Cat Chat®

#183: Dr. Elizabeth joins Tracie to help a listener who has doubts about her veterinarian's decision to give prescription food to her cat. Are they missing something?

#182: Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado recommend getting a baby scale and weighing your cat regularly as a "health tracker" to note weight loss or gain, the impact of feeding changes, and even as an early warning of Hyper-T, a common treatable thyroid condition.

#181: Cat Behavior & Retention Specialist Rachel Geller praises the patient efforts of the man who adopted a super shy cat, Puma and gave the cat the time and space she needed to come out of her shell at her own pace.

#180: Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins felt so bad for her feral porch cats — Tux and Boris — in the minus 13 degree weather in Idaho that she ordered a heated outdoor cat house for them, not even knowing if they would dare to go in it. Tux the tuxedo cat immediately took up residence! {Maybe your feral kitties need one if your climate is really cold, too?] 

#179: Does you cat exhibit symptoms of stress and anxiety like over-grooming to the point of bald spots, or episodes of sudden intense aggression? Dr Mikel Maria Delgado discusses when to talk to your veterinarian about behavior medication [psychopharmaceuticals], after your vet has thoroughly checked your cat for any health issues which could be impacting behavior.

#178: Dr. Casey Locklear discusses how Revolution Plus is a once-monthly topical you put on the back of your cat's neck that is an all-around protectant to keep her safe from ticks, fleas, ear mites, hookworms, roundworms, and the untreatable heartworm — and has been doing so safely for over 20 years. 

#177: Dr. Jennifer Conrad tells about how people can make a donation to put their cat in the credits of the upcoming documentary film "American Cats: The Good, The Bad, and The Cuddly," that supports The Paw Project to help end declawing.

#176: Corrine Bourgoin — the adoption supervisor and shelter operations manager at MSPCA Boston — talks about why she has achieved a "return-to-owner rate" that is 10 times higher than rest of U.S. 

#175: Hanna Fushihara works with cats and their people online at Noseworkcats.com, to create an olfactory treasure hunt for kitties. Be amazed at how enriching your cat's life deepens your understanding and love of them.

#174: Jen Glick makes jewelry from whiskers and fur, but not only from pets who have passed away. If you find a shed whisker from your kitty, the Whisker Lady can transform it into jewelry. 

#173: Sarah Brown's book "The Hidden Language of Cats — How They Had Us at Meow" is filled with astonishing truths about kitties' unique communication with us, not the least of which is that they don't meow at each other!

#172: Dr. Ron Gaskin in Minnesota talks about the revolutionary surgical reversal he has pioneered to relieve the pain and disfigurement of the feet of declawed cats. He and Tracie talk about the cruelty and suffering being imposed on cats by veterinarians still mutilating cats' feet with declawing [although they know better] — and owners who don't discover the harm done until their cats...

#171: Jae and Adrienne, The Crazy Cat Ladies, developed a "Cat symptom checker" which is an informational chart based on thousands of questions they have gotten from cat lovers about holistic, naturopathic treatments for feline problems.

#170: Katie Haegele's richly illustrated book “Cats I have Known” will remind you to reflect on the diversity of cats who have left their mark on your heart throughout your own life.

#169: Cat behaviorist Dr. Rachel Geller responds to the complaints of the owner of Ringo, but she and Tracie are sad to learn the owner didn't wait to hear solutions to the problems before giving up on her kitty. Please ask for help before you reach your own "last straw" moment.

#168: Lili Chin has taken the research about how cats communicate with us (or how they try to but we are not listening!) — and with charming drawings and simple explanations has made it easy for us to "speak cat." 

#167: Stacy LeBaron talks about starting a podcast about TNR and feral cats years ago, when people barely knew what a podcast was — and how her work has grown.

#166: JJ Yosh Simon is famous for his exploits with Simon, the Bombay cat who swims, kayaks, snowboards, white water rafts, and rock climbs with him. So he built his house for Simon!

#165: Megan runs Basil's Cradle Sanctuary and talks about helping many cats who were fat from eating "kitty crack" lose weight slowly and safely. She tells the sad but ultimately happy story of NeNe the Siamese — who went from 22 lbs. to 8 1/2 under her careful and loving care.

#164: Cat behaviorist Rachel Geller offers free advice to cat owners in a "no judgment zone" where she works together with them to solve problems. 

#163: Justice Le, owner of Doyen World, designs and creates unique cat toys with a "wow factor." Her fetching catnip toys will be in the party bags at the Dr. Elsey's' Meow Party (October 20th) at the NYC Meow Parlour, and in the filmmakers' gift bags at the 6th Annual NY Cat Film Festival on October 21st.

#162: Jae & Adrienne offer advice on social media to a huge following of cat lovers — learning and sharing information about cat wellness.

#161: Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins talks about the importance of slow and steady weight loss for overweight cats (no more than 1/4 lb a week) because abrupt weight loss can overwhelm their liver and cause life-threatening fatty liver disease. The fat cat needs at least 50% of his diet from high quality protein, which will bind with the fat packed around his liver and package it out of his body. 

#160: Author Cate Conte discusses her most recent Cat Café Mystery, set in a haunted inn visited by a psychic during Halloween, with an intrepid cat who solves one of the many mysteries.

#159: Jonathan Losos returns with his book “The Cat’s Meow: How Cats Evolved From the Savanna to Your Sofa” and describes what we can gather from the many different meow sounds each cat can make.