February Blog of the Month - Cat Wisdom 101

It gives me great pleasure to introduce our February Blog of the Month  - Cat Wisdom 101 - with an interview of blogger (among many other things!) Layla Morgan Wilde.

Please, tell us about yourself and your cats.

Cats are a life-long passion and my creative muse. I wear many hats but they all revolve around cats: from writing, photography, life coaching to cat consulting. I founded the Canadian registered charity, The Annex Cat Rescue in 1997 to create a unique program of fostering and TNR. At the same time, as a certified transformational psychotherapist, I noticed as I counseled clients at my home office, my cat Merlin not only helped calm my clients but led me to link human behavioral issues with feline behavioral issues. My cat Merlin inadvertently led me to my unique approach to life coaching for cat lovers when I moved from Canada to the U.S. ten years ago. I now consult internationally for humans and/or their pets.

My agent is currently pitching several books and a TV series.

I currently share my home with four male cats.

Merlin a blue point 17-year-old Siamese is the patriarch. Vain, demanding and vocal, he’s wise beyond his years, half blind and the boss of me. He’s my biggest teacher.

Gris Gris at age 13, is a tiny, mysterious wisp of smoke. Toothless and riddled with parasites, he was rescued after ten years of living as an unsocialized, basement mouser. Deemed unadoptable, it took months before he purred or welcomed petting. Confident and loving, now known for taking exuberant leaps of joy, he’s transformed into the poster cat for senior adoption.

Odin was adopted at the same time as Gris Gris but are polar opposites. Odin, turning two in June of 2012, was rescued off the mean streets of the Bronx as a four-month old kitten with an infected eye, which later was removed. His remaining olive orb sees all. A natural athlete, he excels at agility training and tree climbing. His sleek white and silver tabby form is the charming George Clooney of cats. A rising star, he’s already appeared on The Daily Show and his romantic escapades with his “girlfriend” featured in the New York Post on February 2012.

Domino, a Ragdoll mix arrived seven years ago on our porch, as a starved, feral young adult with a frostbitten ear and broken tail. He made the porch his home where he eluded capture (and neutering) for years. He taught me to respect every cat’s own healing process. After two years, he learned to vocalize and gradually sought human and feline company, but always from a distance. Odin, ever the charmer eventually friended him and helped lure Domino, ill with an abscess into a trap. Our mobile vet arrived and neutered Domino, treated the abscess and told us the bad news. He was FIV+. Shortly afterward, Domino agreed to taste indoor life where he has turned into a lap cat and purring machine. All my cats adore him. He’s the ultimate survivor who taught me anything is possible with love and patience.

How and why have you started blogging?

My first blog, The Boomer Muse launched in July 2008 as a creative vehicle for my passions: writing, photography and cats. It continues to serve as a motivational adjunct for my life coaching clients and to provide insights for anyone on a spiritual path. Its mandate is: peace, love & insights. It’s a quirky, personal mix of wit & wisdom that evolved to include book reviews, a photo quote de jour and Cat Saturday. Cat Saturday evolved into stand-alone blog/Website Cat Wisdom 101 in June 2011. There is a synergy between both blogs, and we’re thrilled to connect with over 50,000 visitors monthly.

What is the focus of the blog - your special angle on cats?

Our mandate at Cat Wisdom 101 is: to enlighten & entertain cat lovers everywhere.
By enlighten, I mean provide insights in a generally entertaining or light-hearted manner. Even our weekly Vet 101 Q & A with Dr. Rich Goldstein is written with a humorous touch. As a holistic cat behaviorist, I believe there are many approaches and I prefer to keep an open mind and heart. I’ve learned there are exceptions to every rule and the science of cat psychology is in its infancy. As an animal advocate, I believe we teach by example but there’s room for levity. My goal is simple: create more awareness = more adoptions, happier cats and happier humans.

At Cat Wisdom 101, we believe in providing a unique variety of content not found anywhere else. The lives of my four cats are chronicled in words and images. All the photography is original. I’m proud to be a professional members of the Cat Writers’ Association where I won the 2011 Muse Medallion for best color photography.
Photographing cats both indoors and outdoors everyday has proven to be a useful tool for understanding cat physiology and behavior. Observing cats in a mindful manner can be enlightening on many levels.

When and where do you usually write your blog posts? Where are your cats when you’re writing and do they help out?

I’m not a morning person and generally write blog posts in the afternoon or evening. The location varies according to the season. I have a large home office with two desks. I sometimes work on a laptop in bed or outdoors on the wrap-a-round porch of our antique farmhouse in Westchester County N.Y. My cat Odin is known to leave his paw marks on my keyboard, but help out with writing? Until they develop opposable thumbs, they are limited to being foot warmers.


Is there a single blog post that you're most proud of? Care to share the story and a link to that post?

One of the few subjects I’ve tackled without my signature humor is a serious one, which shines light on the link between domestic abuse and animal abuse. Many women stay in abusive relationships because they fear harm will come to their pets if they leave. This post highlights the small but growing number of women’s shelters that accept pets:
Real Love Doesn’t Hurt

Any special message for TheCatSite.com members?

My love for cats stems from the loss my first kitten at age five. It instilled in me a life-long passion for animal rights and learning everything I could about these amazing creatures. I’ve never stopped learning. By observing and truly listening to our cats, they not only teach us about their nature but shine a light on ours.