main room, mostly at times when there were very few people around. He was learning that not only humans, but also other cats meant him no harm.  Eventually he made his way through the building, probably managing the laundry room door when another cat went through. He established himself outside the DoubleWide door, making little forays to explore.  These days he spends most of his time out in the back pens, either sleeping in the gardens or following his buddy Zivko around. 

Ringo relaxed in the garden (MW)

However, very few of the other Deck cats seemed to want to follow him. Finally this summer it was decided that we needed another cat-door, and one was cut into the emergency exit that opens onto the passageway by Pen 1.  It didn’t take much to have a general exodus. There were a couple of early panics when someone made their way into Pen 1 and then couldn’t find the gate to return – but once that was solved, there was quite a lot of visiting.

Hickory returning from an exploration (KN)

Hickory was the most ready to explore beyond the immediate vicinity.  But he also appreciated a comfy bed at the top of the stairs.

Hickory just outside the cat-door  (KN)

Bubbles prefers to stay fairly close to the door for now – but he enjoys being a sun-worshipper.

Bubbles  (KN)

Denzel too is not venturing far yet – but you can see from his happy tail that he’s good with the change.

Denzel  (KN)

Ziggy took her time – but a nice comfy chair was too good to pass up!

Ziggy  (KN)

Ursula is remembering her outside life as a feral kitten – and we hope she's preferring what she has now.

Ursula (KN)

And, astonishingly, Kin, who prefers to hide, (see the blog of two weeks ago) also braved the cat-door and found a little patch of green where he could sit and think.

Kin, out in the big wide world  (KN)

There are still a few who’ve not poked their heads through the door – but we all know about curiosity and cats – and there’s lots in the back courtyard for them to be curious about!  Watch for updates...

Blog by Brigid Coult
Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Kittens from Kamloops

All over the province there are rescues doing great work to address the problem of feral cat communities.

Barbara, Bruley & Baxter - KN/BC

Life for feral cats is hard and usually short; prey may be scarce, predators are always at hand, and humans add to the danger with traffic, poisons and non-humane traps. Nature causes cats to mature rapidly so that the population is maintained – or increased. This was the situation near Kamloops last fall, just outside the city limits, where a colony of cats which had been almost trapped out in 2015 was found to have grown again. A private rescue team went to work to live-trap the inhabitants and get them spayed and neutered, in the hope that the numbers could be got under control permanently.

Bruley & Ariel - LBF

When this sort of project is applied to a colony like this, various things may happen to the cats.  The very youngest will be taken into fosterage (if possible) and given careful handling to get them used to humans. These kittens will often be adopted easily. The adults will be assessed, and either tamed if that is possible, or released in a controlled colony. They will still have to deal with many of the perils of living wild, but the colony caretaker will feed and check on them. The “teens” will vary; with luck, caging and handling will tip the balance to tame them. However, for a small rescue, it requires resources of materials and people that are not always accessible.
RAPS is the Regional Animal Protection Society – and this sort of situation is where we can sometimes help cats outside our own municipality. At the Sanctuary, large cages, attention from staff and volunteers, and time are all factors that may take a spitting kitten to a purring lap-cat.

Barbara - KN

Our first Cariboo kittens were a trio of little tabbies – Barbara, Bruley and Baxter. Barbara, in particular, caught our attention, because she has a facial similarity to our loved-and-lost Daisy – probably caused by a mild chromosomal imbalance.  All three were initially very wary, but scared-wary rather than aggressive-wary, and they soon got used to handling. Beautiful Baxter – a classic-pattern tabby – did so well with contact that he was adopted by one of our volunteers, and has himself a home and much love.  Bruley, who is shyer, had relocated to the back deck of the Double-Wide, and joined the crew who like to lounge around on the mattress.

Ruff makes a big fluffy mattress for Barbara - KN

Tiny Barbara has fearlessly ventured out all over the back area;  she has joined Sara Lee as quality-control at mealtime, she visits with the tuxedo boys on the deck, and she has made herself totally at home with us. Unfortunately, she is one of those cats that often has a low-grade cold, and frequently needs to have her face cleaned. Barbara really likes other cats, and can often be found snuggling, if she can find a tolerant body to lie on - in fact, eating and sleeping are definitely her favourite things!

Ariel supervising the morning clean-up - KN

These three were followed to Richmond by two more pretty torbies.  Ariel settled in fairly quickly, and like Barbara, explores the back courtyard. She is particularly fascinated by the green hosepipe used for watering the gardens; it obviously reminds her of Cariboo snakes, and gets slapped accordingly.

Aspen - LBF

Aspen came in about the same time, was caged rather longer than Ariel (again, for upper respiratory care) and was not happy with human attention; she’s another who’s moved to the back deck, where she can hide behind the mattress.

Sailor - KN

From the same colony, but obviously with different genetics, is Sailor. Not a big cat, but slim and leggy, Sailor’s tabby/white makes him look very different from the others. Very wary at the beginning, Sailor quickly decided that he likes humans – almost too much, because he gets so excited by attention that he bites. He’s learned that this is not appreciated, and it’s more of a mouthing of fingers these days, but if he were ever to be adopted, it’s a trait that would need to be monitored.

KN

The latest from that colony are Zsa-Zsa and Ursula, two more tiny tabbies.  Part of the size factor is genetic – some cats are just naturally smaller.  Part of it is malnutrition in both mama and kittens; a mother that is not much more than a kitten herself will probably not have the natural nutrients to grow big healthy kittens.  Zsa-Zsa and Ursula are still wary of contact; they will accept a touch, but much more than that will result in a smack – with or without claws.  Like “brother” Bruley, they have gravitated to the deck colony of semi-ferals.

Ursula & ZsaZsa - KN

We also took in four other kittens, who were rapidly transferred to the Shelter and adopted. Other shelters around the province have also taken cats from the same colony, which has now been completely cleared. We can only hope that nobody goes dumping their unwanted cats there again, to begin the cycle over again.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen & Karen Nicholson