Cat Chat ®

#209: Zazie Todd, author of "PURR," recommends grooming a short haired cat to get them to accept (or even love!) being brushed before they get old and actually need it. But no baths, please!

#208: Director Kim Best discusses her film “King of Cats,” that will be in the 7th Annual Cat Film Festival (the NYC Premiere is Oct 15th), featuring Harold "Catman" Sims — who started a cat rescue in his tool shed decades ago and expanded it to a 4,000 sq. foot open plan shelter, alongside his American Museum of the House Cat that draws thousands of visitors a year.

#207: Zazie Todd's book "PURR: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy" has instructions on how to teach your kitty to sit up on her haunches, using the advice she shares here on the how/where/what of giving treats as positive reinforcement. 

#206: Helen Brown credits her childhood kitty as her spiritual guide in her memoir "Mickey: The Cat Who Raised Me.”

#205: Patience is the name of the game! Rachel Geller (her non-profit helping with cat behavior is All Cats, All the Time) talks about the patience required to change cat's behavior and how she recently tried to help someone who was frustrated because the advice didn't work in only three DAYS! Patience is needed to change behavior (both for the cat and the person!)

#204: Starr Cameron talks about feline dementia and the research she's been doing to understand a cat's mental decline as she ages and how we can handle it.

#203: Tracie helps Bonnie to think differently about why her 9-month-old kitten Archie stalks and bites her — and ways she can redirect that energy.

#202: Cat behaviorist Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado discusses the cons (and some pros) of introducing a new kitten to your resident cat, who may be older, frail, and not interested in playing, much less rough housing.

#201: Jemma Forman did a study in England on cats who fetch and made some surprising discoveries.

#200: Mikel Maria Delgado (author of "Play With Your Cat!") discusses the importance of play for kittens, especially up to four months of age. Is it best to have two kittens to burn off their limitless energy with each other — instead of letting them chase and bite your toes?!

#199: Dr. Tracey Deiss is a "cat-vocate," and as part of the Zoetis professional team she is enthusiastic about the new anti-anxiety medication for cats called Bonqat — which relieves stress and anxiety for cats, especially when going for a visit to the veterinarian.

#198: Cats love boxes to play and hide in. Dr Mikel Maria Delgado talks about the ecological and financial benefits of repurposing a simple box into a highly desirable cat hangout. 

#197: Luke Hollenbeck is a cat interpreter, helping people understand why cats pee on their pillow, in their shoes or in their laps! Cats don't need privacy to eliminate, they need safety. 

#196: Mikel Maria Delgado talks about the importance of vertical space and how a cat tree is central to a cat’s need to feel safe - but just like in real estate remember what matters: location, location, location.

#195: Luke Hollenbeck, a certified behaviorist with the Animal Behavior Wellness Center in Washington D.C., wants to help people find connection with their cats and the problem with negative vocabulary being thrown around about cats — which was evident in the Washington Post headline story "Your Cat Isn't Being a Jerk,” for which he was interviewed.

#194: Rachel Geller's free non-profit cat behavior consultancy All Cats, All the Time helps with issues like reintroducing kitties who got off on the wrong foot — walk it back to the beginning, starting with putting the newcomer in "the sanctuary room."

#193: Sally Williams started the Brodie Fund to help pay for pets' cancer treatments, then she created Mission Meow. When her own kitty Mr. Jones was diagnosed with cancer, rather than despair she decided to view treatment as “the gift of time.” 

#192: Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins talks about a new drug that has just come out for cats with diabetes. It concerns her for many reasons: it is only partially effective, it has side effects serious enough to warrant an FDA "black box warning" (like those cigarette packs), plus it is very expensive. She and Tracie urge everyone to avoid creating diabetes in their cats by avoiding "kitty crack" — any dry food — and to feed their obligate carnivore only wet food.

#191: Emily Stein developed TEEF to help clean cats' mouths — which are teeming with “bad bacteria” that she refers to as “the Fungus Among Us,” especially for flat faced cats like Persians. She invented TEEF to “bring good bacteria to the party in a cat’s mouth.”

#190: "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR HUMAN: A Cat’s Guide" by Babas a clever guide from the perspective of a fairly snarky Italian cat about the strangeness of human behavior, featuring drawings by a famous fashion illustrator.