Felix Calls it a Day
Cat “Therapist” Retires

He doesn’t get around as well as he used to, but his bedside manner is still intact. Patients love him – most are sad to hear he has retired.

Certainly the most familiar face on the fifth floor of The Methodist Hospital’s Main building, he has visited and worked with hundreds, if not thousands, of patients during his time at Methodist. He has appeared on television and radio broadcasts and receives fan mail, often addressed simply to “Felix the Cat, c/o The Methodist Hospital.”

After eight-and-a-half years of working with patients in Methodist’s Rehabilitation Center, Felix the cat retired formally on Dec. 5. The center’s staff threw a farewell party for the four-footed black-and-white therapist.

“Felix will be 13 years old this coming spring and he is getting a little creaky,” says Denise Widmar, the certified therapeutic recreational specialist who first brought Felix to Methodist. Felix has had two knee surgeries and a toe amputated, and at times he has weighed as much as 20 pounds. The resulting limited range of motion for Felix helped weigh in Widmar’s decision to retire him.

Felix spent most of his time on the Rehab unit, but on weekends he went home with staff members and Methodist employees. Recently, he has been going home with Gary Gardner of security, who first met Felix while he was conducting security rounds. Upon retirement, Felix went home for good with Gardner and his wife.

“The hardest thing for me is not to take Felix home,” says Widmar. She already has two cats – Chaos and Serenity – and Felix would probably not get along with one or the other (most likely Chaos), Widmar predicts.

Felix first came to Methodist in 1994 as part of a program called animal-assisted therapy. Visiting with animals can help people feel less lonely and less depressed. Many patients undergoing the lengthy process of therapy and rehabilitation can become discouraged or depressed, and interacting with an animal is therapeutic for them.

“Seeing, touching and talking to an animal helps to make patients more comfortable and responsive,” says Widmar. “Felix has helped patients work on their motor skills by playing a game with them. The game, called Kitty Teaser, involves a fishing pole that patients move to involve the cat.”

The origins of animal-assisted therapy date back to the 18th century. In the last century, the practice fell out of favor until it was revived to help with the rehabilitation of soldiers wounded in World War II.

At Methodist, a group called Caring Critters visits weekly with a variety of docile animals that interact with patients. Most of the “critters” are dogs, but there are a few cats and even a talking cockatoo (a great hit with patients).

Widmar has not yet decided if another animal will replace Felix.

“It’s going to be hard to replace him,” she admits. “He’s become the mascot of the floor.”

She also confesses that the retirement party was really more for the benefit of the staff, rather than for Felix.

“It gave us all some closure,” she says. “That last day was a very sad and emotional time around here.”

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/01_15_03/page_08.html