THE WILBOURN WAY BLOG
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(AKA Cats on the Couch) For a better view Click http://cattherapist.blogspot.com/
Dear Readers,
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| A Pope for all species |
When Pope Francis, the head of one of the world's most conservative institutions, warns that "we need to be more progressive" on animal protection -- we have reached a defining moment in history.
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/pope-francis-on-how-compassion-for-animals-can-help-the-environment/
Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times A Pope for All Species
Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times A Pope for All Species
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| The Freedom Tower |
On the Anniversary of 9/11
I can see the top of the Freedom Tower from my apartment windows. On that tragic day in September, in the midst of a run along the Hudson River, I witnessed the attack on the second tower. Soon after I was able to give advice to those many guardians whose homes were uprooted by the tragedy and who wanted to do the best for their animal companions. Although more than a decade has passed since that catastrophic disaster, the effects are still greatly felt. I want to extend my heartfelt support to all of you and your animal companions whose lives were irrevocably changed on 9/11.
New Kitten Competition
“This
isn’t what we expected”, they said. Emma and Gus had recently adopted two
kittens to join Kitty and Shanti, their two five year old spayed, female
sisters. The sisters were an inseparable pair. Shanti was always the
adventurer. Kitty was the climber.
As I took their case history, Kitty staked out her position on the climber, whereas Shanti stretched out on the floor or wandered in the other room to check out the kittens. Gus
told me how Shanti was entertained by the kittens, but Kitty’s appetite was
off and she spent a lot of time under their bed. She always liked to scurry
under the bed, but now it was over-done. Sometimes Shanti would crawl under to
keep her company, indeed, the good will ambassador.
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| Shanti cotemplates next adventure |
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| Kitty the climber |
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| Metta and Moses the new kittens |
“We
know the kittens haven’t been with us that long, and it will take awhile for
the transformation to happen, so we wanted your evaluation so our two sisters
wouldn’t be compromised,” said Emma, “and already Kitty is upset.”
“Well
four’s an even number, and there’s at least one male to defuse some of the
natural female rivalry. Let me give you some tips on how to treat your feline
family quartet.”
Treatment Plan for Feline Family Quartet
- Make sure you say a couple of words to the sisters whenever you touch or talk to the kittens. Remember, the sisters were used to “all” of your attention before the kittens moved in, so you don’t want to exclude them.
- And don’t think they won’t be affected if they’re not around when you interact with the kittens. Their “cat-sense” built-in radar that enables a cat to sense a change or fluctuation in environmental or atmospheric energy kicks in. It’s their means of instinctual survival. They may not react immediately, with a snub or aggression to you or the kittens, but don’t let this mislead you. Their “reaction” could surface later out of nowhere.
- Remember that we all like to be acknowledged, and verbal acknowledgment is easy and goes a long way. Don’t worry about the kittens feeling neglected. You’re sharing their attention, not excluding them. All you have to say is “right girls” or whatever comes to mind.
- Spend some private time with Kitty and Shanti. This way they won’t be overwhelmed by the high energy of the kittens.
- Remember kittens will be kittens. You may have to sit with Kitty while she eats. As time goes on, she’ll need less paw-holding.
- Since Kitty has always slept with you at night while Shanti has slept around, you could always close the bedroom door and she can hang out with the kittens.
“So
far the kittens haven’t sat on our lap, they’ve been too occupied with play.
When they do, what do we do?” said Emma. “You
can tell them how it’s so good of them to hang out with you, and you can thank
the sisters for their company,” I said. “Got
it,” said Gus, "As long as the sisters get the feeling it’s because of them,
they don’t freak out.” I
nodded, and as their music played, Kitty stretched out on her climber and Shanti
followed her lead.
I explained that they may one day end up with four lap cats. Or, the sisters could continue their path of resistance and the kittens will fill in for them. But with this treatment plan even if they don’t copy-cat the kittens lap-wise, peace will prevail.
Carole's Take on Oscar The Cat Who .....
Orion's Catitudes
(Orion, a recovering feral rescue, gives his cat-speak on cat issues)
Orion is a great believer in how a cat’s happiness and well being is affected by that of a cat’s guardian and family. So he wants to take this opportunity to give a whisker wave to a few choice items that will please cat people, and their cats and other animal companions will reap the benefits.
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| Gail and husband Tony on the Red Carpet |
1) Always an advocate for equal opportunity, Orion supports the right of gender-identity-- so you’ll want to see his aunt’s (Gail Mutrux, my sister's) movie, The Danish Girl which opened recently at the Venice Film Festival.
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| Happiness Calls Your Name |
2) Meditation comes natural to a cat so Lorrie Kazan’s book Happiness Calls Your Name, is indeed, a must have, to share the wealth.
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| Aromatic Ultrasonic Diffuser |
3) Orion inspects and approves the best aromatic diffuser. It uses ultrasonic waves.
From Hammacher Schlemmer -- no filters or special attachments.
http://www.hammacher.com/Product/86304?promo=search
http://www.hammacher.com/Product/86304?promo=search
4) On
another note, Orion gives a whisker wave for the cat that is large but Zen-like
in demeanor.
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A CAT DEVOTED TO HIS POST
Biggie's passion for his Sisal Rug Direct post delights his guardian whose furnishings are now catproofed.
Scroll down to Natural Cat Products at Sisal Rug Direct. Check out their special discounts.
Carole's Been Anthologized
In The Big New Yorker Book of Cats see Lulu, The Cat The New Yorker Left Behind by Lois Metzer, Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lois-metzger/lulu-the-cat-the-new-york_b_3983154.html
Subscribe to Carole's free monthly Blog -- The Wilbourn Way http://thewilbournway.com/cgi-
Diabetes, Cancer, Litter Box Issues
“Shady
is diabetic and recently ended chemo therapy for a cancerous tumor
in his thigh. In fact, his oncologist and internist were so pleased
with his recovery, and me too. He’s fourteen, no Spring kitten," said Tara. “But …... ever since his last chemo treatment which was
three months ago, he started to defecate on the couch and the bed.
Now he also uses the floor and other random spots.”
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| Shady |
To
look at Shady, you’d never suspect he went through such an ordeal.
Long and large, but neither fat nor thin, he was a charmer with his
seductive green eyes that peered up at me as I stroked his head.
Tara was cat-less when her cat sitter asked if she would foster a
six-year old cat with diabetes. Shortly after Shady settled in with
her, his diabetes went into remission -- only to return a while
later. Anyway, that was eight years ago.
“I
know Shady’s uncomfortable,” said Tara, "especially when he leaves
a few different ‘piles’ that are very soft. What do you think?”
I
told Tara that his whole being physically and emotionally had gone
through a major transition. His indiscriminate defecation was a
symptom of the traumatic effects of his surgery and chemo therapy. "He’s uncomfortable, and his un-catlike behavior is his plea
for assistance. Such major stress for the two of you,” I said.
“So
how do we make him more comfortable?” said Tara. She went on to say
that his doctors had already told her to add a powdered fiber
supplement to his long term special food for diabetics. “It has made a slight difference but not enough.”
“Add
more of the fiber but in small increments,” I said and explained
that an additional supplement, if needed, such as sweet potato might
help. Tara wondered about pumpkin, but pumpkin has a high glycemic
count. A complete change of food might be difficult because of his
diabetes.
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| Shady, Blissed after Reiki |
I
told Tara that she should either use paper towels or WeeWee pads for
Shady to defecate on in addition to his litter box. This was not a
solution but would make it an easier way for her to clean up.
“Remember
to keep his music on a continuous loop. It will actually relax the
two of you and to tell Shady how you got his message. I’ll send a
case report and give a call to Dr. Soboroff at The New York Cat
Hospital.”
As
I started to leave, Shady made his way to his food dish in the
kitchen. Although he was a foodie, Tara mentioned how he ate his food
in periodic laps. Shady really savored his food.
The
next morning I received the following email from Tara:
Sarah
told me that before her problem was diagnosed, she had trouble
sleeping because her shoulder sometimes throbbed. As she rubbed her
shoulder, Benny would leave his spot on her pillow and plant himself
on her chest, with a paw on her shoulder where he would remain for
the rest of the night. She realized that he sensed her pain and
wanted to comfort her.
Shady
used the litter box once last night and also used one WeeWee pad.
Now he’s snuggled up to some catnip and snoozing away. Looks like
he’s started to mend. Terrific! The relaxation music, Reiki and your compassionate understanding
has started the mend. The amount of fat content in his food may now
be problematic for him so we will
continue to get his diet in sync to increase and sustain Shady’s
comfort.
Benny is on Snuggle Auto -- Beyond Needy
Not
long ago I did a phone consult with Sarah, a caller from Montreal
who had read a couple of my books and wanted my cat-speak on Benny,
her “totally smitten” cat. She mentioned how he had always been a
snuggler, but ever since her shoulder surgery, he was on
snuggle-automatic. That was two months ago.
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| Benny |
“I
lead a very active life so it wasn’t until my shoulder pain
interfered with my ‘life’ that I finally made an appointment with
my doctor,” said Sarah. “I’m fully recovered, but Benny is
still on snuggle automatic.”
Sarah
appreciated his companionship during the night. But now whenever she
was home, he would meow non-stop until she picked him up and held
him. If she tried to put him down sooner than ten minutes or even
more, he would practically trip her if she didn’t pick him up.
“ I
adopted Benny when he was a kitten. We’ve been together ten years.
He’s always been super affectionate, but this is over the top.” Sarah
mentioned that as she spoke, Benny was on her lap, snuggled against
her.
I
told Sarah that there were a few things she could do to gradually
fast forward Benny’s behavior to mutual comfort for the two of
them.
Benny's Treatment Program
- Purchase or make a cat papoose or sling that Benny could hang out in so he can be close to you as you move about. Fortunately, he was a slender, small cat so Sarah could handle his weight.
- Continue to replay the musical recording that played during Benny’s consult to reinforce his positive associations. The more relaxed he is, the better you’ll both feel.
- If the papoose or sling is not an option for you, consider a kitty companion for Benny. Maybe it’s time for an addition. You can refer to the Wibourn Way to choose and introduce a new kitten or cat in my books or scroll through to New Kitten Intro http://cattherapist.blogspot.com/2013_07_01_archive.html.
“Carole,
I’ll start with the music, and the kitty sling sounds like a cool
idea. I know I can put one together. Let me put the new kitty idea on
hold.”
“And
remember to tell Benny, you’re okay. Your reassurance will resonate
with him by your relaxed voice and body language as you reassure
him.”
Mayor's Alliance For NYC's Animals
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Adoptapalooza at Washington Square Park
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And you too can make yourself, as well as many a cat and dog happy. Become a volunteer with the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals http://animalalliancenyc.org/help/volunteer/index.htm
ADOPT A LITTLE NEW YORKER TODAY
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