“The wild ones have always been my teachers. Their stillness, their presence, their honesty… it became the mirror I didn’t know I needed.”
—Deb
Meet the Keeper of the Wild
Hi, I’m Deb—but in the field, they called me “Cat One.”
For over 40 years, I’ve shared my life with tigers, bobcats, bears, wolves, raccoons, and foxes. Not behind glass. Not on safaris. But eye to eye, breath to breath.
I didn’t just care for them—I learned from them.
About trust. Grief. Boundaries. Power. Stillness.
The animals raised me as much as I raised them.
And now, in this new chapter, my hands may be retiring from daily care…
but my voice—and my stories—are just beginning.
Wildlife Wisdom is where I come to reflect, remember, and reclaim my own wildness.
It’s a sanctuary of memory and meaning.
Not just about animals—but about the parts of ourselves we silence when we care for everyone else.
If you’ve ever felt the wild stir in your chest…
If you’ve ever given everything and lost pieces of yourself in the process…
If you long for permission to rest, reflect, and feel seen…
Then this space is for you, too.
Welcome to the den.
Let’s remember ourselves here.
🐾
—Deb
My Path Through the Wild
1985
Where the Tigers Found Me
I was volunteering at a big cat sanctuary the first time a tiger looked me in the eye.
It wasn’t fear I felt—it was recognition.
Something ancient stirred. I knew, in that moment, I wasn’t here to observe the wild.
I was here to become part of it.
1990
The Birth of Cat Tales
With my husband, Mike, I co-founded Cat Tales in Spokane, Washington.
We didn’t set out to build a sanctuary—we followed a calling.
What began as a dream became a refuge. For animals. For students. And in many ways… for me.
1995
Passing the Torch
We launched the Zookeeper Program—one of the first of its kind.
Hands-on. Heart-led. Rooted in real-world care and courage.
Hundreds of students have come through those gates.
And I like to believe the animals didn’t just change their résumés…
They changed their hearts.
2019
Loss, Rewilding, and the Shift
Mike’s passing broke something in me –and opened something too. Add the chaos of COVID and the strange shadow cast by “Tiger King,” and I found myself reshaping everything I’d built.
I updated programs. I adapted to new standards.
But more than that—I began asking new questions:
Who am I now? What do I want? What’s mine to keep, and what’s mine to finally let go?
🌿 Now – Wildlife Wisdom Begins
Wildlife Wisdom isn’t a project.
It’s a portal.
Through Wildlife Wisdom, I hope to inspire awareness, empathy, and action—
not by preaching, but by remembering.
By telling the quiet truths the tigers taught me…
and trusting that those stories will ripple outward,
one heart at a time.