Baloo

Baloo is a female cat who spends most of her time in the Teen house sitting atop the counter.  Baloo is one of those cats that could easily get overlooked if you weren’t seeking her out.  Although very pretty, as a tabby there is not much to distinguish her between the countless other tabby cats at RAPS.  She is not particularly driven to make her social presence known and didn’t really have much time to entertain my notions of getting to know her better.

Recently, Baloo decided to redesign her little piece of the sanctuary and that has garnered her a lot of two legged attention lately.

Turning her nose up to the abundance of cat beds and blankets throughout the sanctuary and demonstrating a most remarkable sense of ingenuity, Baloo started to pull down sheets of paper towel from a nearby roll holder and line the top of a bucket of cat food that sits on her usual counter top with these paper towels. Essentially, Baloo built herself a little nest.  This mysterious new behaviour that came straight out of the blue caused that staff and volunteers more than a few ooohs, awhs and chuckles.

Baloo was allowed to keep up her nest for a little while but the staff had to eventually put an end to her architectural inspiration as she was using up all the paper towels.  Unfortunately, when I came to take pictures, she stubbornly refused to give me any photographic evidence though I did manage to sneak one picture of her on it while her back was turned.

I visited the Teen house this past Wednesday to see Autumn's kittens and check on Baloo.  I noticed that someone had strategically placed an empty water bowl on top of the bucket and her little nest was no longer.  So much for ingenuity Baloo.

Butch

Butch and his brother Foxy came to the sanctuary in May of 2001 as wild 4 or 5 month old kittens. Neither ever truly tamed up.

Butch lives in the same shed that Panther likes to call home. RAPS staff sometimes have to move cats from one location to another within the sanctuary, but they avoid moving Butch and Panther from their own little sanctuary-within-a-sanctuary. The two cats just feel safest there.

Like Panther, Butch doesn't have any special human friend who tries to spend time with him and teach him to like people, or at least to not be quite so afraid of us. This is really too bad - they both seem like they could be nice cats.

If anyone's up for putting in some time, it might be possible to make two new friends at once!

Colin & Salty

Since he came to live at the sanctuary just over two years ago, Colin has become one of my favorite black cats. He always comes to greet me when I arrive in the doublewide to do the Monday evening feed and will reappear at intervals to rub and weave around my ankles.

I don't have to worry about him being lonely when I (or any of the other humans he's chosen as special friends) leave, because he's come to love big purry Salty at least as much.

While Mario undoubtedly retains his crown as the sanctuary's biggest romeo, Salty's got a decent sized following of his own. Mario may be a big, strong, silent type with a sexy saunter, but Salty is more willing to be outgoing and interactive with his pals, engaging in enthusiastic cat dances, loud purrs, and loving grooming.

When I passed Colin and Salty on the couch the other night, Colin was so happy that he couldn't stop kneading the blanket they were sitting on.

And, since they're both my pals, they were more than happy to let me join in for a three-way cuddle.
I didn't get washed, though.

Panther (II)

After spending some time getting to know siblings Owl, Pussycat, and Tiger, I've been keen to meet their brother, Panther. I was even more keen after Leslie showed me this 2001 photo of the four when they were kittens being fostered by volunteers Barbara and Waldi:

Clockwise from the bottom left: Owl, Panther, Tiger, Pussycat 

Unlike some siblings who remain very close, these four all went their separate ways as they grew up at the sanctuary. Owl can often be seen and heard campaigning for attention and treats in the doublewide, Pussycat favours a shed in the first back pen on the right, Tiger likes hanging out in the first back pen on the left, and Panther has laid claim to a shelf or two in the shed in the third pen on the left.

For some reason, Panther never really got comfortable with people like his siblings did. Now, since he's decided to spend all his time hiding out in his shed, he unfortunately doesn't get the kind of interaction with passersby that might help him change his mind. Anyone wanting to make friends with Panther will need to go seek him out in his shed, bring him treats of chicken or tuna, and just spend time sitting near him.

Fortunately, at the cat sanctuary we have people who are willing to do just this sort of thing.

So, anyone who doesn't mind spending some time and some treats on winning over a winning over a shy kitty, please consider including Panther in your rounds.

The 2013 RAPS Cat Sanctuary Calendar is here!!

I'm very excited to announce the arrival of the RAPS Cat Sanctuary 2013 calendar!

Savannah, our stunning cover girl

This full-size, full-colour wall calendar features portraits of more than a dozen of our wonderful sanctuary cats. The calendar will be available for $15 from this Sunday, November 25, at the RAPS Richmond City Shelter, the Cat Sanctuary, and the Thrift Store.

As a little teaser, I've included a few mystery details from some of the calendar pages below. All of these cats have been featured in past Neko Files posts. Can you guess who they are?

To find out if your guesses are correct, pick up a copy of the calendar and see the whole pictures!

Sprite

I suspect I've met Sprite before, but just didn't realize it due to a case of mistaken identity. I may have thought I was petting Dempster, who also has a sprinkling of white fur on his chest, or Luigi (at one of those times when he's shed his signature single white whisker), who also has a tendency to chew on a finger or two when he gets overstimulated.

We do have more than a few black cats at the sanctuary, after all.

Sprite is, of course, very much his own distinct self. He's been at RAPS for some time and seems to be quite a fan of Leslie. He perked right up when she smiled at him as she passed the shelf where he was sitting, and sat up straight and tall as he leaned into her pats. He liked me well enough, though he couldn't decide whether to rub against me or nip at me. This latter activity brought one distinguishing characteristic to my attention - this guy's got long fangs!

Even though he curled up for a snooze after Leslie moved on to continue with her work for the evening, Sprite did let me entice him with a few head rubs and ear tickles. Getting up from his repose for further cuddles and perhaps some photos, though? Not a chance.

Update: Autumn's Babies

At the end of September,  RAPS cat sanctuary became home to six kittens and their mother Autumn after being discovered and trapped in a composting plant.  I was fortunate to have seen two of the kittens being brought into the sanctuary on the day of their arrival.  They were tiny, terrified little souls whose cries could melt even the iciest of hearts.



Trick

Since then, I spend every Wednesday with the kittens getting to know them and helping to socialize them so they can learn to trust and build bonds with the humans around them.  As they say, it’s a tough job but somebodies got to do it.


To enter their pen is a delight both for the eyes and also the ears. It seems that if you lay your hands on any one kitten, they all instantly start to purr.  An enthusiastic purr to the power of six that could rival the sound of a 747 ready for take-off.


Leif, Pancake, Trick and Treat

The kittens all seem to enjoy human company although they are still reluctant to be held in my arms despite my best efforts to entice them.  They do however, enjoy lots of physical affection and don’t back away from hands that want to touch their soft fur.  It seems that play and wrestling with each other is high on their list of good things in life.


Trick and Leif

Trick and Leif

Leif is one of four brown tabbies and is distinguished by his longer fur particularly around the ears giving him a rather exotic look almost like a Lynx cat.  He is also the biggest of the bunch and the bravest.  He seems to be the ringleader of the group.

Waffle

There are three other short haired tabbies: Ariel, the only female of the group; Trick distinguished by his white muzzle; and Treat. All are intensely curious but it is Treat, fierce hunter that he is, who always seems to find my camera strap no matter where I hide it so he can jump and attack it.

Pancake and Treat

There are two black and white kittens: Waffle, who has a white nose and muzzle and Pancake who also has a white muzzle but his white patch is smaller than Waffle’s markings and also asymmetrical.  Interestingly, these two boys seem to be shyer than the tabbies.  They took their time getting to know me and Waffle spent a lot of time hiding in the box on the scratching post. Interestingly, it was Pancake out of all the cats who eventually succumbed to a cuddle in my lap.

Leif and Treat

So for a good time, do yourself and these kittens a favor and visit them in the Teens house, guaranteed to put a little sunshine in your life.

Ariel and Pancake

Ariel and Pancake