Weird Cat Tails by Marianne Moore

Most cats have tails that are long, straight and proportionate to their body size. However, some cats have what can only be described as “weird” tails – for example, short, curled, skinny or extra bushy. Unusual tails could be due to having an exotic ancestor, such as a Manx (short-tailed breed) or a Japanese Bobtail (curly-tailed breed) somewhere in their family tree, or just because the cat was born that way. Some unfortunate cats acquire shortened or kinked tails accidentally. Whatever the cause, several of the approximately 900 cats at RAPS’ cat sanctuary have weird tails. Here are just a few of them.

Playful little Stanley has a short tail – about half the normal length. Maybe he has some Manx genes, but he doesn’t have any other Manx-like characteristics.

Pee Wee and Sweet Pea are extreme cases of cats born with short tails. In fact, these two dear cats really have no tails at all. Sadly, their lack of a tail is accompanied by a nerve defect at the base of their spines, which results in them having no control of their bowel or bladder sphincters. Pee Wee and Sweet Pea don’t seem to notice that anything is missing “back there”, but they require daily baths to keep their hindquarters clean and healthy.


Poor T.J.’s shortened tail is the result of an accident. A few inches of his tail had to be amputated after it was caught in a door.

Aptly-named Kinko has a normal length tail but it has a few odd kinks in it. It’s just part of Kinko’s unique charm.

Duffy is a friendly little youngster with seriously large plumed tail which she likes to flaunt around her less flamboyantly-tailed feline friends whereas Liam, a large, masculine cat has a skinny little rat-like tail. I’m happy to report that both tails, although rather out of proportion with the size of their owners, are in perfectly good working order, thank you very much.
Several cats at the sanctuary sport what is known as a “gay” or “husky dog” tail, which is usually carried curved jauntily over their backs. Shelley, a friendly little guy, has a tail like this.

There must have been a Japanese Bobtail cat somewhere in Lincoln’s family tree, because his tail is curled exactly like cats of this breed. For obvious reasons, this real sweetheart of a cat is sometimes affectionately referred to as “Cinnamon Bun”.

Morgan probably has the most unusual tail at the sanctuary. Cats with curly tails, like Lincoln, can’t straighten them but Morgan is an exception. She’s a pretty beige cat who may sometimes be seen with her tail completely straight but, when she likes to be more formal, she’ll wear it in an elegant spiral!

Except for the daily baths that Pee Wee and Sweet Pea don’t like much, none of these cats seem to be the least disadvantaged by their weird tails, and the other sanctuary cats don’t even notice that there’s something different about them. Isn’t that just another good lesson that we humans could learn from cats?

Volunteers needed at the Richmond Animal Shelter

The Richmond Animal Shelter is looking for some volunteers to fill the following positions. Please download a volunteer application at www.rapsociety.com and email, fax or mail it to the Richmond Animal Shelter. You can email your application or inquire about these positions by emailing volunteer@rapsociety.com.

Cat Room Cleaner and Caretaker:
Volunteers needed for 2-3 hour shifts (between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM daily) to clean the large cat room. This position involves cleaning approximately 20-30 cat litter boxes, cleaning out cat cages, replacing bedding, food, and water and sweeping and mopping. Volunteers must be meticulous cleaners and enjoy spending time with cats. A three-month minimum time commitment of one shift per week is required. Volunteers for this position must be 19 years or older unless they are accompanied by an adult at all times. To apply for this position, please fill out an application and submit it to the Richmond Animal Shelter.

Specialty Cat Room Cleaner and Caretaker:
Volunteers needed for 2-3 hour shifts (between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM daily) to clean either the small cat room (for recovering cats), the kitten room (for kittens in quarantine) or the senior and disabled cat room. This position involves cleaning approximately 10 cat litter boxes, cleaning out cat cages, replacing bedding, food, and water and sweeping and mopping. Volunteers must be meticulous cleaners, enjoy spending time with cats and be willing and able to enforce any quarantine conditions to prevent the spread of disease. A three-month minimum time commitment of one shift per week is required. Volunteers for this position must be 19 years or older unless they are accompanied by an adult at all times. To apply for this position, please fill out an application and submit it to the Richmond Animal Shelter.

Volunteer Dishwasher and Laundry Manager:
Volunteers needed for 2-3 hour shifts (between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM daily) to wash cat and dog food dishes, and to manage the laundry room (i.e. washing, folding, organizing). A three- month minimum time commitment of one shift per week is required. Volunteers for this position must be 19 years or older unless they are accompanied by an adult at all times. To apply for this position, please fill out an application and submit it to the Richmond Animal Shelter.

Rabbit Room Cleaner and Caretaker:
Volunteers needed for 2-3 hour shifts (between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM daily) to clean rabbit cages and attend to the special needs of the shelter rabbits. This position involves cleaning approximately 20 rabbit cages or areas, replacing bedding, food, and water and sweeping. Volunteers must be meticulous cleaners, enjoy spending time with rabbits and be willing to receive training on handling rabbits and checking for health issues with the rabbits. A three-month minimum time commitment of one shift per week is required. Volunteers for this position must be 19 years or older unless they are accompanied by an adult at all times. To apply for this position, please fill out an application and submit it to the Richmond Animal Shelter.

Shelter Ambassadors:
Help visitors and animals at the Richmond Animal Shelter by becoming a Shelter Ambassador. Volunteers in this position will greet and assist the public when they arrive to visit the animals for adoption. Ambassadors will direct the public on viewing the animals, introduce the animals to those interested in adopting, enforce rules that the public must abide by to protect the animals and clean or straighten out the viewing rooms as necessary. Ambassadors' shifts are available between 1:00 PM and 4:30 PM Wednesday through Sunday. A three-month time commitment is required for this position. Special training is required and applicants must attend an interview prior to being chosen for this position. To apply, please fill out a volunteer application for the Richmond Animal Shelter and indicate on your application that you would like to be considered for the Shelter Ambassador position.

Helen shares her knowledge with new English speakers

In Oct., City Shelter staff person, Helen, provided a comprehensive presentation to two ESL classes in Richmond. These new immigrants to Canada were learning English, and, thanks to Helen, learning the ins-and-outs of animal control, shelters and animal welfare in Richmond. Helen covered topics on how to report a stray dog (while the class practiced saying "I'd like to report a stray dog.") She also covered important topics like not leaving your dog in a hot car, how to respect wildlife near your home, and how to approach an animal. These dedicated students had a lot of questions. Following is some feedback from Helen's class:

Hi Helen
Just wanted to say Thank You to you & Christie for coming to talk to my class. They really enjoyed listening to & learning from you both. When we did a review, they were able to give me the info you presented. You two were great doing the dog in the car roleplay. Please pass on my thanks to Christie. Thank you.
Helen at ELSA

A Blessing for Animals and a Gift For RAPS' Animals

RAPS was so blessed to receive a donation of food from the St. Alban Anglican Church after the Sunday service of the Blessing of the Animals. RAPS is so grateful for their help and for reminding people of the importance of caring for animals. God bless our friends at St. Alban.

Check out the St. Alban website at http://www3.telus.net/public/albansbc/