Starlight Pet Talk

Why Is My Cat Peeing Outside the Litterbox and Other Cat Behavior Explained- with KJ McGlinn

March 07, 2023 Amy Castro Season 1 Episode 6
Starlight Pet Talk
Why Is My Cat Peeing Outside the Litterbox and Other Cat Behavior Explained- with KJ McGlinn
Show Notes Transcript

One of the biggest reasons owners give up their pets in the US is "bad" behaviors such as litterbox issues and scratching furniture. However, these behaviors aren't bad; they're our cats' way of communicating with us. In this episode, Amy chats with KJ McGlinn, a renowned media personality and cat expert. Discover insights on understanding cat behavior and practical tips for addressing common issues like litterbox problems and furniture scratching. Tune in to learn from KJ's expertise and experience!

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Why did you pee on my pillow? Decoding your cat’s behavior with KJ McGlinn

Announcer:  Welcome to the Starlight Pet Talk Podcast, where we'll talk about and explore ways to help pet parents and future pet parents. Learn everything they need to know to have a happy and healthy relationship with their pet. So sit up and stay for Starlight Pet Talk, rescue adoption, and pet parenting done right.

Amy Castro: Welcome to Starlight Pet Talk. I'm your host, Amy Castro, and today's show is all about cats. But before you dog people, move on to your other favorite podcast,  I'm going to challenge you to stick around today because you are going to have the opportunity to challenge some of your beliefs about cats and learn things about them that you probably never knew.

Amy Castro: My guest today is KJ McLinn. KJ is a longtime trusted media personality, TV producer, entrepreneur, and mildly obsessed, but she says, not crazy cat expert. After spending 13 years as the co-host for the award-winning Smiley Morning show in Indianapolis. KJ is no stranger to using her voice to better her community.

Amy Castro: Now, many people may know her as the host of KJ Today, your Positive Vibes show but she's also the founder of the Kind and Nerdy Girls podcast, which is a fun and often funny look into fandom from women who work in the entertainment industry. And she's also the kitty correspondent on the nationally syndicated show Pet Pals TV.

Amy Castro: KJ's book raised by Cats Behind the Mic and Meows was released on National Cat Day in October of 2022 and instantly became an Amazon number one new release. So, gosh, KJ, welcome to Starlight Pet Talk. 

KJ McGlinn: Thank you so much for having me. 

Amy Castro: Yes, I feel honored. I'm actually nervous having a professional on the, on the, uh, on the, on the other end of the mic, so to speak.

Amy Castro: But I'm going to do my best to make you proud. 

KJ McGlinn: Oh, please don't be nervous at all. Conversations with fellow pet lovers always just seem to flow. So I'm, I'm excited to, get into what you are doing, Amy. 

Amy Castro: Yeah. Yeah. So, um, when we first spoke,  I definitely felt a kinship with you because not only are you a woman who wears many hats like I do, but they probably all have cat hair on them.

KJ McGlinn: Yes, they most certainly do. I have, uh, seven rescues, uh, here in the house right now. I call it the House of Cats. And, uh, just moments before we were here and I was looking all together, I had, uh, cat hair all over this black cardigan that I'm wearing. It was like, oh, shoot,  I was, couldn't it off the microphone and

Amy Castro: Oh yeah. I know. I was noticing that the other day. It was like, I wonder if that shows up on camera. Or not. But uh, 

KJ McGlinn: I didn't think it, that, I didn't think it. Sorry, Amy, I didn't think it did until my show, KJ today, it can be seen through the YouTube app on your tv. And my mother-in-law was watching it on her big screen, and I was like, oh my gosh, you can see all the cat hair on my microphone.

KJ McGlinn: So I learned the hard way to keep a lint roller for my microphone.

Amy Castro: That's a, that's a good point. Yeah. I never, I hadn't thought about people watching it on a big screen. I thought, ah, what could they possibly see on their phone? Ha!

KJ McGlinn: Yes. It's, it's very different on the big screen.

Amy Castro: Okay. I will keep that in mind.

Amy Castro: So how did you become a, to quote you, mildly obsessed but not crazy cat lady, cat expert?

KJ McGlinn: Uh, well, you know, Amy, I was, I was born into it. Uh, I talk about in the introduction, with my book raised by Cats Behind the Mic and the Meows, uh, my very first word is documented in a baby book from 1975, and it was not mama, it was not dada,

KJ McGlinn: it was in fact kitty. And my mother often let me know that I, uh, set a precedent very early on in life that I held cats just a little bit above my parents as far as who I liked best. So, um, it was, uh, uh, again, right from the beginning, my, my first passion was cats and I grew up on a farm. And so I've had a very interesting, uh, life in that, uh, you know, I, I, I learned about cats from the job that they serve on a farm as being barn cats, as you know.

KJ McGlinn: I mean, they really are a service animal that's a must have when you have a farm. But I always wanted to make sure that they were fed and gave them names, and you noticed when one was sick. And so I just started learning cat speak from the very, very early ages and throughout my life it became a thing when I went off for my first big radio job. I took my cat Reggie with me, and it was me and him at a terribly danky little sad apartment, but he was there. I was there and he traveled around the country from Omaha to Detroit to Indianapolis. He was pretty much my only companion in life until I settled here and then was able to adopt more.

KJ McGlinn: Uh, I spent 12 years working at a cat clinic when I moved here to Indianapolis because contrary to what people think, radio doesn't pay that well. And so while doing, uh, my, my radio stuff that I was putting scrubs on and going to the cat clinic at night, so it just all kind of came about, and when I formed my own

KJ McGlinn: media company, uh, a few years ago, I really set out to have the mission of the KJ Media Company be, uh, a storytelling company where we create positive stories for people and pets. And so here we are, I'm, I'm living the dream. The one I set up for myself with my first word.

 Amy Castro: There you go. Yeah. I mean, you, you, you crafted all that over, over the years. See, that's another thing we have in common, working at a, I worked at a, a vet for eight years through high school and college, so it's amazing the things that we do along the way and, and how I, I find it all comes in handy, you know, all of those experiences from the, from the barn cat to the experience of the vet, you know, whether it's with your own pets or, I know you're also involved in animal rescue, right?

KJ McGlinn: Yes, very much so. Um, that was, uh, one of the first things that I was told because I was working behind the scenes in, in radio. I really enjoyed the programming side of it, doing research, picking out the songs that were going to, you know, strike that emotion in people that you know, made it a number one hit.

KJ McGlinn: And I was kind of pushed into the spotlight reluctantly and told, you're very good at being on the air and that's your job now, so figure out how you can like it and so I was like, well, if I'm going to have this microphone, I'm going to have an audience, then how can I make a difference? And that was immediately what I thought of was I could help cats.

KJ McGlinn: And you know, one of the things I had learned in working at the vet clinic was we have a lot to learn about cats. And from the second that someone takes them home from the shelter and doesn't realize you can't just throw a cat into a house with other cats, like there's introduction procedures and there's just so much that we, in general, which we've come much further, you know, this was 20 years ago, but there just was a lack of education about how to successfully set yourself and your cat up to have a good life together.

KJ McGlinn: And so that became my motivation and KJ Strays became a segment on my radio show. And, and from there I met wonderful people in rescue and, and got more and more educated about what the public needs to know and to help keep more cats in homes. And it just became really the driving force of being a media personality was I’ll, I'll be in front of people all day long.

KJ McGlinn: If it means that I can maybe help one cat stay in its home, help one cat person have a better relationship with the cat that they have. 

Amy Castro: Yeah, that's, that's so awesome. I feel like as a rescue person, that I try to do a really good job in educating people before they walk out the door, but I think what happens is there's so much information coming at them that they don't hear it, they forget it, whatever it might be, and there are so many things that you can do to increase, you know,  increase the odds that things are going to go well when you get home,

Amy Castro: and opening the carrier and dumping it out amongst all your cats is probably not the best thing as a matter of fact. I remember a lady and it wasn't even a cat issue, a lady that had brought a kitten home and she had a very large two-story home. And I thought, I made it super clear like when you get home, start him off in a small room with his litter box and his food and you know, gradually let him out.

Amy Castro: Three days later she's calling me complaining cuz the cat's pooping all over her house, and I'm, my first thought is, why is he all over the house? You know? Why did you not listen to me?

KJ McGlinn:  Right? Yeah. And you know, but we take the perspective of what a good home would mean to us oftentimes. And it's like, oh, they just went from this tiny little cage.

KJ McGlinn: Let's show 'em the great big house that they get to live in now. And it's like,  Okay, well that sounds good to us, but what actually is going to help the cat is to give them a tiny space and slowly introduce them, and that goes into this, it fascinated me when I first, you know, it clicked and I learned like, cats have this predator drive.

KJ McGlinn: Yes. But they have this prey drive and so they exist in the middle, which is really different from many animals in the animal kingdom where they are constantly surveying their surroundings to make sure that they are not hunted,  but they're also surveying those surroundings to make sure that they can hunt.

KJ McGlinn: And so what an anxiety filled little life that this tiny little animal has and those instincts are still there, even when we say you're home and you're safe. We have to prove that to 'em. And you have to prove that to 'em at their pace of what's going to make them feel safe. And so that's why the tiny little room sounds so strange to us, but actually in cat language is the best thing that you can do for them.

Amy Castro: That's, that's such an excellent, such an excellent point. And I, you're right. People, I think,  they think they're doing the right thing and they feel so bad that they were in a cage or, oh, the bathroom is so small. But you know, the cat's actually appreciating that. And that's, you know, that's one of the things that makes cats,

Amy Castro: and not to say that dogs don't need decompression time, but you know, it's something that's a little bit different with most dogs; they need a different type of decompression, not necessarily small space.

KJ McGlinn: I think it's true. Often when we have these conversations, I want people to know, like, I absolutely love dogs.

KJ McGlinn: I also grew up with dogs. Uh, the radio life didn't set me up to be able to be home to have dogs. And then once you get so many cats, you're like, I'm going to spare a dog the existence of being with all these cats, um, but it, it's not, uh, cat versus dog perspective where you like one or the other. It, it's, it's just understanding.

KJ McGlinn: Dogs don't have that prey side. They're much more socialized in studies of their DNA, they actually changed in their DNA to be a companion animal to humans. Cats have not done that yet. And we, we domesticated them many, many years later. So maybe someday that will be the case. But right now, we're still dealing with a less domesticated, less social animal when it comes to a cat.

KJ McGlinn: But that doesn't mean that if you get a dog who, for whatever reason, Is, is scared in their environment that doing these things that we're talking about doing for cats would also benefit a dog who is afraid of their surroundings and, and needs that decompression and that time. 

Amy Castro: I don't think people realize that change is not easy on animals.

Amy Castro: They think it's such a positive thing. Like, oh, you're in a new home and we love you and you're no longer in a shelter, but for the dog, it's just something, or dog or cat. It's, you know, it's something new. It can be some, it can be scary. I've even had dogs come in just in fostering them, and you go to open the door and, and lead them in the house and it's like they've never walked on tile before or they've never walked on carpet before because they probably haven't ever been in a house, some of them.

KJ McGlinn: Yes. And we want so much to get to that part where you can see it in their eyes that they feel safe and loved and you are their human and everything is gonna be great. But we really do just have to take that step back and let them walk us through what safety means to them. 

Amy Castro: Yeah, and I think that's a key  point and I know that you had made that point when we were having our pre-podcast conversation about

Amy Castro: how important safety is to animals, especially like you said with cats in that predator-prey mode. They're constantly on alert. So what happens when, let's, because we are focusing mostly on cats today. When cats don't feel safe, what type of behaviors, and I label them bad because they're not really bad, but people call it bad.

Amy Castro: Uh, what kind of bad behaviors do people see that might indicate to them , this cat is not feeling happy in its environment for whatever reason?

KJ McGlinn: Yes. And I, uh, like to say, how about we call them unwanted behaviors because, they are not bad. They are cat behaviors,  it's just they are unwanted by us.

KJ McGlinn: So the cat is never, being a cat isn't like, I'm gonna be good today. I'm gonna be bad today. The cat is behaving in a way that I feel safer, I don't feel safe, and those unwanted behaviors will almost always come from not feeling safe. So I like to say that easiest way to understand this is to always think when you're,  any issue you're having with your cat, okay, a safe cat is a happy cat.

KJ McGlinn: So why is my cat not feeling safe.  If your cat is going outside the litter box, your cat is not feeling safe about using that litter box. Is that because there aren't enough litter boxes? Is it because there's a medical issue and your cat is saying, “Hey, you notice me when I pee outside the box and something hurts, so I'm gonna pee outside the box so you notice me?”

KJ McGlinn: That litter box behavior is so, so key to a cat's communication with us. And it is because it is the thing we will notice the most. And it's not necessarily enjoyable for us, like, “Hey, could you, um, send me an email with the concerns that you're having right now?” but they can't. 

KJ McGlinn: Anything like, here's a notepad I'll leave out. Like, you know, press the button if it hurts when you pee or press the button if you don't like the food, I'm feeding you. But they can't do that. So at the heart of what they have learned about us is that if I need their attention and I need help from this trusted human who has chosen me and made me feel safe. I'm going to do this behavior so that they will help me. That is what we need to change about. Oh, it's annoying. Like, no, I don't like cats peeing on my carpet or pooping in the bed either. But when it happens, take the deep breath and go, okay, how do I decode what this cat is saying to me?

KJ McGlinn: They're asking me for help. Scratching is now another thing that we get as cat owners get frustrated with. We don't want them, you know, scratching on our furniture, ruining our nice things. But a cat inherently cannot stop themselves from scratching. They must scratch it is, it is in their DNA. So paying attention to what they're scratching on.

KJ McGlinn: Do they like to scratch up high? Do they like to scratch down low? Do they like the carpet? Do they like cardboard? Figure out what they like and where they like to do it. And put those things there. Find the cat scratcher, find the cat tree. I mean, there are so many options now out there for us as cat owners to set these cats up for success.

KJ McGlinn: So they're not hurting the couch, but they are getting out the behavior that they absolutely need to do.

Amy Castro: Yes, definitely. Um, and, and I think that's such an excellent point about. What do they like? I always tell people, even if you're just going to buy a very simple cat scratching post to make sure it's tall, because, Yes, you know, sometimes they'll get  these little short ones and it's great for a little kitten, but many cats like to be able to really stretch out and so, you know, if you've got a nice tall one, then it keeps everybody happy along the way.

Amy Castro: You know, they can, they can work on it low. They can work on it high. The other thing too, I think people don't realize is there are things that you can do to your furniture. And I know this because I just recently got rid of a nicely scratched up, uh, sofa and decided I just wanted, wanted a new one, smaller, whatever, whatever reason, but was very concerned about the cats getting on it even because there also are some cats that just.

Amy Castro: They like all kinds of things and uh, and we also have a lot of new cats that come into the house and so they may not necessarily know the rules or, so they might go straight to the couch. So I've got all this sticky double side tape stuff on all the corners of my new sofa to deter anybody from wanting to touch it.

Amy Castro: And it's worked like a charm and hopefully I won't have to keep it on there forever, but it's working for now.  

KJ McGlinn: Well, and I, I use that too, that those big strips of the double-sided tape, it's inexpensive. It really does do a great job of deterring them without you going, “Hey, don't do that!” What you don't want is to constantly be, you know, what we call disciplining your cat because they don’t

KJ McGlinn: understand discipline like that, they just see you as like, “Oh! You, well, you're being really scary!” And we don't want to hurt your bond with the cats. So the more things that you can do that just deter them and redirect them without you being involved. The better it is for both you and your cat and your long-term relationships.

KJ McGlinn: So those kind of things that we have now available to us, like simple double-sided tape and, and really even some of the furniture that has come out now that is beautiful and will hide a litter box. And as long as you scoop that litter box every day, nobody knows it's sitting in your living room. I mean, I have all kinds of those, uh, types of, uh, end tables and things around my house because.

KJ McGlinn: you know, I had one cat that we brought in. She is lovely. She was 10 years old when we got her. And she had lived with an old man her entire life, only cat. Uh, she went through a bunch of different fosters and situations and we were like, we gotta get her safe. And one of the things, no matter how many different things we tried with the litter boxes throughout the house, she had a place in our living room where she wanted to go.

KJ McGlinn: And I was like, okay. I'll put a litter box there. Put a really nice end table over it. and that was it. She pees in the box. It was like she just, for whatever reason, that was the place where she felt safest in the house. So I'm like, okay, well people come, have come over and commented, that is a really nice end table.

KJ McGlinn: And I'm like,  if you only knew . And so, you know, sometimes we have to adapt to what their needs are because we can only do so much in our communication with them where it's just like, okay. If they just, if that's where they feel safe going, what can you put there so that they can go so that that's where they go to the bathroom and it's not on your carpet.

KJ McGlinn: Uh, that's a lot of times what we are thinking through is let's do all of the things until we figure out, okay, this is what the cat wants. I love the cat. I wanna be happy with the cat. This makes the cat happy. Problem solved.

Amy Castro: There you go. Yeah. Yeah, because,  I mean that's probably one of the number one things that I've seen in my, in my years in rescue for short of somebody passing away and, you know, nobody in the family wants the cat.

Amy Castro: A lot of adult cats will end up, or young adult cats will end up in shelters or rescues because of litter box issues. And I feel like people could try a little harder, you know, I mean, I, I can understand why somebody might not want a litter box in their living room, but you're so right about the number one, the options that are available nowadays and the whole cleaning process.

Amy Castro: You know, that's another thing that I find with people is that they don't understand the concept of a clean litter box. And it was funny because I, I went to a very nice restaurant for a birthday lunch for a friend of mine the other day and I figured I got a long drive home. I'm gonna go to the restroom before I leave and uh, go in.

Amy Castro: Open the first stall, it's dirty, open the second stall, it's dirty. A dirty litter box is kind of your cat telling you no, you HAVE to go in that stall and go where somebody else has already left dirt. You know?  And so whether it's their own or whether it's another cat’s, They don't wanna walk on it.

Amy Castro: So clean your litter box people!

KJ McGlinn: Yes. It's, I mean, it is so important and that is the heart of everything, the discussions that we have with people about, like, it's, if you don't wanna clean a litter box, then you're not gonna set yourself up to love having cats like it just is now, you know, there are some litter boxes now on the market that are pricey, but the litter robot, which basically takes care of everything, I have people that swear by 'em, like, I never have to clean a litter box again,

KJ McGlinn: it's wonderful. The cat loves it too. Um, so there are, you know, some options out there, but that when the cat isn't using the litter box, it. A message to you, and it's not a petty message, right? Like people are like, oh, they went and, you know, peed outside the litter box because they were mad. They're not mad.

KJ McGlinn: There's something that's making them not feel safe. And I know because you work in rescue the number of times that cats get surrendered and it's a, it's a UTI. I mean, you could have taken that cat to the vet and got a round of antibiotics and, and it stays in your home. It's so important to know like here are the steps.

KJ McGlinn: If your cat starts going outside the litter box, go to the vet. That is number one. One, number one, because if something is medically wrong, that is the way they are going to tell you. And if your child was hurting and they said, please help me, mommy, please help me, daddy, you would help them not be in pain.

KJ McGlinn: We have to do that for our cats. We have to do that for all of our pets. Right? Take care of their health. So go to the vet. But then where there's, uh, often a, a disconnect is we run the medical test. Hopefully, it's just something that can be cleared up with a round of antibiotics, something simple.

KJ McGlinn: But if the blood work comes back and the vet says, there's nothing wrong. You as the steward of this cat's life, have to take the next step and say, so what do we do next? And if your vet isn't someone, because some vets are very, very knowledgeable and passionate about helping with the behavior, and some vets aren't.

KJ McGlinn: If you have a vet who can't help you with the behavior, you need to ask for a referral for who can because, we don't stop with, okay, well the blood test said there's nothing wrong. So I just have a bad cat or my cat's just being bad. No, you should celebrate that your cat is healthy and then figure out what's wrong, that something is wrong.

KJ McGlinn: They're scared, they're not feeling safe. So that is where so often I hear the, “Well, the vet said there's nothing wrong”. Throw the hands up in the air. Okay. That's just one piece of the puzzle we've checked off. They're medically. Yay. Now let's figure out how we can help them be happy. That's what we have to continue to do.

KJ McGlinn: And it's not, I'm gonna go take this cat to the shelter or rescue because clearly it's a bad cat. No, let's do the research and help this cat and figure out what we can do so that the cat's happy and you are happy, and more cats stay in homes.

Amy Castro: Yeah. Well, and you know, it's, it's interesting to me how people will let things go so long.

Amy Castro: Like, okay, so the person that goes to the vet, gets the blood work, gets the urinalysis, there's nothing physically wrong, will come home and let the, let the situation persist until it becomes now a habit. And I'll give a quick example. So I had a lady that contacted me. and, and if you think about it from the backing up for a sec, if you think about it from the rescue standpoint when you call and tell them you've tried everything and your cat refuses to use the litter box, who's gonna wanna adopt that cat?

Amy Castro: You know, so you really need to start on that process first. But anyway, so this lady, this problem had been going on for a long time. The cat peeing outside of the litter box, peeing in various places in the house, and it was a problem now because she had to sell her house and couldn't have the cat peeing all over the house.

Amy Castro: So she wanted to get rid of the cat. And it's interesting, as you start to talk to people, I, I always wanna know how many cats do you have? How many litter boxes do you have? Where are they located? So her litter box was located in her dining room, which she never used,  by a, by a window near the front door.

Amy Castro: And so, and, and you know, cats, dogs, people walking by outside, I mean, it's not really a private safe feeling place for the cat. And so, and then I was, you know, then we got into a discussion about how often she cleaned the litter box, which was not often enough. And so it was a fairly simple process of move the litter box, move the cat.

Amy Castro: Get the cat acclimated to where the new litter box is and clean the litter box with this frequency based on how many cats that you have. And miraculously, the cat started using the litter box . Thoughts on that?

KJ McGlinn: Yeah. And I, you know, I want people to know your, you know, your listeners and followers.

KJ McGlinn: We just didn't know, it's not like you're bad people. You've been a terrible cat owner. If you're like, I didn't know that I should have more than one litter box than I have cats. You didn't know and you didn't know that cats are using the litter box to communicate that they need help. I never want people to feel bad.

KJ McGlinn: I think in the last 10 to 15 years of working with cat rescues and digging in and being the kitty correspondent for Pet Pal's TV, it's like I didn't know a lot of these things either, but now I do. And so with more information, we can be better stewards to our pets. And this is just more information. It is research that has been done and vets that have been passionate to move forward

KJ McGlinn: what we know about cats so that more cats can stay in homes. And the reason that that is so important is because cats are surrendered more than dogs and for reasons, like you said, that we now know, could be easily solved and if we keep these cats in homes, that helps the rescues and the shelters and the work that you're doing have less of a burden and help the pets who truly need to be re-homed.

KJ McGlinn: We have so many cats that end up in the shelter system that didn't need to be re-homed because the owner just didn't have the education and the help that they needed  to understand the problem and remedy it. And so we're in a place now where we have more resources and we can be educating people and helping them because you got that cat because you wanted to have a wonderful life with it, or think about the day you got the cat and you tell everybody, we got a new kitten and we're so excited and we want it.

KJ McGlinn: We want this kitten. She's gonna have the best life with us. You didn't want to get to the place where you were like, I don't know what to do, except take this cat to a shelter. You just need a little more help getting information, and you don't have time to do all the things that Amy's doing and I'm doing and learning.

KJ McGlinn: We're here to share the information that we know time and time again. here are things that you can try first so that you can keep the cat that you wanted to have for the rest of your life and live happily ever after with. These are easy things you can do, and so try those first, and then if that kind of, if those things truly don't work,

KJ McGlinn: then let's talk about how we can rehome the cat. And you guys can both have better lives apart, but so many times, so many times we just need to solve one little itty bitty bit of communication that we're not understanding and the cat feels safe, and so the cat is happy and then you're happy. 

Amy Castro: Yeah. Yeah, that's so true.

Amy Castro: I mean, we spend a lot of time at the rescue here responding to phone calls, and I kind of go through all my questions because, you know, usually you're gonna hit on something that they could make a minor change or something they didn't realize, even just changing the litter. I had somebody that had recently changed from a regular scoopable cat litter to a pellet system that has an absorbent pad in it.

Amy Castro: I don't wanna name names because I actually like the product, but the cat didn't adjust to that. All of a sudden I have this completely different kind of litter box with a completely different smell, a completely different feel on my feet, and the cat would pee in it, but wouldn't poop in it for whatever reason.

Amy Castro: Just didn't want, you know, didn't wanna be in there that long. It's like, okay, I can pee fast, but maybe it takes a little longer to poop. I'm not sure why. But once she switched back to the other litter, all was well. So change is not something that cats like . Yeah. Well see if you're gonna do it, do it gradually.

KJ McGlinn: And going from cats are aloof or they're picky, they're finicky, they're all these things. If you can just remember to filter it through. My cat constantly thinks it might be hunted . And so something simple to us like the litter smells funny. The litter looks funny, this food is different. You moved that chair in your living room, they have to reassess their safety.

KJ McGlinn: Every time we do something different, we start going to work at a different time. They're reassessing their safety, and so it's just really kind of keeping that in mind and being sympathetic to the fact that they can't change that about them, that if you change something, they have to go through their process to make sure that they're safe.

KJ McGlinn: So when your vet asks you, “Have you changed anything in the house?”, really think about that. That is, that is such an impact on your cat's wellbeing, that it could be as simple as you got a new desk in your office, but the cat is reassessing whether or not that desk is presenting a threat to their life.

KJ McGlinn: Like, and like you start to think like these poor little cats and they're just like constantly like, God, why did you get a new chair now? I dunno if I'm gonna live  another day, . I mean, that's literally what's going on in their minds and it starts to become, a relationship where you are understanding I need to take into account how this cat is going to feel if I do this as opposed to that litter is on sale and a lot cheaper and let me go, just grab that and change it.

KJ McGlinn: That's life changing to a cat. So start thinking a little bit differently about how your cats are. Remember that a safe cat is a happy cat and you can solve alot, alot of the problems, again that we consider bad, but are really just unwanted and are a lack of communication and understanding between us, the humans and them, the cats.

Amy Castro: That's such a great way to sum it all. So before I let you go, I have to ask, since you're a multi cat person, I'm not gonna ask you who your favorite cat is, but who is the quirky, who is your quirkiest cat and what are the cat's quirks? 

KJ McGlinn: Oh goodness. Uh, boy, the quirkiest, I mean, I, I had a house full..

Amy Castro:  Whatever the funniest, whatever. 

KJ McGlinn: Amy, I’ve got a house full of weirdos because, you know, you can't, when you work in, when you work in rescue, tell you, even when we set out years ago, we had had a first.

KJ McGlinn: kitten that we had adopted together as a couple. Her name was Princess Leia and we had a wonderful life with her, but she had asthma and we had to give her medication every eight hours. And so, and we did it and she was fantastic. But when she passed away and we felt like we were ready to grow, our family again was like, we're just gonna be normal people just getting a cat.

KJ McGlinn: We always take the special needs ones, right? We're equipped to handle that. I've got a, my kitchen counter looks like an apothecary, you know, like it's , but I was like, let's just speed normal people and get a cat. And so we set out to do that. , we worked with, uh, an organization here. They said, come meet this cat.

KJ McGlinn: He's everything you'd ever want. He gives hugs, he's great. I'm like, perfect. This is wonderful. So we go, we go to meet him and we walk in and he's in a, one of those cattery rooms. So there's a bunch of cats in there, and she takes out the microchip scanner and she's like, let me find the gray one that you were looking for.

KJ McGlinn: And so she's doing, microchip scans and we look over and there is this gray cat in the window and he looked at us and he sneezed snot all over the place and started coughing. And we both started laughing and we said, it's that one . Uh, and we adopted him thinking, you know, respiratory issues.

KJ McGlinn: Like he, he'll get some antibiotics, he'll be. , he went on to have stomatitis, which is a chronic inflammation, very painful mouth condition. And cats, he had to have all of his teeth removed. I mean, we were within weeks of having him, knowing like at the vet, constantly with a dental specialist, learning things like the word stomatitis and your cat has to have all of his teeth removed and you're like, what?

KJ McGlinn: like, well, we were just gonna go, just be people who just got a cat and here we are again. But that cat is Grayson and I am happy to say after laser treatments and still a gazillion supplements, his little tongue sticks out and everybody absolutely adores him. He goes with me to my TV appearances. He's got a following on Instagram.

KJ McGlinn: I mean, if I go live and I don't show people Grayson, they're like, where's Grayson? And is he okay? And he is Amy, I'll tell you, he's such a little weird creature. I just, I call him a little Buddha. He is the most peaceful, loving cat. He absolutely, when we're at the vet's office, and I've got him  there cuz he's not feeling well, he's turning his head and he's looking at the other animals and he's trying to reach them and give them comfort, like everything's gonna be okay.

KJ McGlinn: But then he has these moments where you say quirks like he just will stare off into space. And it's like Grayson's not in there right now. Is he? And he has, he has this little mouse toy that. If you remember from the eighties, those little battery operated like race cars that had almost like a brush on the bottom and they just kind of moved across the floor like and every cat in the world who has seen this toy has looked at it and been like, that is the stupidest toy.

KJ McGlinn: Grayson will just slowly follow that toy around for hours. . 

Amy Castro: Oh my gosh. And it does move slow cuz we had one . 

KJ McGlinn: And he does. He picks it up with no teeth, but he gums it and he tosses it around and then he follows it again. We are honored to be his humans. He provides so much love and happiness with his little tongue hanging out all the time.

KJ McGlinn: People just adore him. He loves going places, meeting people, you know, he's like an ambassador for cats. So I wouldn't ever say he is my favorite,  but he is such a unique little individual who has fought very hard through a lot of medical issues to be with us, and he just cherishes life and brings smiles to so many people, and he's such a little weirdo.

KJ McGlinn: I just couldn't imagine life without him. So, uh, if you, if you ever need a smile, follow me on, on Facebook or Instagram. When Grayson comes up, your day gets better. He's just a, a, a wonderful little guy.

Amy Castro: Awesome. Yeah, I've, I've seen him in some of your videos. He's a cutie pie, for sure. , 

KJ McGlinn: And our, our favorite line constantly is, you know, instead of, uh Oh, oh, goodness gracious.

KJ McGlinn: Well just say, oh, goodness. Grayson . 

Amy Castro: Oh, goodness gracious. There you go. Oh, man. Well, KJ, thank you so much for being here with me today. I love, I could talk about cats for hours and, um, I bet you could too, but, uh. We're gonna wrap it. So your book Raised by Cats: Behind the Mic and Meows, they can get that on Amazon, correct?

Amy Castro: If, if people wanted to read it? 

KJ McGlinn: Yes. It is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Books a Million. And if you go okay to Raised by Cats.com, you can actually order it for me and I'll, I'll, I'll sign it for you and actually ship it out faster than most of the, uh, big places. It is the story of, like you said, from word one of kitty to how I became the kitty correspondent for Pep Pal's TV.

KJ McGlinn: But it is the lessons that I learned told in a way that is heartfelt and funny and shares the frustrations and the learning curve. So if there are any questions today that have been raised at all from litter boxes to medical care, to figuring out what your cat is trying to say when they're scratching in some weird place, I've pretty much experienced it at all.

KJ McGlinn: At all, and I just really wanted to get it out there because if this book can help more cats stay at home and help more cat people have a happier life, that is my goal every day, it’s just like, let's figure out how to keep cats in homes and keep cat people happier. 

Amy Castro: Yes, definitely. So important. I would hesitate to say that we would ever be out of business and rescue, but it would be nice if we were, you know, if people really were able to get, get to the resources that they needed to get help with their cats.

KJ McGlinn: There will never not be a need for what you do. It's just hopefully we shift to this education and outreach that you're doing where it's helping people keep their pets right, as opposed to the overwhelming experience of constantly trying to figure out how we're gonna rehome them, what you're doing and what I'm doing, and what everybody.

KJ McGlinn: is doing in rescue, it's there is going to be a shift. As long as we educate people, there's going to be a shift. So thank you for what you are doing. Cuz I know some days it's just you wanna throw your hands up and go, I don't know how I'm gonna do it all. And you keep doing it. I am here as often as you need me to, to be a a, to be a voice, to help educate people and, and keep those cats in homes.

Amy Castro: Awesome. Thank you so much, and thanks again for being here today. This has been great. For those of you who wanna learn more about KJ, her podcast and her book, go to Raised by Cats.com and check it out. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of Starlight Pet Talk. Make sure you listen to our upcoming episodes as well, and make sure you tell your pet friends out there to listen and join us.

Amy Castro: Be part of our community, and if you don't do anything else today, give your pets a hug for us.

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