Carole is available for bi-coastal house calls, international phone consults and her current book is THE TOTAL CAT (Quill). She also sees appointments at Westside Veterinary Center in Manhattan. Subscribe to Carole's free newsletter on her website by clicking onto www.thecattherapist.com/wilbourn_way.htm

My column will appear online the second week of every month.
If you have a question guardians, please send an email to Carole. Scroll down to see my column. I can't answer every email I receive, so please check the archives. Your answer may be already there.

It gives me great pleasure to announce a new IDA Contest that gives special recognition to our "Elder Cats." It's so easy to enter. Any cat age l3 and over is an eligible contestant.

Simply write in 100 words or less why your cat should be the winner, and send it in along with an e-photo to thecattherapist@idausa.org or a photograph to CATS ON THE COUCH CONTEST c/o IDA at 3010 Kerner Blvd, San Rafael, California 94901. A photo must be included in order for your cat to be a potential winner. The deadline for entries is April 1, 2007.

There will be three winners.

1st prize: "I am my cat's guardian" short-sleeved t-shirt, IDA commuter mug, and IDA greeting cards set, and phone consult with The Cat Therapist

2nd prize: "I am my cat's guardian" short-sleeved t-shirt and an IDA commuter mug.

3rd prize: IDA license plate frame and black IDA logo lanyard.

His purr fills my senses as I type. He is on my lap. My laptop is on the desk. His name is Orion. We haven't lived together long but it feels like a life-time.

It's been four months since my cat, Diana-Moon-Dust, went over the rainbow. Orion will never, ever take her place but he has his own place.

Let me tell you about him. I wanted to share my home with an older cat who needed and wanted to be the only cat" because it's usually difficult to accommodate this need. Most guardians have more than one cat and until Diana, I'd always lived with two cats.

Ever since my college days, there had always been a Siamese cat in my life. So I decided on an Older Siamese male. Of course, he would be a rescue. All of my cats were. I called my sister Gail and asked if she would help? She knew all of my former cats and most of all she knew me. "Why of course," Gail said.

By the next day, Gail had located a five-years-old, neutered Siamese on a Siamese Rescue site. "Carole, he lives south of L.A. Is that ok?" said Gail. I told her it was and I'd fly out and get him. I made the necessary arrangement, flew out to Los Angeles and spent the night at Gail's house. Two days later Orion and I flew back to New York.

Oh yes, his former name was Montana. I named him Orion after the heavenly star. According to Greek and Roman mythology, Diana, the huntress, was tricked into killing the powerful god, Orion, by her brother Apollo. He was jealous of Orion and felt Diana wasn't moving the moon as she should. Diana was so grieved by her mistake that she asked Zeus to make Orion a star in the sky.

I had named my Diana after Diana, goddess of the hunt, women and moon, so now I am living with Diana's star. He more than lights up my life.

Hello Carole,

We just don't know what to do about one of our cats, Raja. She's approximately 10 years old and exhibits all the classic symptoms of anxiety: aggression toward humans and other animals, avoidance of the litterbox, sensitivity to noise, etc.. Let's start with aggression toward humans she does not know. Lately she has been hiding when people come to visit, but at one time she would attack me or my husband when someone knocked on the front door. Once, at the sound of a knock, she even positioned herself in the bedroom doorway, hissing, growling, and spitting in my direction until the knocking stopped (I didn't dare move toward the bedroom door so that I could go downstairs to answer the front door). My mother refuses to cat-sit her anymore because she attacked her the last time we were on vacation (my mother says that she had the bowl of food in her hand and was talking softly to Raja when she all of a sudden lunged at her with claws and teeth out). She is still sometimes aggressive toward me and my husband, and it usually seems unprovoked: for example, she might be curled up on my stomach, purring away and enjoying being petted, and then all of a sudden she'll swipe me and let out a hiss and a growl. I understand the concept of over stimulation, but her reaction is so severe that it seems that this can't be the explanation. She's also aggressive toward our other cats if they come near her, although she tends not to seek them out for a fight (at one time she was the only cat, which I'm sure has something to do with her anxiety). The biggest problem is the litterbox issue.

This has been a problem for her from the time she was a young cat (and the only cat in the household), and it's only gotten worse. A few days ago, she urinated on a bench we keep in the foyer, and while she was doing it she was looking right at us. She does go in the litterbox some times, and there have been long periods of time when she's had no incidents outside the box, but the problem always seems to come back. The past few weeks have been particularly bad. We just don't know what to do, so we've confined her to the basement where there isn't as much furniture to be ruined (and this way the other cats, all males, won't attempt to mark places she's soiled). I try to spend time with her each day, but it breaks our hearts to think that she's down there by herself most of the time. I really think her problems stem from severe anxiety. Our other cats are able to relax (in fact, that's what they do best!), but Raja never seems relaxed. Even when she's asleep, if one of us simply walks by her without making much noise she wakes up and looks around with frantically large eyes. We've talked about trying some anxiety medications (we've tried Feliway and Rescue Remedy and haven't seen much change in her behavior with those). Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. She has a long life ahead of her and we desperately want her to be a happy member of our family (which includes myself, my husband, and three male cats).

Thank you,
Erin Richardson

Dear Guardian Erin,

Your poor cat, Raja, is out of coping control. She's filled with fear and insecurity which makes her lash out whenever she feels threatened. Of course, this fear is not rational but Raja is not rational. So we have to; protect her from herself.

You need to make her comfortable and safe in a small cozy, sunny room. A large basement is not the answer. Within her room or special space, she should have the following: two litter boxes, lavender oil of essence, soft music, any favorite toys or objects, nutritious food, scratching post or pad, cozy, washable cushion or blanket and perhaps a multi-vitamin. Whiskers is a fine source of nutritional information (1-800-WHISKERS.)

You could also make an audio recording of your voice and music to relax her. My book, THE TOTAL CAT, has a chapter on this procedure. An anti-anxiety drug is an option or a homeopathic remedy. You'll need the advice of a veterinarian.

Raja needs your help. It will take time and patience. She needs to regroup in all areas. Right now she's batting zero. You might think of her as one who had a nervous breakdown. Don't take any of this personally. It' related to what she inherited from her parents, her relationship with her littermates and her ability to cope. Thanks for taking care of her needs.

Hello Ms. Wilbourn,

I've been having a bizarre problem with one of my cats. We currently have three cats - Mr. Palomar's probably about 3 years old, Totoro's 1 and a half, and Zippy's just turned 1. About a month ago (or maybe more like 2 months now), we turned on the faucet in the kitchen sink and Totoro went bonkers. Previously, he'd hated water - he was always very careful not to get his paws wet and hated if anyone happened to splash while he was nearby. We have a double sink in the kitchen, with a divider between them. On this one day, the water splashed down onto the divider and ran down into the sink. This made Totoro crazy, and he jumped up into the sink and tried to bat at the water. Ever since that day, anytime there is a faucet on, Totoro is there. If we turn on the faucet full-blast to brush our teeth or wash the dishes, he flies under it, sticking his whole head under the water and trying to bite and paw at the stream or the drain - and obviously getting entirely soaked in the process. It's not a case of him wanting to drink from the faucet - it's more like he's offended and needs to kill the water. He spends his days either sitting in the sink or on the counter next to it, waiting for us to turn on the water. If we're in the kitchen he prowls on the edge of the sink and meows at us. He can be sleeping on the couch in a cat-pile, or cuddling with someone as usual, but if anyone gets up or walks towards the sink, or even has dishes in their hands as if they might be heading to the sink, he leaps up and dashes into the sink ahead of us. It's his only interest, and occasionally even pulls him away from his food (and he LOVES to eat). He used to like being picked up and held, or carried around, or cuddling in general, but now all he wants is to get to the sink before us. He'll still sometimes sit with me on the couch if I'm there for a couple minutes, but if anyone else stands up and faces the kitchen he's gone in a second. I don't know what to do about this - the vet is perplexed by my description of behavior, and I can't imagine it's healthy for Totoro to have damp paws all the time, and be constantly soaked and then dried off.

I searched the internet for similar answer but could only find information about cats who want to drink from the running water of the faucet - none who wanted to kill it. For your information, also, our cats have two water dishes always full, and the watering can that they sometimes like to drink from is available too. They get fed twice a day, and water all the time, and as much love as they want, but Totoro's driving me crazy and I don't know how to help.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be HIGHLY appreciated.

Thanks for your time,
Elizabeth

Dear Guardian Elizabeth,

Maybe Toronto can swim the channel with his fixation of water. Seriously speaking, when the water went astray in the sink, somehow that gave his head and body a flash-back of something that upset him. His muscle memory of that traumatic event surfaced. He felt threatened and the; water became his enemy.

So—now he has this obsessive compulsive behavior, which stems from his unresolved, residual angst-he's obsessed with "the water". He's going to get it before it gets him.

You can try taking him to the sink when the water isn't on and hanging out with him in a fun, loving way. After awhile, turn the water on—just a tad and comfort him. Try that several different times.

Another option is to give him a bath, but use gloves, many towels and see if that will end his water "fury".

You might relax him with some music therapy—refer to my book, THE TOTAL CAT. His behavior is a SYMPTOM of his angst so this would get to the root of his problem. An anti-anxiety drug or homeopathic remedy are other options.

May Toronto learn to live and let live!

Hi Carole,

I've inherited my mother's cat after my mother died earlier this year. She is 4 yrs old and on the skiddish side. In recent weeks I noticed the fur on her back legs and belly disappearing, so I took her to the vet. She said there is nothing physically wrong other than the cat is anxious and biting those areas, after all the changes she has been through. She gave me some anti anxiety medication to give her. Is there anything else I can do for her?

Thanks,
Larry H

Dear Guardian Larry,

So sorry about your mother but her cat is a wonderful legacy. Yes, she's had a severe nevous reaction which was triggered by separation anxiety. 1. Try to give her supplements with the Omega FattyAcids, which are very good for the skin. 2. You might also look into a liguid medication called Omega Maxx for cats that can be added to her food. It's made by Animal Nutritional Products in L.I.C, N.Y.

Reassure her and try to brush her. Catnip might help to relax her. My book, THE TOTAL CAT, will help you and visit my site (www.thecattherapist.com). Best to the both of you.

Mid-Manhattan Library

Tuesday, March 20th, 6:30 p.m.

455 Fifth Ave (at 40th St)

New York, NY 10016

www.nypl.org

There will be a GUEST cat present.

TESTIMONIALS

Thank you for sending along your testimonials. It lets other guardians know that their cat questions can be solved and lets me know that my column is helping cats to leave the couch.

Fabulous Felines

Don't miss out. You owe it to your cat/s. Scan photos to thecattherapist@idausa.org

Click on to Fabulous Felines and you'll see why this is a Feline Must!

Testimonials

Cat guardians, There is a new addition to CATS ON THE COUCH. Click on to TESTIMONIALS and read all about Winston and his rescue.

Stroll With Your Cats

There's a perfect and fun way to safely enjoy the outdoors with your cats. Click on to thecattherapist.com and then to Kittywalk

Cat Talk

CAT TALK is now available. Find out what your cat is TRYING TO TELL YOU. So guardians, click on to the Cat Store.

Carole's Newsletter - "The Wilbourn Way"

The Wilbourn Way Newsletter is Carole's free email newsletter, which brings you Carole's personal view on cat culture monthly..

Molly Of Myers Keswick Is Rescued

"Oh come on Molly you can do it," said cat therapist Carole Wilbourn.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Cat therapist Carole Wilbourn used the sounds of whales on tape and catnip to try and lure Molly out Wednesday. CBS

Feral Cats

Saturday, September 9, in San Francisco, the third annual National Feral Cat Summit will take place. You don't want to miss the only conference in the U.S. devoted exclusively to feral cats. Click on to neighborhoodcats.org for details.

Feral Cats

Each day we strive to give our cats the very best care. Helping feral cats is a valuable and wonderful way to extend social response to Neighborhood Cats can be your source of assistance.

You may even be the guardian of a feral cat—so you're aware of the beauty they possess. My late cat, Ziggy-Star-Dust was a feral kitten and the cure for my anxious, reformed attack cat, Sunny-Blue. After Sunny passed-on, Star-Dust took on many of his Sunny's traits—particularly, Sunny's Siamese cry. He was nine years old at the time but lived until seventeen. He taught me so many things, including patience and loyalty.

There is a chapter on feral cats in my book, THE TOTAL CAT, click on to my site, thecattherapist.com, for more info. You can also refer to the archives for my column, click on to Archives at top of page. There are articles from 11/04, 1/05, 11/15/05.

Let us all be socially responsible for feral cats on behalf of our own cats.

Remember, please add a picture of your cat along with your cat questions.

» CAROLE'S NEWSLETTER--THE WILBOURN WAY"