Loved and Lost in 2025

(March) Sweet leggy Akiva had been declawed before he came to us;
he was always wary around other cats (KN)

The between-gates entry to the back pens of the Cat Sanctuary is also a storage area – cleaning supplies, transfer cages and carriers, the sign-in book, the board showing volunteer vacancies and temporary assignments – and a RAPS calendar. The latter is not there so much to keep track of dates as to keep an open record of cats who have passed, and you will often see an incoming volunteer checking to see that all is well in the area in which they are working. Kitty Comforter coordinator Anne Marchetti emails the KCs to let them know when we have a loss, and includes a little tribute and a photo that helps us to mourn privately – thank you, Anne! It’s hard to do a shift, and realise that you’ve not seen a specific cat – only to check the calendar or with one of the med staff, to find that cat has passed.

(March) Cole came to us with aggression issues, but quickly 
discovered that laundry-room life offered lots of good attention, 
first tastes of food, and warm towels for sleeping on.  (TV)

Some months we go long periods with no losses – and then we may have a dozen cats pass in a few weeks. This year we got through to May with 2-3 each month – and then we lost 25 in the next three months – especially hard on the med-staff, for whom compassion fatigue has to be an issue. Sometimes we know it’s coming – the cat has been on medication and under a watchful eye; sometimes it comes out of the blue – perhaps a cancer that the cat has been hiding, or a sudden stroke. This year I am all too aware that practically all the cats I encountered when I came to the Sanctuary in 2010 have gone – I think all that are left are May and Walker in Pen 5, and sweet Orlean in the DW.

(May) Named for his beautiful golden eyes, Pumpkin 
was very much the social leader of the Boys Club  (MW)

55 cats have passed in 2025; some that visitors may never have encountered because of where they lived; others who were beloved favourites, sought out for special lap-time or petting. I wrote about our Sweet Gericatrics in April, all of whom have now passed - and I memorialized some the July passings in a later blog called July Rainbows.  

Here are a few of the others.

(June) Beloved by all, Willow was known as Spider-Cat
in her early days. After a bout with vestibular disease and a cage-stay,
she became very friendly with humans.  We lost her sister Amelia in March (BC)

(June) Sylar was my sponsor cat, and my challenge; 
 when caged, he would  reluctantly enjoy petting;
 out in the back courtyard he was usually very shy  (BC)

(June) Handsome Adam was a core member of the Pen 5 crowd,
and is greatly missed by his sister May (MW)

(Sept)  From arriving as a plain tuxedo, pretty Holly's colouring looked like she'd
had an expensive balayage treatment. She loved lap time with visitors (MW)

(Oct) Bricklyn was a fearful feral through much of her life with us, but this
sweet old lady  experienced feline dementia in her last year, and forgot to be
so scared. She made many human friends and loved petting and treats  (KN)

(Oct) Rookie was a former feral boy brought to us by volunteers
Barb and Waldi, more than ten years ago; he loved their visits  (KN)

(Oct) Hannah (also known as Hannah-Banana) was the small queen of the
back courtyard, and, for the last year, the oldest cat in the Sanctuary.
Hannah enjoyed Sanctuary life; she just didn't care much for other cats! (MW)

(Dec) Dazzle was another girl who held to her wary-feral status for years;
she would come and leg-rub, or accept arms-length petting - and then
she suddenly made breakthrough and adored lap-time with Justin  (JS)

(Dec) Cricket was always known as one of the kittens, though she'd been with us
more than 10 years. She came to us as a feral and resisted taming, but she became
one of the best greeters, standing on her back legs to get petting  (KN)

ALSO: Jan: Mojo, Venus / Feb: Tang  / Mar: Amelia, Kip  / Apr: Skye, Lil / May: Taylor, SweetPea / June: Charlotte, Kirby, Flash, Marble / July: Jerry, Neko, Denzel, Autumn, Juliette, Chumley,  Lloyd,  Paula, Kimpton, Higgins, Nova, Fletcher / August: Mystery, Licorice, Peaches, Luna, Sierra, Crinkle  / Sept:  Kilkenny, Buddy / Oct: Della, Salem, Tux, Ringo, Neptune, Dave / Nov: Laszlo / Dec: Billy, Karisa, Skittles, Runti

We have many sweet memories of furry friends whose lives would probably have been shorter and harder without the Cat Sanctuary. We grieve losing them - and are grateful that we can continue to offer shelter to others who come to us in need, and who find a place of safety, care and love with us.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson,
Justin Saint, Tanisha Vincent, Michele Wright

Sweet GeriCatrics

Senior Hannah still looks young!  (KN)

Volunteers and staff working in the Adoption Centre are used to a steady flow of cats and kittens coming in from fosterage, and leaving when the right adoptive family comes along.  We can celebrate these departures, knowing that they are going to loving homes, and more kittens will always come along.

We've just lost Amelia Earheart  (KN)

But the volunteers and staff in the main Sanctuary area get used to checking the calendar when we sign in, looking for names of cats who have crossed the Bridge that week – sometimes very suddenly (because cats are so good at hiding what is wrong) and sometimes inevitably, as we watch the med staff increase the care for a failing body. Sometimes the losses go in waves – I remember a particularly hard couple of weeks in the spring of 2021 when we lost a dozen cats in a very short time – and sometimes we have weeks of peace and hopefulness.

Under all that fur, Autumn is getting very old-cat-bony  (BC)

The cats I always worry about are the old ones. Age, of course, is relative;  like humans, some cats continue into chronological age like Energizer bunnies, and other are frail at 14 or 15. Early aging may be a factor of the adolescent years; a cat who has been malnourished as a youngster may not have the same stamina as a cat who has enjoyed good health all its life, and many of our seniors are little old ladies who may have used their early growth in nourishing their first (and last) litter of kittens.  Appearance is not always the tell-tale of age; our oldest cat in the Sanctuary at the moment is little orange and white Hannah (sometimes known as Hannah-Banana) who is regularly assessed at being half her age. In fact, she has lived here more than fifteen years, and the vets estimate her as being about nineteen!

Queen Hannah rules  (BC)

Recently we lost little Amelia Earheart from pen 4; Amelia lived most of her life as a touch-me-not feral cat, and only made a sudden U-turn to being handleable two years ago when she had to come into a cage for some medical care.  Amelia’s sister, sweet Willow, is still with us, but is definitely more fragile.  She had a bout with vestibular disease awhile ago, and remains a little tottery, though she doesn’t let it stop her from visiting around the back pens. Usually she can be found on one of the shelves in Waldi’s hut, and we have to be careful to leave furniture where she can safely make the ascent to her favourite bed.

Little Willow gets snugs with her buddy Basil   (BC)

Sometimes aging can produce a change in behaviour. I don’t think we’ve got anyone currently exhibiting vocalizing, but we’ve had a few oldies who wailed when they were confused about where they were, where their friends were, where they should go....  Sweet old Vesper in the Connor building is more vocal, but in his case, it’s probably because he is getting very deaf, and can’t tell how noisy his voice has become. His two much younger girlfriends (Dominique and Butterfingers), keep him active, and don’t seem to object to his loud voice.

Flash is slowing down  (KN)

Flash, in the SingleWide, is sleeping more and more; typically cats will sleep 12-16 hours a day, but that figure increases for both very young and very old cats.  Flash used to live up on the cage-tops, but her disability (she had been attacked by a dog), made it harder and harder to manage ascents and descents, and she made the transition to floor-level last year, and can usually be found sleeping comfortably on one of the lower shelves, or, if she can get there before anyone else, on one of the easy-chairs.

Sweet Pea is interested in contact from "her" people  (KN)

Currently there are two little old ladies on my Front-Courtyard radar – both of them around 16 years old, but looking more frail than the older Hannah. SweetPea came to us as a semi-feral at the far end of the spectrum – “you may look at me but not touch!” Over the years she has become accustomed to us, and especially loves Sunday volunteer Alison Murphy who has taught her that good things come from humans; the trust she gave to Alison now extends to many other people. 

At last, Bricklyn is seeking petting from us  (CM)

The other senior is little Bricklyn who for years could only be seen at dawn and dusk, and hid under the drapes in the Old Rabbit Area. In the last few years she has become braver, and more ready to hover close enough to field her share of tidbits – though only if tossed to her; hand-feeding has not been a possibility, and actual touch was no-go.  In the past month I have found that I can sit beside her and pet her. This situation always gives me conflicting feelings: gratitude that she is allowing contact at all, and sorrow that this is mostly a factor of her senility – she has forgotten that humans are scary creatures.

The boy who allowed grooming in the cage... (BC)

There’s very much the same sort of situation with my sponsor-cat Sylar – I’ve spent more than nine years offering treats and coaxing him into accepting attention, but generally the only time I’ve been able to touch him has been when he’s been caged, and as soon as he’s released, he forgets all about what it feels like to have a human friend. Recently he was again in cage-care to receive meds, and rather than greeting me with hisses, he was more inclined to meow when I visited.  He rubbed and bunted against me, and allowed me to groom him – and I wonder how much of that was because he had moved past feral behaviour, and how much was being old and forgetting his fear. Now that he's out, he is hiding again - though less from me, than from the other pushy cats, who also want treats. When tucked away on his shelf in Waldi's Hut, he allows petting and talk. He’ll probably never be fear-less, but I think his age has much to do with his change in behaviour, and I hope that he will continue to allow physical contact. from the people who love him.

...is now back to hiding in the courtyard  (KN)

We’re always sad to see these signals of aging – but grateful that they give us a chance to make loving moments to hold in our memories when the favourite old cats finally pass.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coulr, Courtney Milburn, Karen Nicholson

November 2025 - Barely 6 months later, and they've all crossed the Bridge. Why do the pets we love have such short lives...?

Another Wobbly Boy

Ranger  (KN)

More than a year ago we took in our beloved Tumbleweed, who totters around, occasionally tumbling over – an example of a cat with CH or cerebellar hypoplasia, better known as wobbly cat syndrome.  Currently we have another wobbly boy on our hands – but wobbly for a different reason.  

Pets for me?   (LBF)

Ranger has been a resident of Pen 4 since he came to us – initially landing there as a feral, and gradually warming to human attention, so that he really doesn’t deserve the feral label any more.  Most of the Pen 4 cats run and hide, or at least distance themselves when we enter the pen – Ranger comes towards us, looking for acknowledgement and sometimes petting. Occasionally when I come to do the morning clean-up he will be waiting at the gate. I let him come out and do a little explore around, and usually by the time I’m done, he’ll be waiting to be let back in to Pen 4.

Out and about....   (MW)

The med staff keep an eye on where the shyer cats are, and they always check pens 4 and 7, the feral pens, so when Ranger was not around it didn’t take long for someone to investigate, and discover the poor boy struggling to get around. He was gathered up and popped into a cage for investigation, where it became clear that it was a vestibular problem. This is an inner ear condition, sometimes caused by an infection, sometimes idiopathic (meaning the vets just don’t know what makes it happen). We’ve had our share of cats like this. Carly Simon, in the front courtyard, had a run-in with it last year, and has now totally recovered;  our beloved Willow, in the back, still shows the tilted head that is a remnant of the condition.

Tumbleweed & Willow  (BC)

So now we have Ranger safely caged so that he can be medicated. He staggers around like someone who’s had way too much to drink. Initially he was in a raised cage in Newcomers, but med-staff Louise has relocated him to one of the DoubleWide cages. This gives several advantages – the cages are larger, the shelf can be taken out so that he won’t be tempted to climb and jump, and he will have more human contact, being closer to the med-staff.

on the mend   (BC)

I was working in the DoubleWide when Louise moved him, and he was not happy about it. As I did my rounds with canned food, fresh kibble and water, I could hear him protesting this new space – as we all know, cats usually don’t like change! Once work was done, I went to find him and spend time with him. Initially he was very active – awkwardly climbing across my legs, and feeling out his space. Once he was more relaxed, he went to finish off his dinner, have a drink (a pretty splashy affair!) and then proceeded to climb all over me with wet paws. It took a few position changes for him to find his comfort-space, and then he relaxed and slept for twenty minutes.

Lap time with a sweet boy  (BC)

I’m old enough that getting down on the floor with cats takes a bit of planning, and getting up definitely takes work! But Ranger was obviously calmer as I extricated myself, righted his cage and slipped out – I hope that just that bit of TLC time left him feeling less a stranger in a strange space. Now we hope that the antibiotics do their job of clearing up whatever has affected his inner ears, so that, wobble-free, he can get back to his beloved Pen 4, his pen-mates and the good life he has with us at the Sanctuary.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

BFFs Living Apart

Careen  (MW)

 For years, Pen 5 was the home of the bonded cats – pretty Salish and black Rudolph, siblings Adam and May, the menage a trois of Walker, Capilano and Chinook, and best girlfriends Careen and Willow. Only Adam and May remain – five others have passed over the last couple of years, and the two grey girls have gone their different ways.

Willow & Careen on Pen 5 porch    (KN)

Willow and Careen loved each other’s company. They came from different places, but each recognized a kindred spirit in the other.  For a while Willow was caged with an ear infection that affected her balance (vestibular disease) and when she recovered, she could often be found cuddling on the deck of the Pen 5 hut with Careen. She still carries her head slightly tilted - a long-term result of that condition.

The perfect way to spend and afternoon   (LBF)

But Willow has always been more of a wanderer than her buddy; Pen 5 was not her only home, and she could often be found bunking in Waldi’s hut – I suspect she liked that it was warmer.  Careen stayed around Pen 5, and enjoyed interacting with visitors at the weekend; she’s a gentle girl who likes attention and was always popular.

Willow, cosied up in Waldi's hut   (JN)

However, we began to notice that all was not well:  her fur became patchy and harsh, she put on weight, but not in a good way. Finally she was brought into the DoubleWide and caged for medical care.  Tests focused on hormonal changes, but in the end it was established that she was diabetic, and needed to join the cats who are checked regularly, and given twice-daily insulin. Because she was largely an outdoor cat, there was some discussion about transferring her to the SingleWide, to be with the other diabetic cats who live there – but in the end, it was decided that the med staff would see how well she could be managed for medication in surroundings she knew.

Careen enjoying the cage-tops   (BC)

In fact, it turned out to be unwarranted concern – having been caged in the DW, and had her initial treatments there, Careen decided that this was the place that she was most comfortable, and established herself as a regular DW cat. Occasionally the med staff have to coax her down from the cage-top to have her insulin shot, but when the latter is usually accompanied by a dish of tasty food, it didn’t take long for Careen to adapt to the new routine.

Waiting for her meds - and the tasty treats that come with them  (BC)

Sadly, it’s meant that she’s opted to remain an indoor cat, and has lost contact with Willow. And since all the tasty stuff is found there, Careen’s not got much incentive to explore outside her immediate surroundings.  Willow continues to migrate from Pen 5 to Waldi’s Hut, and enjoys interacting with volunteers and visitors in the main courtyard; she’ll often join us at coffee time for a little petting and a few tidbits, but she doesn’t venture into the DW.  As it gets warmer, the outer door is occasionally propped open, so there’s less of a barrier – I can’t help hoping that one of the pair ventures outside her immediate comfort zone and encounters her friend again, renewing a long friendship currently on hiatus.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult,
Joanne Nicholson, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Revisiting Pen 5

May & Adam  (KN)

The Sanctuary has been sited here since 1999, and many cats have come under our care in those intervening years. The majority of them have been ferals, and a lot of ferals don’t live long lives – longer with us than if they were truly out in the fields, but an early lack of care can affect them in later life.  We have had two significant generations of cats in Pen 5. The first group came to us as Steveston was being developed in the early years of this century, and we called them the Packers cats. BC Packers was known as one of the largest salmon canning industries, but by the ‘80s, the fishing industry was in decline, and the last processing took place in 1997.  As buildings were demolished and sites prepared for new construction, many cats were trapped by Carol and her Richmond Homeless Cats friends, and they were early tenants of the new Sanctuary.

Nevada - one of the Packers cats   (CF)

When I first volunteered twelve years ago, the Packers cats were getting very frail, and their numbers were diminishing. But there was no lack of new cats being brought in to the Shelter, and transferred to us when needed, and one such group joined the Packers cats in Pen 5. Initially it was kept as a closed pen, hoping that some of the inhabitants might return to the shelter for adoption – Katie, Moe & Theo all found homes. But when there are kittens, that’s what many people adopt, and the remaining adults stayed on, establishing the now open pen as their home.

Salish & Rudolph  (MW)

For some time it was also the pen of the bonded cats. Adam and May, Rudolph and Salish, Willow and Careen, the menage a trois of Chinook, Capilano and Walker – all devoted to each other, and rarely seen separately. In the last few years we’ve lost Chinook and Capilano, and sadly, Rudolph as well (to dental anaesthetic). 

Salish  (KN)

That last death was worrying because of Salish, who was devoted to her black buddy, but she seems to have adjusted well – she stays close to Adam and May, and though she’s still skittish about touch, she’s ready to emerge when treats are offered.

Walker  (MW)

Blond Walker lost both his loves: Capilano and Chinook had no great fondness for each other, but both turned to Walker as a calming influence, and he cuddled impartially with either of them.  He continues to sleep in Pen 5, but is to be found anywhere around the back courtyard, often in company with Pumpkin. The two of them are determined chickaholics, with a keen instinct for when tidbits are being handed out!

Careen  (MW)

Willow and Careen, who were always found together, appear to have separated. Careen still bases herself in the Pen 5 cabin but will often come out into the courtyard to visit if humans are sitting on the benches.

Willow  (KN)

Willow has become much more migratory, no longer confining herself to Pen 5 – in fact, she can most often be found in Waldi’s Hut at the south end of the courtyard, where she can get some space to herself – but she too joined in the courtyard cat-party last weekend!

Kramer  (MW)

Kramer joined the colony about four years ago, and remains the odd guy out – he doesn’t interact much with the other cats, but he has clearly made the Pen 5 cabin his home, and rarely ventures further afield. He is very happy to have human attention, but on his terms. Sadly, one of the attentions he doesn’t enjoy is a long-haired cat’s consequence to solitary living – he doesn’t appreciate having to be de-matted (though he’s not yet been in a bad enough state to need a lion-cut!)

a pleasant afternoon on the Pen 5 porch   (MW)

Many other cats wander in and out of the pen – it’s a favourite bathroom for the DoubleWide cats who prefer not to use a litter-box. And it’s one of many areas that will need a good work-party to make it look clean and inviting before we welcome visitors back to the Sanctuary at the end of the month.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Claire Fossey, 

Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Careen & Willow

Pen 5 is largely inhabited by big cats.
Big floofy cats....

Adam & May - DW

Solid muscular cats...

Rudolph - MW

Cats who definitely could do with losing some weight.

Capilano - MD

And then there are Careen and Willow.
These two sweet grey girls are of the small-but-solid variety.  They came from very different situations, several years ago. Careen comes from the same site as many of the No 8 Pen cats – the Lafarge cement plant in Richmond – but unlike most of them, she was ready to be friendly with humans.  Unfortunately, by the time she came to us, the main shelter was in full swing of kitten season, and there was no room for Careen.

Careen - MW

Because we wanted to keep track of her, she was put in Pen 5, which was closed at that stage, and she quickly settled with her new cat family, though she became much shyer, once away from constant human contact.

Pet me now! - MW

She enjoys wandering the extent of Pen 5, and is much happier now about coming out to meet visitors, and indulging in human attention.

Careen naps - MW

She became the buddy of another little grey girl also from east Richmond.  Willow was a former farm-cat who came in as a typical scared feral who didn’t want human attention.  Her sister is Amelia Earheart, who hides out in Pen 4 with the ferals.

Young touch-me-not Willow in 2013 - PH

However, Willow was one of the cats who developed vestibular disease – a condition of the inner ear which leaves the cat off-balance and nauseous – and the necessary course of cage-care to help her recover had the added advantage of proving to her that humans were less scary than she had thought.

Willow - JK

Like many of the cats with this condition, Willow has been left with a slight head-tilt, which doesn’t seem to affect her movement, but certainly leaves her looking cute!  (Fellow felines Babylon, Tara and Tibet all have a similar head-tilt – though Babylon can turn his head round more like an owl!)

Willow - PH

Both Willow and Careen enjoy gentle attention from visitors. As former ferals, we would be very wary about allowing adoption unless they were to bond with someone – and they might well not adapt well to becoming indoor cats after enjoying the freedom and safety of pen life.

Willow was Miss June in our calendar two years ago! - MW

Their favourite place is to be found on the front step of the cabin, where they happily share a chair and mutual cuddles.

Willow & Careen - KN

The idiom “it’s a dog’s life” is usually taken to mean that life is unpleasant or boring. There is no feline equivalent idiom, but a cat’s life, for Careen and Willow, feels pretty good!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Phaedra Hardman, Jennine Kariya, 

Karen Nicholson, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright