Comfort Creatures

This week we're joined by Tess James Mackey, author of the absolutely terrifying young adult thriller Someone Is Watching You and certified horse expert. She joins us to talk about her time at horse college, further dispell the myth of the horse girl and shares some excellent anecdotes about her pet tortoise! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.or...

We're tired of pretending most of our favorite poems don't include animals! The truth is Alexis and Ella love poetry! Particularly poems about animals (or animals as metaphor)! We've each found some of our favorite animal focused poems and had a wonderful time sharing and discussing! We also have some pet updates: Percy is HOT and Crumb gets closer to talking with every french fry! Plus, a fantast...

This week we're joined by the Ornithologist, Bird Ringer and wildly successful Mya-Rose Craig aka BirdgirlUK. Mya-Rose was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bristol at just 17 for her work in conservation and has seen over half of the worlds birds. She has travelled widely, written books (PLURAL) and is a fountain of knowledge on all things winged and feathered. Tune in to hear El...

Ella found the perfect wedding venue (complete with a CURSED lake!) and so begins the age old question: Should I bring goats to my wedding? This week Ella has found some fun ways that people have integrated animals into their wedding and some updates on all the fun animals she saw in Ireland. Alexis has found a variety of animals that mate for life and the different ways they form and keep their b...

Did you know that Possums only live in Australia? Opossums are naive to the Americas- Possums are actually a totally different animal. They'e an example of our favourite thing- CONVERGENT EVOLUTION BABY. Both animals are marsupials, however possums (the aussies) are more closely related to kangaroos. This week we are joined by Ally the Opossum expert, rehabilitator, and artist! We get some serious...

Listen, we want to be very clear that we do not condone war NOR the use of animals in it! However, sometimes you remember that there was a bear named Wojtek in World War II who was an ACTUAL enlisted soldier and you have to tell the story. We also discuss the pets we WISH we could have if they were actual options. Would you have a pet beer drinking bear? We might! Plus, we have a fabulous Ready Pe...

IT'S OFFICIAL! Comfort Creatures is a WHOLE YEAR old! Thank you to everyone for an incredible first year! To celebrate our podcast anniversary/birthday we are joined by the wonderful, Alice Hope. Alice may not have a pet of her own but she is well on her way to being the next David Attenborough! Alice is a Science Communicator and Storyteller and she has an incredible ability to take complicated s...

Just when Ella thought it was safe, Percy is back in the kitchen and ruining baking dishes! Meanwhile, Cricket is working on his own pee issues and wearing his BIG BOY Belly bands! And while that might seem like a whole episode in itself, the fun continues and Alexis and Ella do a deep dive into Clouded Leopards. Did you know they are their own type of cat NOT just a type of Leopard?! Plus, we hav...

NOT ALL CREATURES ARE COMFORTING. There. We said it. Ella's not a fan of pigeons and even Alexis, who is basically a cooler, edgier Snow White, has a few creepy crawlies/scary scuttlers that she's not a fan of. This week we discuss what it is that makes a creature not quite as comforting and try to overcome the ick. What creatures could you perhaps do without? Write in and let us know!   Send us Y...

This week Ella and Alexis are joined by the joy that is Gilli Nissim, writer, comedian and dog-mum to WILMA! One thing we know about CC guests- they're gonna name their pets well! We chat about Gilli's childhood dogs, the validation that comes from being the only one an animal likes and whether dogs really do help you on the pull (is that a very british phrase? What's the US equivalent?) Send us Y...

Is a cockroach a pet? What if it hisses and you can enter it in a derby race for a child's birthday? What about a little octopus? Perhaps something bigger like a llama? This week, Alexis tells a few stories about just a few of her childhood pets. Plus, Ella has some childhood pet strories of her own, though they primarily lived inside her mind. Plus, we have a top notch Ready Pet Go from Connor an...

BREAKING NEWS: A top secret group of incredible animal advocates in full camouflage have snuck past the people of Scotland like James Bond and reintroduced some ADORABLE wildcats back into nature! Or that's the way we like to picture it, anyway. Ella gives us the full report this week! Plus, Crumb is having a rough week and Cricket is handling it the grossest way possible, We do a brief introducti...

This week Ella and Alexis are joined by London based celebrity vet Dr Bolu Eso. Dr Bolu trained in Budapest, treated Jaguars in the jungle and loves bichon frise. He shares some insights into his day to day life as a vet, reveals what he wishes people knew about cats and deep dives into other big topics such as burn out and being a person of colour in the animal welfare world. We get serious and s...

We all know all dogs are gorgeous but did you know there's a holiday to celebrate some of the MOST uniquely gorgeous dogs in the world? Every year on June 23rd is Ugliest Dog Day based on the Ugliest Dog Contest that started in California in 1970s. This week, Alexis and Ella review an article that attempts to list the ugliest dog breeds and goes through some of the past conest winners of the festi...

This week, Ella and Alexis take a dive (get it?) into the folklore behind mermaids and dog-people. Of course, by dog-people we mean half-human-half-dogs like the Lupari in Doctor Who, not just people that LIKE dogs. Plus, Ella gives us an animal update on her trip to the Scottish Highlands and we have a modified Ready Pet Go from Erin about her London fox sightings! Also an update since recording:...

Ella and Alexis have learned the fastest way to make a friend is to ask about their pets, and the SECOND fastest way is to share a love for unusual dreams. Well, this week we got BOTH! Hayley Marie Norman is an actor, writer, podcast host, and most importantly fellow animal lover. We rant about the wrongful stereotypes of cat ladies, learn about rare goat-milk for jaguars, and of course learn all...

This week we're talking about TURTLES! Ella and Alexis couldn't open their phones without seeing a video of someone burying their pet turtle or pulling it out of the fridge, so they've gotten to the bottom of why someone might do such a thing! Of course, we had to find some fun turtle mythology to compliment the science as well. Plus, we learn about the oldest documented cat, Jonathan that STILL l...

Ele Woods is a comedian, actress, cat-mum, Great Dane Aunt and woodland nymph. We adore her! She chats to us today about mythological naming conventions, hybridising our animal selves and many many (tragic) mice! Plus, we have in-depth discussion on the French-ness of Basset Hounds and some next level pet names!  Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don...

Last week in London Bluebell and Beth officially became Queens of England- at least that's our version of events. In honour of the Jack Russell's coronation, we take a look at some hilarious and historic royal pets, from highly decorated horses to nameless but nonetheless loved chameleons. Plus a Ready Pet Go from Lydia, Padre and Snuggles! Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcrea...

Brea Grant and Mallory O'Meara, co-hosts of Reading Glasses, are our soul sisters in fantasy nerdom, pet-parenthood and all things slightly goth. They join us this week to discuss talking bears and the etymology of Hermione, as well as telling us all about their wonderful pets, Lucy, Helhammer Potato, Birthday Party, Sailor Ripley and Luna Fortune! Help support this show and unlock bonus content!...

Happy belated international Koala day! We can, of course, assume you all had this momentous day marked in your calendars, took the day off work and school and had a barbie (BBQ) in honour of our Aussie friends... right? This week we get deep into marsupial pouches, discuss half a dozen opposable thumbs and explain why lady-Koalas are modern queer icons. There is *some* mention of sexy things this...

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! The one and only ALIE WARD is here! The beloved host of Ologies joins us this week and we get the full adoption story of Gremmie, we discuss the fun part of AI, and even get some top notch opossum facts! We also discuss the heartbreaking feeling of wanting to love your pet more than they can handle, learn about being posh, and even reminisce about Tumblr poetry! All of this and...

How many types of bats do you think there are? Would you believe there are over A THOUSAND? Well there are! April 17th is Bat Appreciation Day and in this episode we do our best to appreciate them! Alexis and Ella learn all about bats, their life cycle, their link to vampires, and we even find some fun bat folklore. Plus, we have a SIAMESE Ready, Pet, Go from Emily and we both have some cute pets...

Juno Kelly is a writer, journalist and fabulously dressed West-Londoner, as well as being one of Ella's ultimate besties! She's on the show for chats about monochrome pets, badly behaved dogs and why our creatures are basically our babies. Ella is forced to accept that she may not be a bengal cat after all and Alexis learns that mussels love porridge oats? All of this and more this week on Comfort...

Happy National Siamese Cat Day! I'm sure you're busy celebrating the holiday, but we wanted to make sure you had the perfect companion podcast for the day! This week, Alexis does a deep dive into siamese cats, their history, and even some of their fun lore! Are they magic? Most likely! Plus, we have a fantastic Ready, Pet, Go from Lene and we complain about doing laundry for maybe too long! You be...