Who Are They?

 

Salem, playing with Honeydew & Leo  (PC)

Volunteer Pauline Chin is present during Saturday visiting hours, and offers this blog.

Word of the Cat Sanctuary’s public reopening has slowly spread and is gaining momentum.  Some visitors have come from as far (so far) as Kamloops just to see the cats.  At least 80% of visitors are first-timers.  Their eyes are aglow and wide as they take in the incredible sights.  With that, comes the inevitable questions, “who’s this?” and “what’s that kitty’s name?”.

Here are the 6 most notorious mystery cats that have graced visitors with their presence in the front courtyard:

Meet the calico sisters.

Kiwi at ease   (MW)

Easiest to identify is Kiwi.  She’s black with orange and white markings.  She’s still warming up to people now that weekends are full of humans, but that’s far from her previous don’t-touch-me-dash.  Of the three, Kiwi is the clearest loner.  Don’t be offended if you only get in a couple of pets before she flees.

Honeydew  (MW)

Next is Honeydew.  Upon first glance, she looks the same as Melon.  They both sport the over-cut bangs and white bodies.  The main differences are Honeydew has a near-continuous trail of splotches on her back and a white chin.  Her personality now is much friendlier and she will interact with strangers.  She still likes Salem, but doesn’t rely on him like in the past.  Honeydew happily hangs out with other cats.

Melon   (MW)

Melon has the most white fur of the sisters.  Her back has a few splotches of orange and black, as if she walked beneath a table dripping wet paint.  She wears a permanent black goatee.  Melon enjoys the company of other cats over humans.  Get her interested with a toy or treats. 

Kiwi prefers the swing canopy to the swing seat (PC)

It’s worth noting that all three will scale the fence and sit atop either the umbrella or swing set.  If you think seeing them up there is shocking, wait until they leap down out of nowhere as if it were raining cats.

Together - but not too much! Melon & Honeydew  (PC)

On to team black!

Salem with Melon  (MW)

Big boy Salem has maintained his harem of girl cats and has also attracted a few others to relax with.  (He’s from Lethbridge, just like the sisters and a handful of others.)  He’s gained some weight and a bronze tan over the 2 years he’s been here.  If he were human, he’d probably sport a gold chain and sunglasses.  His eyes are in the yellow-green spectrum.  Still confident and friendly as ever, he welcomes everyone to join his cuddle club.

Reefer   (MW)

Reefer’s features are more rounded than Salem’s.  His eyes are more yellow-gold.  He too, has a bronze tan from the sun.  Sometimes, he rolls around and ends up wearing all the dust.  

Boxed Reefer (PC)

Reefer prefers staying dry and avoids the misters we use on hot days.  He loves catnip toys.  While he doesn’t have a cat harem, he’s delighted by all the extra admiration from visitors.  He often flops over for affection and is easy to befriend.

Gidget - "Pet me, please!" - KN

Last, but not least is Gidget.  She is a quiet, small black cat who came in with Wickem - though they didn't remain together.  Visitors have remarked about her curly question mark tail.  Her unique feature is her cleft-like mouth; her lips seem to always be slightly agape. 

Gidget - "Do I have to get up?"  (PC)

 I make an effort to wake her up before opening, so she has a chance to interact with visitors. She’s a leg-rubber and can take people by surprise.  She’s sought out more attention this summer than the whole 3.5 years she’s been here.  Gidget became a fast favourite.

Reefer playing  (KN)

If you’re a newcomer, these 6 cats are nice to get to know.  Playing Cat Bingo is another way to familiarize yourself with popular cats.  So, why not learn new names and impress your family or friends?  The cats appreciate being called correct names, too.

Blog by Pauline Chin.

Photos by Pauline Chin, Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

Munch and Cassidy

Munch & Cassidy (EC)

In early July this year, someone reported a tuxedo cat wandering around the outside of the Sanctuary. This sort of report happens from time to time – sometimes the cat in question is a local farm cat who’s moved off-territory, sometimes it may be a cat that’s been dumped here. The latter was a reason that the Sanctuary was Richmond’s best-kept secret for years – we tried to encourage people to surrender their cats formally at the City Shelter. Cats just dropped off are in a risky position – on unfamiliar territory, possibly with few outdoor skills, and with coyotes living nearby. The staff are used to springing into action and putting out cat traps in a variety of different places. 

Munch  (MW)

Sure enough, within a few days, we had a handsome little tuxedo huddled in the trap. Vet check determined that he was young, healthy and very wary. He and his cage went into a larger cage in the Double-Wide to let him adjust. He was a Do Not Enter cat for a while – tended by the med-staff only until they felt he was more relaxed. 

Munch  (KN)

But the reports of a little cat kept coming – so the traps went out again, and before long, we had Cassidy in our care – almost a twin to Munch. He went into the cage next door, and before long the two of them could be seen visiting through the mesh. 

Visiting through the bars  (KN)

Cassidy was the more approachable of the two, and quickly accepted petting and attention; Munch was warier and needed a very gentle approach. When their cage door were opened, Cassidy quickly moved in with his brother, and the two could often be found together. They belong to the select company of cats that found their way here (we assume) and have been named for fictional detectives John Munch and Brian Cassidy in the Law and Order spin-off series Special Victims Unit. 

Bookends  (KN)

The two are almost identical - there is a little variance in the face-blaze, and Cassidy has a distinctive spot on one of his hind legs.  They may look like identical twins, but they’re very different in personality.  Cassidy is the more daring of the two cats, and it didn’t take long before he had explored the Double-Wide and made himself at home – while Munch preferred to remain on his own turf. Cassidy walks around with a happy-cat erect tail; Munch's tail stays low. Though the two were never seen together on the trail-cams, pre-trapping, when the pictures are viewed retrospectively, it's very obvious which cat crossed in front of the lens.

Cassidy  (KN)

When a cage is opened up, we don’t always know how the cat will react. Sometimes they head for the cage-tops, and end up hanging out with DC and his buddies; sometimes they will shift to the Deck and either hide under the drapes or make friends with the Red-Light cats. Sometimes the cage is open, but the cat remains right there. Big blond Oscar has refused to move from his cage, while his travel-mate Charlotte is spending all her time in the gardens. New boy Thomas (blog to come) is also reluctant to move far, though we hope he’ll pluck up courage soon. 

Cassidy exploring  (KN)

Cassidy and Munch's differing personalities are clear here.  Munch seems to be quiet, introverted, happy to stay at home - with an occasional venture onto the Deck with the other tuxedos. Cassidy is the extrovert, the explorer, and it wasn’t long before he’d made his way into the back courtyard and was investigating things like boxes and flower-beds and other cats. I don’t know whether he’s learned to negotiate the laundry-room door, or discovered the Deck exit, but he’s happy to be out and about – just as long as he can make his way back to spend the evening with his brother Munch.

Cassidy squashing Munch  (KN)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Elianna Chin, Karen Nicholson. Michele Wright

Sadly, Munch proved to be one of those cats who couldn't embrace the comforts of Sanctuary life, and managed to find every last hole by which to escape. Having been re-trapped and returned twice, his body was found on the road; traffic is dangerous for stray cats...

Cassidy has made himself totally at home; he is potentially adoptable, but loves the faux-freedom of the Sanctuary. He would need to go to a home with a catio or a safely enclosed garden.

Gardens and Gattos

Mercury (LBF)

Many of our cats have come to the Sanctuary as untamed ferals, and the experience of being caged is very uncomfortable for them – necessary, initially, because we need to take time to assess them and have the Kitty Comforters work with them – but often not something that can be sustained.

Fabian  (KN)

These are the cats who, in other circumstances, would be deemed unadoptable, and euthanized;  they don’t want anything to do with us, and in the buildings, they try to stay high up and out of the way, or hidden behind a drape. In the gardens they can find hiding places in the greenery.

Chirpy supervising planting  (KN)

Lindor helping with choices   (KN)

The Sanctuary is truly a sanctuary for them, because there are so many places they can hide, especially if they are back-courtyard cats. We have several volunteers who are gardeners, and much work has gone into filling flower beds, so that they can also be safe cat-beds. 

Leonardo diCatprio  (KN)

Preparing the garden to do some new planting always brings a few feline helpers, and planting needs to be done quickly to avoid too many deposits in the fresh soil. 

Hillie  (KN)

Some plants, like lilies, are not good for cats to be around, and they have been carefully eradicated; roses rather than lilies have gone into the beds, as well as splashes of colour with red runner beans (tasty for humans) and nasturtiums.  Summer interns have seen to the regular watering of both front and back gardens, and emptied water-bowls keep things moist.

Rico  (LBF)

Charlotte staying out of reach  (KN)

There is netting all around the Sanctuary to keep the cats in and the coyotes out – but the mesh is hidden for the most part by shrubbery, which offers shy cats all kinds of place to hide. Japanese knotweed springs up very quickly around the edges, and needs constant cutting back – but the cats in the north pens like it for shade and sleeping places.

Kramer   (LBF)

Some of the pens are grassed, and it’s often allowed to grow to give comfy corners for snoozing; maintaining it is hard, though, since the little feline “gifts” in the grass make a standard mower impractical, and the weed-whacker is pretty noisy.

Racks  (MRJ)

Potted Holland  (KN)

In the pens that are largely paved, greenery is provided with potted plants, and climbing plants. And if the pots are large enough, they provide another comfy place for resting.

Chaga  (MW)

Pen 6 has both real and artificial grass – but many of the inhabitants like to be up on the waist-level walkway where they can have shade and hiding places in overhanging plants, or sitting on the window-ledge of their play-hut.

Sandy goes climbing (KN)

Trees have their place too – both to provide leafy hiding places, and to allow for some height. We were all concerned when feral Sandy needed a back leg amputation to rid her of a cancer; it’s good to see that it hasn’t slowed her down much, and she’s even trying a little tree-climbing.

Ollie  (LBF)

Even Ollie will abandon his bed on the clean laundry to go out and enjoy a little sunshine and smell the flowers - and Alfred will take time out from bugging other cats to enjoy the garden world.

Alfred  (LBF)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Marla Rae Jenkins, 

Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

A Day for Chance

Chance in 2009  (BD)

Chance (formally Last Chance) - was an early acquaintance for me when I discovered RAPS. He was in many ways the archetypal scruffy stray, and not a cat that would easily find a home. The Sanctuary was Chance’s home, and he was loved by staff and volunteers alike until his death in 2013. Our annual summer party (cancelled for two years now, thanks to COVID-19) developed a tradition of taking a moment to remember Chance and all the cats like him who had passed through our hands. We would read the story of The Rainbow Bridge, and the names of the cats who had passed since the last Day of Chance, there were tears and happy memories – and many cats around who wanted our attention RIGHT NOW, if you please!

Sweet Sammy - newly come, and sadly, newly gone (KN)

In this blog, I always write about the beloved cats who have gone on at year-end -  and sometimes (as little as possible) when an iconic cat passes. This year we had a particularly brutal few weeks in early spring when in short order, we lost Puffin, Chateaux, Fable, Janine, Spooky, Ninja, Minnow, Skittles, Zimmer, Darwin and Shadrack – and they were memorialized in a March blog

sweet front-courtyard Fable  (MW)

On the last Saturday in August this year we are having a quiet virtual Rainbow Bridge Day for staff and volunteers, an opportunity to remember Chance and other raggedy strays, and especially the cats who have passed since last year. Here are some of our furry loves not already mentioned above. I have linked to some of their early blog entries, but you will find more by following the name listing to the right of the page.

Princess & Spike (KN)

Spike and Princess were a long-term and loving partnership – sometimes with an added buddy, though mostly just the two of them. Spike passed last November, and Princess was left on her own. We lost her just at the beginning of this month.

Elegant senior gentleman: ZeeZee  (KN)

ZeeZee was one of many senior cats who came to us when a senior owner could no longer care for them. As with a lot of the older cats, there were already health concerns, and our focus was on making sure that he felt comfortable and at home with us. ZeeZee wasn’t so keen on other felines, but he loved human attention.

Jack Sparrow & Pops  (KN)

Jack Sparrow and his father Pops came to us from a bad situation - both with considerable physical problems.  Though these two boys were adopted out last year to a home that loved them, they remained ours in our hearts. Feisty little Jack passed last spring, and Pops just this week. We are glad they are united again.

Little Mama on her shelf over the dryer  (MW)

The SingleWide is missing some big personalities in small bodies – all had been with us for most of their lives, coming in as ferals, and gradually acclimatizing to human attention. All three were part of the Dryer Gang.

Belinda & Jenny  (KN)

Belinda and Jenny became true lap-cats, loving being petted by “their” people. Little Mama was always a bit more cautious, preferring the shelf above the dryer to the cuddle-puddle on it, and then her cat-cave, where she could hide out.

Zimmer   (PH)

“Homely” is probably the best description of this sweet boy who had obviously lived a hard life as a feral, and who was terrified of us for some years. Gentle determination and good experiences finally brought him around, and in his last year with us he enjoyed being petted and loved.

Lovely Lincoln (MW)

One of two Lincolns in the back courtyard, this boy was always known as “beautiful Lincoln”. Sweet-tempered and affectionate, he is much missed.

Two sweet old ladies - Renee & Calista (KN)

These two little sisters lived here most of their lives. Calista was the shyer of the two and preferred to hang out with her buddy Jamie;  chatty Renee preferred human company, though she did not appreciate our constant efforts to keep her unmatted! Calista passed before Christmas; Renee just this past week.

You have chicken? GIVE ME!   (KN)

A loud voice was silenced when we lost Dexter. With the leukemia cats, it’s only a matter of time, but Dexter had been with us longer than most of them. We think he was deaf, and he was very vocal in getting our attention at dinner-time.

Chateaux (Ashes) and Shadow (MW)

These two boys came in together – possibly litter-brothers. At some time in the transfer there was a mix-up in names (Marianne Moore told the story) and it took a while to sort out which one was which. Shadow lived in New Aids; Chateaux proved to be FeLV+ and made his home with the other leukemia cats. The two of them passed within months of each other.

Leland  (HC)

For a grumpy guy, front-courtyard Leland was much loved. He didn’t much like other cats, but humans (especially his beloved Debbie) who would sit and cuddle him – that made him very happy.

Samantha  (MW)

In her glory days, this pretty girl was the most photogenic of the cats – the camera loved her! She was still very shy when I first met her, but social with other cats – especially her series of feline boyfriends – VanDyck, Eclipse and Chimo – all loving snuggle partners.

Staff and volunteers love working with the cats – but with so many seniors, it can be hard to come in and find that a particularly well-loved cat has passed. We constantly have to remind ourselves that if it were not for our work, many of them would have lived short stressful lives, or been euthanized as ferals. In our care they have had much love, and many of them have returned it.
 
See you on the other side of the Bridge, kitties!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Henley Chiu,  Barbara Doduk, Phaedra Hardman,

 Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

I want to take the opportunity to thank former volunteer Claire Fossey, who wrote the initial blogs (linked above) about many of these cats, and through whom I first got to know them.

Pen 2 Pals

Calvin on "his" doorstep  (MW)

 Some cats are strongly territorial – not in the sense that they will defend their territory, but that they establish their space and stay there. In some areas in the Sanctuary that is enforced, of course – SingleWide cats stay in their building, as do the Aids and Leukemia cats.  But in both front and back courtyard there is the potential for a lot of movement between areas, and it’s interesting to note the cats who like to visit and those who stay in their own space.

The newly-painted pen 2  (MW)

Pen 2 is very much that sort of area. The cats who live there came to us in 2016 from the Shelter, and were all cats who for one reason or another had not been adopted or were deemed unadoptable. I blogged about them in the following year with an intro and a look at the blacks/tuxedos, a feature on the tabbies and one on the coloured cats.

Cadbury (KN)

Four years later and most of the same cats are still living in the same cabin.  We’ve lost Tubby and Minnow, Sophie migrated to the TeaRoom and Celeste to the DoubleWide, Zivko has set up his Boys’ Club next door in Pen 1, and Kevin is often with him – but everyone else is usually there. They have been joined by Skittles’ beautiful brother Cadbury, who occasionally craves petting, but is usually shy – and by Hillie’s sister/cousin Yma, who still does NOT want to be touched, but is curious.

Yma - watching from a safe distance  (KN)

My Friday morning is spent out in the back pens.  There’s a routine – a quick circuit closer to the TeaRoom to pick up plates from the night before, and put them in to soak. Then, gather scoop and bucket and start at the back to pick up the remaining plates and do the clean-up simultaneously. Pen 4, where I usually start, used to be very quick and easy, but needs more work these days, with more cats living there. Across to Pen 3 where I always used to spend cuddle-time with Dell – these days pen 3 is full of teenagers, and quiet cuddling isn’t yet on the menu.

Paula, Chase, Calvin (KN)

As I enter Pen 2, Yma scurries from the door to one of the kennels. If Cadbury is outside, he usually takes himself out of the way – if he’s indoors, he will stay on his shelf till he knows who it is. As I open the door, there is a rustle of activity. I don’t know if they recognize my voice or if the reaction is common to all volunteers – once they realize it’s me, they are active and interested.  On Fridays I bring a baggie with some of my own cat’s diet food, and some dental kibble. You wouldn’t think that stuff that’s “good for you” would be so popular, but it’s different from their regular kibble, and therefore “special”. Cats don’t do deferred gratification very well, so there’s a certain amount of edginess as I scoop their boxes and sweep out the cabins; a quick check to see that all the bedding is clean, and the excitement builds. 

Salina (MW)

Calvin, as always, is the ringleader, and comes down the ramp to take over the window-ledge and demand his share. He’s actually not good at sharing, and Chase will often get stuck on the ramp, unable to access his brother’s goodies or to go backwards to the shelves. Salina paces anxiously till she gets her portion.  Barbie usually remains in her bed; she likes the odd treat, but often she feels it’s not worth the effort; Booty is often the same.  Palma and Paula are still shy and hover on the top shelf or in the corner – they want their treats, but without direct human contact, please!

Chase and Calvin (KN)

On a cleaning shift there’s often not time to spend the sort of quality let-me-touch-you time with cats that we would like.  I don’t know about other people, but I tend to focus on getting the job done, and then I’ll go back afterwards for more time with favourites.  Sometimes that involves treats, or grooming; sometimes it just means contact.  Most of the Pen 2 cats will remain in their cabin for the greater part of the day – as it cools and dinnertime comes, Calvin, in particular, will wander round and make a few visits in the vicinity. Shy Paula is sometimes an honorary member of the Boys’ Club.  But it’s rare that you’ll find the Pen 2 cabin empty – it’s a much-loved homebase for the cats who live there

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Karen Nicholson & Michele Wright

November 2024:  Sad to report the passing of Calvin - loved and loving - gone to be with his brother Chase

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