Feline Truckers Snowball, Jack, Gordon - Carole Wilbourn
Carole Wilbourn, The Cat Therapist, has been the leading voice in feline therapy for over 5 decades. She has helped thousands of cat moms and dads explore, face, and resolve cat behavioral and health issues. Carole is truly the most trusted Cat Therapist in the United States.
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09 Sep Feline Truckers Snowball, Jack, Gordon

Posted at 23:26h in Blog by

With the current shortage of human truckers I’m reminded of Wayne’s trio of feline truckers, his co-pilots …..

The Prodigal Returns Home But Snowball Rejects Jack
(Feline Recognition Crisis)

Wayne’s Cascadia that his cats co-pilot

“My Jack disappeared from home the week after Christmas,”  said Wayne. “Somehow he made his way out the front door on the sly. Then one Saturday as I stepped out to bring in the groceries, Jack slipped in. I found him deep in sleep on the couch.”

Wayne went on to tell me how thrilled he was to have his Jack back. But there was a little hitch, maybe two. When Jack disappeared, Wayne didn’t want his ten year old, Snowball, to be alone, so he adopted Gordon, a five year old,  from a nearby shelter to keep her company. That was four months ago. If Jack returned, Snowball would have two guys to admire her.

Jack #1 co-pilot

Although Jack returned his usual, happy, playful, low key self, Snowball hissed at him and kept her distance, whereas Gordon kept a low profile. Wayne knew Jack must be confused by Snowball’s
reactions and her chummy relationship with Gordon. He contacted me for a program to restore harmony to his catdom. Rather than a house call to his home in Dallas, he chose a phone consult.

Snowball and Jack in the truck

As I talked to Wayne on speaker phone, his favorite music played in the background. He told me that his wife of so many years passed on last year to a long and arduous battle with diabetes. She was in and out of the hospital which wreaked havoc with their usual life style. Wayne is a truck driver of a Cascadia, 18 wheeler big rig. This keeps him on the road for long stretches at a time. His wife suggested that he take Snowball and Jack along with him so there was no chance that they would be neglected when he was on the road and she was hospitalized. Wayne was both surprised and pleased with his cats’ acceptance of their new “habitat”.  He refers to them as his co-pilots. Jack, particularly, likes the sun and curls up on the dashboard, whereas Snowball chills out in one of her special spots. There’s loads of room so they have their pick.

SNOWBALL FELT JILTED
I told Wayne that Snowball was startled, confused and agitated by Jack’s long absence and sudden appearance. You might say she felt “jilted”.  Jack, her once good friend, became an alien. Now her reaction was to withdraw with an attitude.
“So what do I do to clear the air between these two? said Wayne

RECONCILIATION PROGRAM

  • Repeatedly tell Snow Ball how generous she is to invite and welcome Jack back. Sure, she won’t understand your words, but she’ll sense the positive feelings and slowly relax and chill. The more relaxed she feels, the more she’ll refrain from anxious feelings and behavior, Jack will once again become her friend.
  • Indulge her daily with her favorite past time — which you mentioned is tummy rubs. The massage eases tense muscles, thus tense attitude.
  • Continue to play the relaxation music to reinforce their focused attention during the session. Think of it as their favorite song — background music.
  • Engage them in play together to inspire hanging out together. Catnip and boxes, paper bags and tissue paper will provide fun places to hide.
  • Arrange for the vet to provide them with a microchip so they can be identified if they go astray.
  • Install a screen door as a barrier to escape from the front door when it’s left open.

BREAKTHROUGH
Wayne emailed me a few days later with a picture of his three cats stretched out on the bed. Snowball was now less reclusive, and he’d be in touch to let me know how Snowball and Jack accepted their new co-pilot.

 

Communal catnap for the trio

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Wayne’s follow-up email — “Well we’re a happy traveling working family, my 3 co-pilots and me. Take a look at this photo you made possible.”

……..