Vonda & Vinnie

Vonda (KN)

There are many rescues across the province who know that when they have a feral cat problem, RAPS is a place they can turn to for support. This is particularly true in a situation involving FIV cats; with other cats it is possible to TNR (Trap, Neuter and Return) the colony, and then maintain it while it no longer increases. But when FIV is present, those cats should not be in a situation in which there is any risk of continuing to spread the virus, and many of them will end up at the Sanctuary.

Vinnie in the back cabin (KN)

One of the rescues we have strong ties with is Sammy’s Forgotten Felines, in Kamloops. The biggest group we had from them was a large farm colony in 2021, many of them orange, and flourishing in our care. I blogged about them last summer in a four-part series featuring The Bonded Ones, Lots of Orange, Blondes Have More Fun, and No Oranges Here. We tend to talk about them as “The Kamloops Cats”, but we’ve had many more from Sammy’s: Len, Lloyd and Crinkle, now passed, as well as Ariel and Aspen, Deelia, Petunia, Vonda and Vinnie.

Vonda (KN)

Vonda was the first to arrive, with Petunia and Spike – the latter was quickly adopted, and Vonda and Petunia went into fosterage to have their kittens. Vonda’s kittens were named Kilkenny, Donegal, Galway and Dublin; all were initially adopted, but Kilkenny was returned to our care with urinary and gastric problems (and passed last fall). It was thought that her issues were probably a result of inbreeding, and when the last cats from the colony were trapped – including Vinnie – the conclusion was that he was probably the baby-daddy, and may actually have sired the other young adults as well. In a colony, the dominant tomcat will often leave his strong genetic imprint; fertile females may be mated by more than one tom, but the strongest sperm will get through! Strong genes are good; however, too much inbreeding increases the chances of genetic problems as well.

Vonda (BC)

Vonda is a front courtyard cat, and usually hides out in the Old Rabbit Area, and sometimes in the Yellow Shed. She is very shy around people and tends to appear early morning and late evening, like many feral cats – the typical crepuscular/twilight pattern that suits creatures who are both hunter and potential prey. Her ears have a flattened Scottish Fold appearance rather than the crumpled haematoma ear that we see more often. We hope she isn’t a true Scottish Fold, because the genetic markers also include hearing problems, polycystic kidney disease and various forms of arthritis, and the formal breeding of Folds is now discouraged (and actively banned in many places).

Vinnie with his buddy Charlie  (BC)

When daddy/baby-daddy Vinnie arrived, somewhat later than Vonda, it was to a place in New Aids, as an FIV+ cat.  He initially established himself in the more distant of the two Prince of Wales cabins, and preferred not to interact much with people.  Over the time with us, he has made friends with the other cats in the area, allowed contact with volunteers and visitors, and has now accepted a role as a lap-cat. Vinnie is a Big Boy, and the owner of the lap needs to be ready for the weight – and for the mountaineering that gets him up there!

Happy lap - blissful smile

Vinnie’s favourite buddy is Charlie (another Big Boy), and the two of them can often be found sunning themselves on the cabin porch, or on adjacent chairs in the PoW courtyard- volunteer Meaghan calls it Preparing for Chonk Boy Summer. We’re going to have to keep an eye on that boy – white cats and sunshine are not always a good combination, and cats are not fans of sun-hats! Perhaps we make life a little too easy for them – Vinnie has gone from fighting to keep his place as Top Cat and hunting for his own dinner to a luxurious lifestyle with comfy beds, clean litterboxes and food delivered to the door. I’m sure he feels he’s earned his retirement!

Charlie & Vinnie soaking up the sun  (BC)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

KC Afternoon

Shy Vonda  (BC)

One of the joys of volunteering at the Sanctuary is that once the shift is done (sometimes, even while the shift is in progress) there is time to interact with feline friends, to pet and to play, to treat and to groom. Even the hard-working staff will take time out when cats ask for attention. But just to ensure that it’s not just the extroverts that get attention, Anne coordinates the team of Kitty Comforters, and we have a list of cats we need to watch for, as well as spending time with the caged ones.

Bricklyn - you may look, but not touch... (KN)

My usual Kitty Comforter shift is on Thursday afternoon. I tend to miss the Adoption Centre possibility when I know there are cats with whom I need to spend time – the kittens need socializing, but everyone that goes in there ends up playing with kittens!  Last Thursday I headed right for the Connor building;  I had done the feed-&-scoop shift the previous Monday, and there had been seven cats in cages there, mostly being very vocal about unfair imprisonment! By Thursday, things were quieter. 

Leo  (KN)

Blond Leo was one of the noisiest on Monday; caged for a gut problem, he's now out. He could probably do with being on a special diet, but for an outdoor cat at the Sanctuary, that’s impossible. Currently he's spending his time sitting outside his friend Caleb's cage. Caleb is caged for an asthmatic problem and the med staff are trying to see how his medication can be sorted so that he's more comfortable. New boy Maverick had left his cage and gone to hide somewhere – we’ll need to track him down and find where he’s gone to ground, so that we can coax him out.  

Autumn being noisy  (BC)

Pretty Autumn has been having mouth problems. She was very vocal from her cage, but dealing quite well with food as long as it was well watered down. She's now out., and still being very vocal!  Bricklyn is in for some TLC. She's an elderly lady and pretty fragile; she’s not actually very keen on the offered TLC unless it involves chicken – and that, preferably when we can’t be seen.

Frank  (BC)

Frank is our new one, a very pretty gray and white boy. He's very friendly and vocal and eager to get out; he's probably got another couple of weeks in the cage, so visiting with him has to be about climbing into the cage with him.  Big Celine was caged on Monday so we could check her litter box. She's very happy to be out now, but throwing her weight around with old Vesper. She leaves us in no doubt that she's the dominant female in the room.

Kia - regal and smacky!  (BC)

I moved on to the Hill House where I visited with Kia and Vonda. Kia is still fairly unfriendly. She allowed me to pat her very briefly and then the paw started coming up to smack me. Vonda is still caged. She's spending a lot of time in her cave underneath the chair and is very shy. However, she likes chicken, so that gives us a bargaining tool.   
I made a short visit to the Val Jones pen, where Jim, Magnus, Merrin and Minuet shared a patch of sunlight, and decided that they wanted its warmth more than attention from me!

Tubby boys Mojo & Licorice   (BC)

In the SingleWide there was no one caged in the main building, but in the office room in the back I spent some time, as I do regularly, with Mojo and Licorice. These two big boys are kept separate so that we can monitor their food intake. There is a cage in the office which is currently the home of newcomer, stubby-tailed Darjeeling. She is acutely allergic to many types of food and is on a restricted diet. She really needs a home where she can be a solo cat.

Darjeeling has a forbidding stare!  (BC)

It’s all too easy to spend time in the SingleWide, but the main room cats get a lot of attention, and despite constant begging for treats and laps, they’re not high on my regular Thursday priority list. I headed over to the DoubleWide, where we have the greatest number of caged cats, because of access to the med staff. Sierra has had dental surgery, and her neighbour Skye is waiting for it, so both needed little more than reassurance, and a little coaxing to eat some wet food. 

Skye's mouth hurts...  (BC)

Root Beer has been having a good time outside - 
as long as it lasted...   (KN)

Grumpy Root Beer is caged for some time out. Shortly after I wrote his blog, the med staff moved him from the Front Courtyard to the Back to give him more room to roam.  Though he has found a few quiet corners he likes, he does NOT like other cats, and he picks fights not only with the ones who can also be aggressive, but with some of the more timid cats. There is probably some discussion around medication, but nobody really wants that to be necessary. He was OK with my presence in the cage, and with the sound of a voice, but he let me know very clearly that he did not want physical contact, even at back-scratcher length, and when he got grumbly, I let him be.

Newcomer, Burt Reynolds  (BC)

Newbie Madonna does not want to be seen, nor black Keno, and Charlotte used some very rude language when I came to her cage, so I moved on to handsome tuxedo Burt Reynolds.  Burt came in labelled as a feral, but it didn’t take long before he was allowing petting, and even rolling over to show his tummy, so there may have been human contact in his past. He’s been on a wet-food only diet, with possible mouth problems, but gobbles his food at mealtimes, and is always ready for second helpings. Without knowing much about his background, I would say that he certainly has signs of food insecurity, and when I offered chicken without enough caution, I wasn’t prepared to be grabbed with sharp claws; not from nastiness or fear – just anxious to get at the food.

Guacamole getting braver  (BC)

Having mopped myself up, and band-aided as necessary, I took a little time in the back courtyard with “my” boys – shy grey Sylar and tabby Quinn, the increasingly approachable trio of Betsy, Zoey and Cleo, and the pushy ones: Pumpkin, Walker, Jasper, Lindor, & Cassidy. Both Sylar and Quinn will take food from my hand, but are easily deterred by the pushy crew.  Our new tripod Guacamole is getting braver and closer, but is not seriously food motivated – or if he is, I’ve not found the right bribe yet. Old Clementine in Pen 7 sees that the others are gathering for treats, and is vocal in claiming her share of the goodies at the gate. 

Clementine - "where's my share?"  (KN)

I know as I end my KC afternoon that the feeding team is arriving soon, and that nobody will waste away before dinner is served!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult  Karen Nicholson