Therapist helps top cats purr

Link : http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/10/06/life.cat.reut/index.html

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- If the idea of hundreds of cats in one room makes you uncomfortable, fear not.

Therapist Carole Wilbourn can help. If you're a cat, that is.

The therapist will be on hand for this weekend's cat show in Madison Square Garden, where breeds from Japanese bobtails to hairless Sphynxes will be competing.

All that excitement can make a cat crazy, the New York-based therapist said at a preview on Wednesday, where she was providing "relaxation therapy" to an Abyssinian kitten.

The delicate kitten's eyes closed and his head sagged while a New Age tape recording of flutes and whale sounds played.

"All I have to do is wave something, and he'll go cuckoo again," the cat therapist admitted.

Wilbourn's fees start at $85 for a telephone consultation and $325 for a house visit in Manhattan with follow-up telephone calls.

While Wilbourn makes her living understanding cats, or perhaps more importantly understanding their owners, at the cat show, few would concede their pampered cats needed therapy.

"Does this cat look like he needs a therapist?" asked Ronnie Fischler as she combed a huge fluffy Persian sprawled on a table. "If he got any more relaxed, he'd be dead."

Next cage over, a sleek Tonkinese cat squirmed and wiggled as he looked at the hairy Persian, but that was no cause for therapy, said owner Sue Robbins.

"He sees the big hair, and he thinks that cat is angry. He just doesn't understand big hair," she said.

Nor did a champion Siamese need Wilbourn's help, said owner Pat Miuse. "Therapy? Not my cats," she said.

A hefty Maine Coon cat slept through the entire affair. "He needs anti-relaxation therapy," said owner Samantha Ross.

Owners were happier relaying why theirs is the best breed.

The hairless Sphynx is low-maintenance, said Sandy Adler. "There are no hairballs, and you can wear black," she offered.

The silver spotted Egyptian Mau loves to swim, countered owner Carol Babel. "If you don't want him in the shower or bathtub, you'd better close the door," she said.

Alas, the black Bombay has nothing fancy to offer, said owner John Clark.

"Unlike a lot of the cats here, the Bombay doesn't do anything," he said. "He has no skills. He just is."

The show, with more than 40 breeds of cats and 25,000 fans expected, is sponsored by the Cat Fanciers' Association and Iams Co. and runs Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10.