Shelter vs Sanctuary

In the dictionary, sanctuary is a synonym for shelter.  In common usage, however, we tend to think of a shelter as something temporary and a sanctuary as more enduring.  Shelters for animals and for people are considered places to go in extreme circumstances – until things get better and living in the shelter is no longer necessary.   When you hear of an animal sanctuary you think of lifelong placements.  I want Winnie’s Wish to be both.  For every single cat who ends up in the Winnie’s Wish cathouse, I wish the ultimate wish – for that cat to become adoptable AND BE ADOPTED.   But for any cat who ends up here and for whatever reason might not ever be adoptable, I want the Winnie’s Wish cathouse to be a sanctuary.

 When I have a cat living in the cathouse (or kennel cat room) who has issues that make him or her virtually unadoptable, I am completely OK with having that cat live here indefinitely.  Sometimes this has to do with a physical problem.  Sometimes the issue is psychological.  Sometimes the problem is the feral start a cat has had in life (though many of these cats do eventually – over much time – become adoptable).   The most important thing for me is whether or not a Winnie’s Wish cat is actually happy here.  People who don’t know animals will make crazy statements about how you can’t know if a cat or a dog is actually happy.  For those of us who have cats and/or dogs living with us as family, we know it is absolutely possible to know whether or not that animal is happy.  This is true for me with my own pets and with my Winnie’s Wishers as well.

 When I have a particular cat who might be considered unadoptable, I am completely ok with it IF that cat is happy here.   At other times (MOST times) I have cats who are certainly living in better conditions than they’ve come from, but who want human attention so badly that I hurt every day for them.  As one of twenty cats, they cannot get the human interaction they crave.  THESE are the cats I need homes for.  Unfortunately, I do not normally have “easy” cats.  Mine come from backgrounds that make them into adults who need very patient, very loving homes.  But homes they DO need!  These are the ones who simply do not get enough human affection here.  If given the time to adjust (which is sometimes quite a while), these are the cats who finally have what they truly want – a real home, their very own loving person (or people), a chance to finally live The Good Life.

 

I have some Winnie’s Wish cats who will continue to live here for as long as they remain the happy kitties they are now.  Isis and Quinn both did time in the cathouse and simply did not adjust.  I would have pushed hard to get them into homes (and thus out of the cathouse) except that they are still, to this day, terrified of everyone but me.  AND – they love their lives.  They live in the kennel office and Kitten Room.  I shower them with attention when I am there.  They act as greeters to the various cats and kittens who make a temporary stop in that area before moving on to the cathouse. 

 

 

Goldie lives in those two rooms with Isis and Quinn.  Goldie has had one of the toughest adjustments of any Winnie’s Wisher.  I always blamed that on the fact that she was an adult feral cat when I took her in.  But after months of working with her, I made a discovery.  Goldie is deaf.  After a year and a half, she is now a very happy cat living in the kennel office and Kitten Room along with Quinn and Isis.  For many months now she has been my friend.  She talks to me (a very strange voice which she cannot hear herself), reaches for me, and comes for petting.  She still does not allow me to pick her up or corner her.  But she purrs and stretches towards me and even plays with the toys in those rooms. 

 

Duchess is the cat I fostered several years ago when she was very near death.  When she finally recovered, she went back to the shelter.  But she spent every day after that sitting high on a shelf in the same spot.  And EVERY time I visited the shelter, she perked up and reached for me.  She now lives happily in those two rooms with Isis, Quinn, and Goldie.  Every day I prepare a special meal for her because of her chronic sinus problem (she can only manage a certain consistency).  She absolutely loves me and I guess she always has.  Maybe something in her remembered how hard I worked to save her.    

 

For these four cats, Winnie’s Wish is a sanctuary.  These are happy kitties right where they are.

 Then there are the Winnie’s Wishers who have shelter, food, medical care, toys.  They are living in comfort.  But they are not as happy as I long for them to be.  They only receive minimal human contact and each one of these kitties so desperately wants more.  These are the kitties I must work hard to find wonderful homes for. 

 Tinkerbell and Peter Pan share one particular mannerism that is completely endearing and really sad at the same time.  When I pet them, and I start to pull away, each one grabs my hand with their front paws and pulls it back.  They don’t want me to leave.  They want me to stay and pet them.  Peter Pan hides quite a bit from the other cats.  He is a smaller-than-average male and I think he feels intimidated.  Tinkerbell nearly turns upside down when I approach her.  She is always so excited when I head in her direction.  She runs and jumps from surface to surface following me all the way to the front door when I leave.  I look back in and she’s staring at me through the glass.  For Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, I hope Winnie’s Wish is a temporary shelter.

 

Traci Mae is older and has done enough time in shelters.  She purrs and purrs when I pet her.  She spends the rest of her time just trying to stay out of the way of the other cats.  For Traci Mae, I hope Winnie’s Wish is a temporary shelter.

 

 

 

Sallie is afraid of some of the other cats.  She doesn’t like to be picked up and she is almost impossible to give medication to.  But she is loving.  She doesn’t start trouble with the other cats and she comes across as somewhat of a loner.   For Sallie, I hope Winnie’s Wish is a temporary shelter. 

 

 

Sienna, who started life in a feral colony and who took a full year to completely tame, now follows me all over the cathouse.  She drops to her side right in front of me every time I stop to scoop a litter box or fill a food bowl.  If I sit down anywhere in the cathouse, she jumps into my lap.  She even runs outside onto the cat deck if she thinks she can get a glimpse of me from there.    Because of her history, she will require a longer-than-normal adjustment period, but she definitely needs a home and human of her own.  For Sienna, I hope Winnie’s Wish is a temporary shelter.

 

 

 

Finally, Sugar Cookie.  Sugar Cookie is young and playful and a very loving cat.  She has not yet been spayed so has not yet moved to the cathouse.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if she could go to her forever home without ever living in the cathouse at all.  Most of the time she sees me only once a day and seems thrilled when I enter the room.  For Sugar Cookie, I hope Winnie’s Wish is a temporary shelter.

 

 

 Friends – this is one of those posts I hope you will take the time to share.  Surely there is a permanent home out there somewhere for one of these precious Winnie’s Wishers. 

 See you tomorrow.

Comments

[Ginny & The Fur Family]

You are so attuned to the nature of all the cats in the cat house and Winnies room. I pray that someone who wants a cat or two or even more will realize that these cats form friend ships just like humans. Some really need to be adopted together. A deaf cat can live alright if they are comfortable with their surroundings and the others in their rooms. Having had my share and been over catted for years I find myself with several aging cats. I have a nursing home for furries. I needed them then and they need me now. So it goes. I wish with all my heart that some one out there will read about these special needs cats and take them for the love they will give freely. Even feral cats love in their own way. I have a crippled cat who is still feral after 12 years but he loves me and is less afraid and secure with me than he would be with anyone else. He could not have ever made it out side. He is a sweet Tuxedo. This is a great post today because it show cases the cats who most need homes with their own humans and ones who need to just stay with you in the cat room. The rain has come and cool weather is upon us. God bless out side feral creatures,and give them comfort. Ginny & The Fur Family

[Andrea and the Celestial Kitties]

Oh what sweethearts they are! A home of their own is so important! They need a loving human to take them in and give them time to adjust! My Cashmere, who was a Winnie's Wisher, was supposed to need a long time to adjust, but she was so happy to have a human all the time that she seriously adjusted so fast it shocked me! I hope that each of these darlings get a home and are so happy that they adjust fast! And I hope that if they take a little time, that their family is good to give it to them! Won't you help find that wonderful kind of family?? You might know someone who knows someone, if you share, they might find their very own furry love and YOU would have helped!
Don't forget Winnie' Wish needs any help you can give them, from direct donations, to book sales, to fulfilling Wish List items! Please help where you can!

[Random Felines]

shelter or sanctuary, these kitties are lucky to have you....to help them on their way or keep them safe where they are. :)

[Dogs N Pawz]

They are all beautiful! Sharing.

[Sue]

Thank goodness there are people in the world like you who put their caring into action. Sharing.