First Annual RAPS Gala!

I'm foregoing the usual sanctuary kitty post tonight to write in support of an event put on to help them all: the first annual RAPS Wine & Whiskers fundraising gala, being held tomorrow night at the Radisson in Richmond.

With the tickets nearly sold out as of Tuesday morning, it looks like the event will be a great success!

I'm pleased to announce that a framed version of the print below, which this blogger has created especially for the event, will be for sale at the silent auction. If you think you recognize the subject as our sanctuary darling Daisy, you're quite right!

Hope to see you all at the gala!

Update: K9 and her babies

This week I had a chance to visit Ann's former foster family at the No. 5 Rd. shelter.

At first I didn't recognize Kaynine (now called Kila K9), because she was no longer wearing the put upon and generally exhausted expression I'd known her by when she had a pile of hungry kittens climbing all over her and suckling relentlessly. Kaynine/K9 is now bright-eyed, glossy-coated and fully ready to make friends. The whole time I was with her, she never stopped purring, and she was happy to engage in both gentle cuddling and silly playing.

Her small size and playful demeanor really hit home that this mama is still hardly more than a kitten herself. After all, she's only a year old. It's incredible that she managed to produce such a large number of healthy kittens.

Of course I also paid a visit to the kittens themselves. One has been adopted, leaving seven equally delightful siblings still in need of good homes. All the early socializing must have paid off -- these kittens are totally comfortable with people and pleased to interact, but have already learned the basics of good manners and know not to get too grabby or play-bite too hard.

Update: Mistletoe

It may too much to say that Mistletoe has come a long way in the two years she's been at the sanctuary, but she certainly is much easier to catch sight of and sometimes even a little cuddle with than she was in her days of constantly hiding behind drapes.

Mistletoe's fur is so silky and soft that attempting to stroke it can be irresistible. For a long time, while Mistletoe did seem to enjoy the stroking itself, she would soon lose her nerve at being in such close proximity to a human and bolt behind the nearest chair.

Then she started staying out in the open a little more often and for a little longer. These days she seldom gets nervous when I approach her and will sometimes even approach me for pats.  She shows her pleasure with one of the more eccentric cats dances I've seen -- all weaving (but no rubbing) and wild tail swishing while she repeatedly looks up over one shoulder then the other at the person patting her.

Interestingly (and rather unfortunately), Gaye, who would dearly love to be Mistletoe's friend, has not had similar luck. While Mistletoe will allow Gaye to stroke her sometimes, just as often she'll scoot off if she sees her coming. This is through no fault of Gaye's save that as a member of the sanctuary's medical staff, she does occasionally have to give cats pills, put drops in eyes or ears, and so on. Many cats are quite willing to forgive this for a few bribes of chicken or tuna, but Mistletoe has apparently decided she's not having any of it.

Murray

Having come to know front courtyard resident Murray for expressions like this...

photo by Michele

... I was surprised to learn from Gaye that he used to be quite the scrapper in his youth. She's not sure just how old he is know, but remembers that he was already a resident of the sanctuary when she first started coming there.

These days, when he's not making faces, Murray often content to act like a nice older gentleman.

This is not to say he isn't interested in a little interaction. When he wants some attention, he's quite happy to holler for it. 

And yes, sometimes Murray still gets into fights. Gaye was recently surprised to see him so involved in fighting Dirky that she needed to throw water at them to snap the two cats out of it.

Aging? Perhaps. Still spunky? Absolutely.

Pussycat

Pussycat is the sister of Owl, Tiger, and Panther. As I'd heard of her but never actually met her before, on Monday night I asked Gaye to introduce me.

Gaye took me to the shed in one of the back pens where Pussycat is hanging out these days (she apparently moves periodically from one favorite spot to another). Heated and full of shelves with blankets and cat beds, the shed was warm and cozy. Still, when I caught sight of the fluffy black cat perched up in the rafters, I really wasn't sure what kind of reaction to expect to my attempt to make friends. I've been smacked by more than a few cats under similar circumstances, after all.

I don't know if it was the chicken that Gaye gave Pussycat to get her attention, or if it was the fact that she passed me a little to give Pussycat to keep her attention, but I found I had no trouble whatsoever making friends.

Although I couldn't quite manage to coax her from her perch (she didn't seem to see why she should have to come all the way down only to have to jump up again once I'd left), she was happy to show with endless purrs and rubs just how much she was enjoying the interaction.

Pongo

This striking cat was named after the charming Pongo from 101 Dalmatians and it's not hard to imagine why. If there was such a thing called a Dalmatian cat, Pongo would certainly fit the bill. Pongo has lived at the sanctuary all his life as he came to the shelter as one of six kittens.  I'm told his usual modus operandi is to only come out at night but fortunately for me, he decided to come out a little earlier at dusk to show himself off.

 

He seemed keen to attract attention to himself by rubbing against everything he could including my legs.  he was friendly enough and enjoyed a few scratches behind the ear but didn't let it go any further than that.

 

 

Still quite shy he kept his distance from me but seemed to like the action of the evening milling around with all the other cats in the front courtyard.

Owl

Owl is a fluffy tabby who easily recognizable by his adorable ear tufts (funny how that can be so much more appealing in cats than it is in humans). 

 

Owl has been at RAPS all his life, having been fostered as a kitten along with his feral mom Barbara (now sadly no longer with us) and his siblings Pussycat, Tiger, and Panther. The whole family was taken in and the kittens raised by volunteers Barbara and Waldie.

photo by Barbara D

Owl grew up into a nice, well-adjusted, well-liked boy. He can be seen in various parts of the sanctuary (doublewide, tea room, a sunny bench in the back courtyard), either curled up with a few cat buddies or perched somewhere people are likely to come by and give him a chin tickle.