Portland man reunites with cat
after emergency double lung transplant
SHERWOOD, OR (June 5, 2015) – Gary DeCarrico was not expecting to be in the hospital for months. He
had a severe headache and went to see the doctor. As it turned out, he would spend the next few weeks in
intensive care before his health took an even graver turn.
DeCarrico contracted hospital-acquired pneumonia, an infection of the lungs during his hospital stay. With
his immune system already weakened by adult cystic fibrosis, the infection spread fiercely and quickly.
DeCarrico was fast-tracked for an emergency double lung transplant.
All the while, one of his biggest concerns was who would care for his seven-year-old tabby cat, Wilhelmina.
“She’s the sweetest cat, and she’s so happy being in a home,” DeCarrico explains. He worked with several
friends who were willing to housesit and care for Wilhelmina.
DeCarrico went to UCSF Medical Center, where
he waited 8 months for an appropriate donor. It
was during this time that the plans for
Wilhelmina began to fall apart.
The latest friend caring for Wilhelmina was
moving out of the country and there wasn’t
anyone else who could step in. DeCarrico
brainstormed for alternative options, but
ultimately gave the friend permission to take his
cat to a shelter.
“I felt awful,” recalls DeCarrico, “but I could
not find anything—anything—for Wilhelmina.
All I could do was try not to be sad and focus
on what is the best for the wellbeing of this
cat.”
Wilhelmina became a resident at the Cat Adoption Team
(CAT) shelter when her owner needed emergency
surgery. Today, she is reuniting with Gary DeCarrico
following his double-lung transplant..
At the end of last year, his friend took Wilhelmina to Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS) with the
hopes she would find a new, permanent home.
On January 18, 2015, DeCarrico had the emergency double lung transplant that would save his life. By the
end of March, he was released from the hospital but had to remain in the area for about 12 weeks for
post-operative observation.
During this time, DeCarrico would check the MCAS website to keep an eye on Wilhelmina. When her
online adoption profile was removed, he assumed she had been adopted. He says at that time he felt, “If
she’s happy; I’m happy.”
In May, DeCarrico was finally able to return to his Portland home. As he was settling in, he found
Wilhelmina’s food dish.
“I thought, this has left such a hole in my heart, I’m just going to call and see what I can find out,” he says.
When DeCarrico contacted MCAS, he was told that the cat had transferred to another local shelter, the Cat
Adoption Team (CAT) in February.
DeCarrico checked CAT’s website to view the cats available for adoption. To his surprise, Wilhelmina’s
picture popped up on his computer screen. He saw that she was being housed at CAT’s Thrift Store in
Raleigh Hills, and he immediately went to see her.
“It was great – she was just sitting there looking happy. I started talking to her like I used to and she looked
up at me real slowly, took a good look, and it was like: ‘I know you,’” DeCarrico explains.
Because of his transplant, DeCarrico needs special filtration systems installed in his home, which means
several weeks of construction. Still without a way to keep Wilhelmina at his home, DeCarrico wondered
what he could possibly do.
After talking with several members of CAT’s Thrift Store and shelter staff, a plan emerged.
“Everyone at CAT is thrilled that Wilhelmina will get to go back home,” said Karen Green, CAT’s executive
director. “Figuring out how to reunite her with her family was an honor.”
A friend who hadn’t been able to take Wilhelmina in when DeCarrico first went into the hospital, now
could. She agreed to pet sit Wilhelmina in until construction at DeCarrico’s house is complete.
About the Cat Adoption Team
The Cat Adoption Team (CAT) is the Pacific Northwest’s largest non-profit, feline-only shelter committed to finding a
home for every cat it takes in. CAT’s mission is to save the lives of homeless, unwanted, sick, and injured cats and to
work with our community to provide feline expertise and quality programs and services for people and cats. CAT has
found homes for nearly 35,000 cats and kittens since it opened in May 1998. As a 501(c)(3) publicly supported
charity, CAT relies on the generous support of individuals and organizations.