Find Me A Home - 1: Adam & May

When visitors arrive on a Sunday afternoon, at some stage they almost inevitably look round at all the front courtyard cats, and ask about adoptable cats. And our answer is usually the same: our adoptable cats can be found at the No 5 Road Shelter, and the majority of the Sanctuary cats are non-adoptable. But as I wrote in a recent 5-part series, there are actually several cats who are adoptable, and who aren’t at No 5 Road Shelter for a variety of reasons. This is the beginning of a series featuring some of those cats.

The 5 Road Pen

Back about five years ago there was a sudden influx of adoptable cats to the Shelter, and staff had to make hard decisions about cats that had been there for a while without adoption prospects. A bunch of cats were moved to the Sanctuary and placed in what was then called Packers Pen – at that time the home of the remaining cats which had been trapped at the former Steveston Packers site. The resident group was aging – and in fact, in the years following, they all passed on. The 5 Road cats settled in well – there seemed to be a truce between the residents and the newcomers – and within a few years it was known to volunteers as the 5 Road Pen. Since then, we have been able to return a few of these cats to the Shelter for adoption – but there is still a core group remaining.

Adam and May are part of that core group. Both have been featured in the Neko Blog individually, but it is apparent to us that they are a bonded pair – they’re comfortable around other cats, and willing to explore independently, but they are happiest together, and often found cuddling in the same bed.

Adam is a calm presence in the pen. For some time cats were not thought to be the same sort of social species that dogs are, for instance. But studies have shown that there are very definitely social hierarchies among cats, and they can be most clearly seen in the way that cats rub against each other – the highest ranking cat is the one that other cats come to rub against most often.  Adam is definitely a rub-ee rather than a rub-er.  He can often be found lying right by the gate on a Sunday afternoon, waiting for visitors to arrive with treats.

May is shyer with visitors, but friendly and approachable once she has decided to trust. Her distinctive markings attract attention

It would be wonderful if this pair could go to a good home together. Individually they would probably be fine, but the upheaval of a move would be made much easier by each other's presence. We usually tell new adopters that if you adopt one kitten, you’d be better to take two, to entertain each other. With adult cats, that’s sometimes harder – established personalities don’t always mesh well. But Adam and May would settle into home life together without any trouble – and we’d love to see it happen!

Blog and pictures by Brigid Coult