Cat Chat®

#222: Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado says if you offer the right toy[s] to your cat s/he might play alone with a racetrack style toy, a robotic toy, a few small toys to bat around or a wobbly weeble toy.

#221: Professional cat photographer Karen Hoglund says that the “sweet spot” for photographing a black cat is to place him at the edge of a sunbeam.

#220: Zazie Todd's book "PURR: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy," includes "scent as enrichment" on her "happiness checklist" — recommending you get toys with catnip, valerian, honeysuckle (that comes as a block of wood) and/or silver vine to discover which ones delight your particular cat’s amazing nose.

#219: Dr. Sameera Nalla discusses how being an intern at the Animal Behavior Wellness Clinic in Maryland is taking her beyond a lifelong dream of being a veterinarian, taking her on her way to becoming a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, a small and select specialty group.

#218: Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado talks about the dangers to a cat of any medication we put on our skin — pain relievers, hormones — and how your cat can wind up licking you or you can stroke and play with your cat and deposit some of the residue on their fur where they will groom it off.

#217: "Kitten Lady" Hannah Shaw talks about how she and her husband, Andrew Marttila, a distinguished professional cat photographer, created their book CATS OF THE WORLD to show us how philanthropic cat tourism can be a way for anyone to truly connect with like-minded citizens of the world who are looking after the their community cats. 

#216: Marlan Roberts, the Executive Director of Best Friends in New York City, talks about the 3-day adoption event Oct 12, 13 & 14 at the NYC Lifesaving Center in preparation for Best Friends being the beneficiary of the Premiere of the 6th Annual NY Cat Film Festival on October 15th.

#215: Nicole Tersigni created hilariously snarky captions to accompany stunning cat-inclusive paintings in her nifty little book “Cat People to Judge in Art and Life” [which will be in the gift bags of all the filmmakers attending the NYC Premiere of the 7th Annual NY Cat Film Festival on October 15th].

#214: Cate Conte's 8th book in her Cat Cafe cozy mystery series — “Shock and Paw” — is about the danger of losing the small newspaper on their island and an unscrupulous cat breeder attempting to create costly designer cats. 

#213: Michele Campbell explains how she turned a passion for her own kitties into popularity on TikTok with 600 episodes of her Cat’s Eye Witness News — three of which will be featured in the 7th Annual NY Cat Film Festival.

#212: Dr. Amy Pike, the board certified veterinary behaviorist who owns the Animal Behavior Wellness Clinic outside Washington, D.C., talks about the new anti-anxiety medication Bonqat, designed to calm cats before visits to the veterinarian. 

#211: Zazie Todd has a "happiness checklist" in her book "PURR: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy," which includes the importance of keeping a regular schedule for cats, who like the predictability of mealtimes and playtimes happening at pretty much the same time every day.

#210: Cat behaviorist and jazz singer Sara Goldenthal created "Angels Surround Us," soothing music for shelters to use free of charge to help lower the stress and anxiety of cats in shelters which she observed first hand.  

#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.