Carole is available for bi-coastal house calls, speaking engagements anywhere, phone consults nationally and internationally. She also sees patients by appointment at Westside Veterinary Center in Manhattan. Her latest book is The Complete Guide To Understanding And Caring For Your Cat. Her recently released CD of spoken cat advice and soothing music is Caring For Your Cat, The Wilbourn Way.
Come back to Carole's home page monthly for cat news and Carole's most recent replies to behavior inquiries from worried cat guardians. To have this home page emailed to you after the story update, click here. You will receive this exact page by email, and it will link you to the other pages in her site, and to the rest of the IDA web site.
THE WILBOURN WAY (AKA Cats on the Couch) Jan. 2010
THE MESSAGE IS IN THE SUBTEXT
SNOW VS. SUN
Orion, my once Southern California cat, is always fascinated when New York has snow. But it may be as he gazes upon the fresh ground of whiteness, he’s actually focused on the little park across the way. In sunny, California-like weather, where we sometimes spend time, Orion is showered with glowing admiration from the park’s habitués, which delights him to no end.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN THE WHITE HOUSE
(Orion, a former rescue, will represent cats and offer nuggets of wisdom regarding Beau, the rescued First Dog—a Portuguese Water Dog.)
BO AT THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Orion wants to acknowledge Bo. On December 23, he appeared at the Children's Hospital in D.C. with Michelle, Malia, and Sasha who read to the children. Bo certainly helped to make the kids’ day a 10—a very cool way to welcome 2010. He’s indeed a significant member of the First Family.
MORE ON MOSIE'S RETURN
Hi Carole,
I read about our Mosie’s return in your December column. Y’all did a wonderful job of paraphrasing my lengthy e-mails. I loved reliving Mosie’s happy ending in print. I feel sure the article will give hope and guidance to anyone else who might have a runaway cat in the future. Thanks so much for your continued support, and wonderful holiday wishes to you and your loved ones (including the four-legged ones!).
Best wishes,
Carolyn
Hi Guardian Carolyn,
Everyone at IDA thanks you for being such a caring and thoughtful guardian. Your Mosie’s return did prompt another question about a runaway cat, but with a different twist. This cat, like Mosie, bolted out the door. Unlike Mosie, who wandered off, this cat, who had recently been adopted from a shelter, was hanging out close to the house. No way, even with food, could her guardian approach her or lure her inside. “She’s been out there for two days. Anything could happen to her,” said her guardian. “What should I do?”
TRAIL OF FOOD TO LURE CAT INSIDE HOUSE
I told the guardian to leave a trail of dry food leading up to and inside the door of her house. The less food the better, so hunger would propel her cat to eat her way back into the house. It may take a few “trails” for this to work. I reminded the guardian not to put out any other food so her cat would be hungry for the dry food. If this plan didn’t work, she could arrange to borrow a have-a-heart trap from a shelter. Once her cat was home safe and sound, she should make an appointment to have her microchipped and to distract her cat with a toss of a toy whenever she opened the front or back door so her cat wouldn’t repeat her getaway.
Thanks again, Carolyn, for Mosie's story.
CASSIDY IS NO LONGER PROPERTY
Hi Carole,
I once contacted you about Cassidy, a neighbor’s outdoor cat, whom we frequently fed and welcomed into our home. We did this because Cassidy’s guardian treated Cassidy and the big dogs she lived with in a casual, slipshod way. The dogs spent most of their time on leads in her yard, and we often saw Cassidy sitting on the porch at all hours of the day. No fault of the dogs who, like Cassidy, were more like fixtures than part of the family. About six years ago, we asked her guardian if she’d like us to take Cassidy in. "Of course not, I’m her owner, and I’d prefer it if you didn’t invite her into your house," was her reply. "Sure," I said, but I could hardly keep myself from shaking her. I contacted you to see if there was anything we could do to make Cassidy part of our family. You told us other than to catnap Cassidy, which was out of the question, this guardian considered her companion animals to be her "property," and it would be difficult to convince animal protection that Cassidy was being abused. Maybe one day Cassidy’s guardian would have a change of heart.
Several weeks ago we bumped into Cassidy’s guardian who told us that Cassidy had been injured, had a case of vertigo, and was now hospitalized. The vet wanted to do a blood test but maybe it was best to have Cassidy put out of her misery. Now I wanted to choke her. Fortunately, my significant other managed to say, “why don’t we pay for her vet bills and see if Cassidy can comfortably rally?” The rest is history. Cassidy is now part of our family. She has just about recovered from her vertigo. We take her out in her stroller so she can "stroll" the great outdoors, while being safe and secure. Later on we’ll attach an enclosure to our back door so she can do solo strolls. Otherwise, she’ll be an indoor cat. We are very, very happy guardians. Cassidy’s attached photo echoes our sentiments. Thanks for being there, and thanks to IDA for leading the crusade for companion animals no longer to be considered "property." We are indeed Cassidy's guardians, not her owners. If anyone owns anyone, it is Cassidy who owns us.
Kris
Bar Harbor, Maine.
Hi Guardian Kris,
What a fantastic way to start 2010! IDA is thrilled that Cassidy is now part of your family where she is appreciated, respected, and loved—as all companion animals should be.
You can now follow Carole on Twitter.
QUESTIONS TO CAROLE
Please consult with your veterinarian first to make certain that your animal companion's problem is not due to any medical condition.
If you have a question for Carole, you can email her at thecattherapist@idausa.org. We're sorry that Carole won’t be able to answer all questions, but the answers to many questions can be found in her IDA archives.
Oscar the Cat Predicts Death
Oscar is the feline resident at a nursing home in Providence, Rhode Island who seems to have predicted the deaths of 25 of the residents. In case after case, when he has curled up next to someone, it usually means they have less than four hours of life left. I was interviewed about Oscar by NBC-TV. Read all about Oscar on their site. To watch my video, click here.
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