First person with the Atlanta Beat's Catherine “Cat” Whitehill
Despite her nickname, Atlanta Beat defender and World Cup star Catherine “Cat” Whitehill loves dogs. Her two companions have supported the 29-year-old through uncertain times.
During the U.S. women’s national team’s 2006 residency training camp in Los Angeles, my neighbor rescued a pair of mixed Rottweiler-Labrador puppies sitting on the 405 [interstate]. They are siblings, and I took the sister puppy — that’s Izzy. My teammate Aly Wagner adopted Izzy’s brother, Herman.
Izzy’s a nomad like me, and she’s content as long as she has her Pepto Bismol-colored pink blanket. When my husband, Robert, and I moved across the country, we had room for either her blanket or the turkey fryer. I told him we could make a turkey properly another way.
In 2008, I was based in Raleigh while my husband was in medical school at the University of North Carolina. We talked about getting another dog after the Beijing Olympics. Then I tore my ACL and needed a friend.
I went to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Raleigh and told them I wanted a white German shepherd. Maeby is part husky and striking with natural eyeliner.
It wasn’t the smartest thing, getting a dog before surgery, but she definitely helped me through missing the Olympics and watching them on TV. Maeby was a distraction that I definitely needed.
My dogs have given me a passion for making people aware of adopting rather than buying from a puppy shop. I joined Athletes for Hope, along with Muhammad Ali, Steve Nash, Tony Hawk, Andre Agassi and others. One Christmas, we competed to raise the most money for our charity. Tons of people showed up for a benefit walk I led for the SPCA in Raleigh, and I raised more than $10,000 to finish among the top 10 Athletes for Hope.
When I played in D.C. with the Washington Freedom of Women’s Professional Soccer, I took Izzy to a psychiatric hospital to love on some of the kids who were having a tough time. She is extremely calm, and she just lies there as if to say, “Pet me.” The kids really liked her.
I’m so happy to be with the Atlanta Beat because I can stay with family here while my husband is in residency in Boston. My dogs and I are staying with my cousin, who has a dog of her own and a great yard in Decatur.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, my dogs have been the most consistent part of my life. In pursuing my sport, and in my marriage, I haven’t always been able to go home to my husband. It’s awesome to know Izzy and Maeby will always be there. We are all best friends, inseparable.
Reported by Michelle Hiskey
