Gizmo

Gizmo is a sweet orange boy who has recently come into our care – with an interesting back-story. We understand that he had a home, as a young cat – one where he was much loved. Many cats come to us unmarked: no tattoo, no microchip, no way of identifying them – their former owners obviously just don’t think it is important enough. Gizmo was clearly marked – so when he disappeared, his owners must have hoped that someone would find him and bring him home.

BC

No luck... we imagine they did all the usual things of putting up notices and informing the local shelter, but no Gizmo. After a while they probably gave up hope, and assumed that a car or a coyote had got him.  They mourned him, and got on with living.

PH

Fast-forward 16 years.  An orange cat was found, and his markings clearly identified him – his owners were called with the good news: “We have your cat!”  “We don’t have a cat!” was the response. They were totally taken-aback to find that the cat they had lost so long ago was safe and sound. Obviously, someone had been caring for him, because he was in good condition. They were delighted to see him, and happy to have him back home.  But things weren’t the same. In the interim, they had acquired a dog, and cat and dog took an immediate dislike to each other – so much so that it was obvious they couldn’t live together.

BC

We haven’t been able to identify Gizmo’s interim home – he was never formally registered with a vet, or he would have been returned to his first family sooner.  Presumably the interim family, too, is mourning his loss – though not enough that they came and looked for him at the RAPS City Shelter.So Gizmo is now with us, in the Moore House.

BC

He was caged for some time, as our new cats always are, and now he’s allowed to be out and about, he’s still often found in his cage, which he feels is his safe place.  Like many of our Moore House cats, his advanced age (we think he’s about 18) means that he’s unlikely to be adopted at the 5 Road shelter (too many kittens!), but he might do well as an only cat in a quiet home, with a human who loves sweet ginger boys!

MW

Update: poor Gizmo has to come off the "possibly adoptable" list - he has been diagnosed with megacolon, and will need constant medical monitoring

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Phaedra Hardman & Michele Wright

Pumpkin

This is Pumpkin, a remarkably handsome orange boy who came to us in October 2015.  We don’t know much of his history, but he definitely appeared semi-feral when he arrived.  He’s so beautiful and so interesting, that we’re really hoping he’ll tame up.

MW

When he first arrived, he was pretty alarmed whenever anyone would come in his cage, and would do the usual hissing and swatting to deter visitors.  He would bite and scratch if you tried to touch him.  And interestingly, if you offered him a treat, he would reach up and whack it out of your hand quite aggressively before he would eat it. 

 BC

But RAPS volunteers are not easily deterred.  I found him mesmerizing from the start and was determined to get to know him better.  I spent a lot of time in his cage, and we ended up playing “chicken” a lot of the time:  I would try to sneak my hand towards him soooooo slowly that he would not notice; he would try to stay awake and alert long enough to catch me at it and chomp my hand.  I like to think I got good at this.  I did even manage to get my hand just under his tummy one day, while he rolled his eyes and went back to sleep.  But I got my share of bites and scratches too.

PH

When he was let out of his cage, he was much harder to get at.  He found himself a spot in the room behind the double-wide, on the platform at the top of the stairs, under the heat lamp.  That suited me because there’s a mattress up there and it’s pretty warm and cozy.  I like to kitty-comfort lying down.  So I spent a lot of time up there with him too, tossing him treats and trying to get him to let me pet him.  I discovered he’s very food-motivated and I would chat with him and toss him treats, which he loved.  Through painstaking effort, I used the treats to lure him closer, and eventually got him to take food out of my hand.  I never did manage to pet him though – he was pretty determined about that.

ML

When the spring came and the weather got nicer, the back door to that room was left open one day and he found his way outside into the courtyard.  He seemed pleased and surprised as he explored this new area in his own alert and cautious way.  And he settled himself on the outer edge of the ring of cats out there, prowling the perimeter in the hopes of getting some stray treats.

MW

Since then, he seems to be gradually relaxing and trusting more, gently teasing the hopes of those of us who want to be best buds with him.  There was the day that Brigid was feeding him chicken and said to me – look, he doesn’t have to shake his food to kill it before he eats it any more.  Another day, I managed to rub his chin and he didn’t even seem to really mind although he looked pretty confused.  And last week, he seemed to have let his guard down and blended into the middle of the group of other cats, his body language relaxed and almost nonchalant.  He still looks completely indignant and surprised when I try to stroke his head, but he doesn’t try to take my hand off any more. 

ML

He’s such a stunner that I’m hoping he’ll tame up enough that we can give him the full tummy rub one day.  Stay tuned.

 MW

Blog by Moira Langley

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

OJ

OJ is a feral who was trapped by Carol at the beginning of July and brought to the sanctuary. He lives in the same pen as Ginti, Amelia Earheart, and Lillian. I first met him within days of his arrival and managed to get this picture of him hiding in a doghouse.

I've been meaning to do a blog post on him since then, but have never managed to get another photo-- he always seemed to be hiding in some mystery spot when I went looking for him. Fortunately, Phaedra has managed to make contact (more or less) and get this shot of him.

photo by Phaedra

Apparently, she encounters him regularly when she's doing her early morning cleaning shift. He sits inside the large shed in the middle of the pen while she's working and watches her. He'll accept food while she's there, but makes menacing faces if she gets too close. Well, he is a feral after all, so I don't think she takes it too personally!