Cat Chat®
Tracie’s co-host is Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado of Feline Minds Cat Behavior Consulting, who has a PhD in Psychology from UC Berkeley, where she studied animal behavior and human-pet relationships, followed by postdoctoral research at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She was co-author with Jackson Galaxy of the “Total Cat Mojo” and wrote the forthcoming book “Play with Your Cat!” Their mission is to educate and inspire cat lovers to give their kitty cats the best possible life in nutrition, affection, and environmental enrichment.
For 8 years, CAT CHAT ® was Tracie’s own weekly, live, call-in show on the Martha Stewart channel of Sirius-XM – until the channel was canceled. Since 2015 has been a weekly podcast sponsored by Dr. Elsey’s, who developed America’s #1 kitty litter and also created a healthy dry and canned food for kitties called cleanprotein™ inspired by a cat’s natural prey.
Hosted By:
Tracie Hotchner
Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado
Sponsored By:
She Listened to CAT CHAT on Sirius Before She had Cats!
#0147: Jean from Cincinnati calls in to say she bought “The Cat Bible” when she got her newly adopted cats, Iris and Lily. She asks Tracie about feeding wet food only and takes the suggestion to feed Weruva or their more economical BFF (Best Feline Friends) or Dr. Elsey’s CleanProtein food. Tracie was tickled to learn that Jean used to listen to Tracie for years, back when it was a weekly live call-in show on the Martha Stewart channel of Sirius.
Chirping Isn’t Just for the Birds!
#0146: Birds chirp and cats meow, right? Not exactly – cats do chirp too, but what is the origin of the sound and what purpose does it serve? Tracie talks with Annie Butler-Shirreffs, the Editor of “Catster.”
Does Your Cat Want to Be Your Sous Chef in the Kitchen?
#0145: Dr Mikel Maria Delgado says you need to figure out why your kitty walks all over your kitchen counter. Is it a food obsession? A desire to be up high? Or a desire for social interaction with you while you’re cooking?
Spray Bottles Are Only for Misting Your Plants
#0144: Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado and Tracie say “Ditch the spray bottle” if you don’t want to ruin your relationship with your cat and have her mistrust and fear you. Toss the spray bottle and instead address the issues that you are trying to “spray” out of existence.
8 Cat Tail Signs Decoded
#0143: Annie Butler-Shirreffs, the Editor of Catster, talks about a cat’s tail being an amazing and beautiful thing. Not only is it an anatomical wonder, it’s an excellent tool for feline self-expression. The 8 different tail signals Catster identified are: “in the air,” “question mark,” “tip twitch,” “single flip,” “cat tail hug,” ”exclamation mark,” “cat tail tag,” and “hunting tail.”
10 Things NOT to Do to Your Kitty
#0142: Dr Mikel Maria Delgado and Tracie agree there are a handful of things you should never do to your cat. Advice like don’t let young children pick up a cat…or don’t pick him up yourself unless you know he likes it… or don’t pull him out of a hiding place.
What NOT to Do With Your Kitty
#0141: Don’t hit, squirt or throw anything at him. Never pull a cat from safety. Don’t let kids pick up cats. Don’t lift a cat yourself who doesn’t like it. Don’t leave a cat for more than 24 hours. Don’t ignore a change in your cat’s habits or behavior — call the vet!
9 Cat Sounds & What They Mean
#0140: Annie Butler Shirreffs, Executive editor of Catster, talks about their recent article describing the sounds cats make. The Clickety Chirp. The Friendly Trill. The Bark. The Bleat. The Mom. The Midnight Whine. The Demonic Growl. The Cartoon Scurry. The Sleep Siren.
Is that Roughhousing or a Cat Fight?
#0139: Questions to ask to know if it is only play: Is it mutual? Are they taking turns chasing? Are they silent? Do they stop, reassess and then start again? Can you interrupt their play?
Tracie Becomes a Mission Meow Partner!
#0138: Mission Meow founder and director Sally Williams invites Tracie to become a partner. Mission Meow gathers donations from cat lovers so they can give larger grants to groups they identify as doing especially valuable work on behalf of cats in their area. Tracie was inspired by Mikel Maria Delgado, her co-host on CAT CHAT®, who is a partner and board member of Mission Meow, so how could Tracie not jump in, too?!