As Cats Age....

This is Adopt A Senior Pet Month....

Anxious Tikki, when he first came to us - LBF

Any month is a good one to adopt a senior cat, to my mind.

All over the Lower Mainland (probably all over the world) we’re dealing with the aftermath of kitten season, and shelters – the RAPS City Shelter as well – are full of kittens. And as we all know, kittens are CUTE, and people respond to them easily.  What cat-parent neophytes don’t always realise is that they have to get through the equivalent of the terrible teens to emerge with a cat who you can settle down and live with for the next 15-20 years.

Rufus, enjoying the sun - MW

When you adopt an older cat, you know what you’re getting, personality-wise; you’re past the destruction-just-for-fun stage that kittens rejoice in, and you can be pretty sure that if your cat “misbehaves”, it’s either for health reasons, or it’s because something in your life is stressing it. Most older cats have settled to the sleep-most-of-the-day pattern that is so common to cats, and are happy to sit quietly with you – though play-time is welcome (and necessary, to keep your indoor cat active).

ZeeZee has health issues we need to watch - MW

What constitutes “senior”? A cat of 7-10 years is considered “mature” - the equivalent of someone in their 50’s, perhaps. Seniors are those over 10, and a cat of 15+ can be considered a Super-Senior. And like humans, some senior cats are active and engaged into their golden years, while other are getting frail and need more tending.

Kiko's distinctive bass voice can be heard in pen 6;
she can still be a bit cranky! - KN

At the Cat Sanctuary we have several categories of senior cats, some of which are adoptable, while others will continue to do better in our care. A lot of our seniors have grown old with us; they are cats who came in as young ferals, who have gradually acclimated to human care and attention, and are now friendly – but also regard the Sanctuary as their home. They are not cats that we would adopt out unless they made the decision to bond with someone, and even then, a transition to a new home can be stressful.

We recently marked what we think is the 20th birthday
of our sweet Jody - MW

The cats who have come to us as owner-surrenders are often with us because they’re poop-ers, pee-ers or biters!  But we also have cats come in because their owner is no longer alive, or has gone into a care-home – and the transition can be very hard on a cat. Sweet Krissy took a whole year to emerge from hiding, and is only in the last year becoming really sociable with people in general.

Krissy actually loves attention now! - MW

Tikki is still grieving the loss of his home, and the owner who loved him and had to go into care; Tikki is now starting to respond to staff and volunteer approaches, though he does not like other cats coming into his space. It’s good to see him finally venturing out of his “safe” place, and enjoying cuddles with the people he likes.

From being scared and shut down, Tikki now enjoys cuddles - LBF

Baby is an elegant lady in the Moore House, who came to us very angry at the disruption of her life, but who has now settled down to be admired and petted.  She is a little arthritic, but there is medication for that, and she is feeling much better about life.

We love Baby's casually elegant pose! - LP

Also in the Moore House are Rufus and Wink;  each came in as one of a bonded pair, and then had their partner pass.  Wink is still a little wary around people;  Rufus loves attention and he loves to eat!

Tootsie on the prowl - KN

Two other cats in the DoubleWide are senior adoption prospects – both tuxedos. Tootsie had actually been adopted and was returned because she showed a persistent skin infection which is now well under control; she’s a very sweet girl who loves attention and reponds well to petting.  And Survivor – now known as “Sir”, has a sad back-story; his owner died, and nobody in the family was a cat-person. Sir was left in the apartment, with someone coming in to feed him every few days. Unfortunately, the feeder was also not a cat-person, and just tossed food at him and left. As funeral time approached, the family decided to euthanize the cat and put him in with his owner. Luckily one of our contacts was able to say, “Sign him over to us; we’ll care for him”, and Sir came to us.. The poor boy was pretty shut down for a while, but time in an open cage with the undemanding company of Tugboat and Oliver, and he’s now exploring and responding to human contact.  Sir would love to find someone to be his person again.

Survivor - now known as "Sir" - KN

In taking on a senior cat, of course, you take on potential heartache;  anytime we adopt a pet, we know that heartache will come because they live shorter lives than we do, but with seniors it also comes sooner. But balance that against the love they give, and what we can give to them in their final years, and it feels to me like a great bargain.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Karen Nicholson, Louise Parris, Michele Wright

Four Golden Oldies

Nearly every cat that comes to us, comes with a sad back-story.

Tugboat was surrendered for his bathroom habits - ML

Sometimes it’s as simple as being a feral cat, and therefore not suitable for adoption.

Smithy hisses at everyone - PH

Sometimes it’s a cat with a physical or medical problem, like our incontinent Manx Syndrome cats.

Sweet Plum's rear end is not so sweet! - MW

The saddest are the cats that have had a good home, and are obviously upset by its loss.  Krissy’s owner died and Krissy took more than a year to come out of her cage and investigate life at the Sanctuary.

DW

Krissy’s not a young cat, but she’s now part of the general front courtyard population. More frequently, a cat whose owner has passed or gone into care may also be getting up there in age, and these cats often end up in the Moore House – often known as GeriCatrics.  The Moore House was the gift of long-time volunteer Marianne Moore, who we lost last year. She was responsible for the creation of the Kitty Comforters, and she had a particular love for the older cats, who often do better in a quieter environment than one of the larger areas.

Rufus and Fluff - BC

In the last few weeks four “new” old cats have come into the Moore House. Like all newcomers, they are caged for the first few weeks to allow them to assimilate the move, and then the cage door is opened to allow them to investigate their new surroundings, and establish their place with the other cats.

PomPom loves attention - BC

Wink and PomPom are the slightly older pair, at 18 years each. Their sign tells us that they were “surrendered for allergies” - we don’t know whether they came into the hands of a new owner who wasn’t aware of his/her sensitivity, or a new person with allergies moved in. But at 18 years old – probably equivalent to late 80s in human terms – they find themselves surrendered. And people coming to a shelter to adopt don’t easily look at cats of that age, especially when they're a bonded pair. In some municipalities they would just be put to sleep, but RAPS’ no-kill promise means they will have a home with us as long as they need it.

Wink - BC

Wink, as his name implies, is one-eyed, and when I visited he had just finished dinner, and was mostly keeping that one eye closed in a cat-nap. His buddy PomPom was much more interested in visiting, though not sure about lap-sitting; he was very happy to sit beside me and be adored.

Fluff says "Up! Up!" -  BC

The other pair of boys are almost as old, at 17 years; the owner of Fluff and Rufus died, and they have come to us from a rescue in the Kootenays. Many shelters would not be able to give space to two elderly cats who are unlikely to be rehomed, at that age – with the added complication that Fluff has hyperthyroidism, and will need daily medication. Once again, our links with other rescues around the province mean that we can give these two a home. Rufus is very placid, with a soothing rumble of a purr; Fluff is more  restless (a hyperthyroid characteristic). Both were happy to have a visitor, and I think they will integrate well into the Moore House population.

Rufus is begging for belly-rubs - BC

We don’t allow Sunday visitors into the Moore House – having strangers around is often stressful for these old cats. But they will get regular visits from the Kitty Comforters, and staff and volunteers alike will often find their way to the Moore House for an hour of senior cat love.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman, Moira Langley,
Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright