International Cat Day 😺

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Episode 119 Description

Meow! 🐈 Let's celebrate August 8th's International Cat Day. We are curling up with our feline friends and throwing out some purr-fect puns. 🧶 Wonder what it's like to treat a tiger? Wildlife veteranian Dr. Gabby Wild fills us in. ☕ Looking to adopt? 🐈‍⬛ Listen in as we share some good ways to help your new kitty feel at home. ✅ And test your feline knowledge in today’s Trivia on the Ten! 🧐

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TRANSCRIPT:

Various Voices 0:00

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Various Voices  0:00  

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 

Bethany Van Delft 0:06

I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's August 7th, and this is no ordinary episode of The Ten News. This is The Ten News gets extra.

Bethany Van Delft 0:22

Well, the cats out of the bag we're pouncing and preparing for joy because tomorrow is International Cat Day. So, brace yourselves for a purr-fect episode with tons of cat puns all about our furry feline friends. Let's claw our way in.

Bethany Van Delft 0:45

Are you an ailurophile? That's a fancy word for a person who looooves cats. Whether you love terrific-tabbies, cool-calicoes or sassy-Siamese. The fact is, all cats are paws-itively claw-some. Cats have been part of human lives for 1,000's of years. Scientists actually think that cats and humans started hanging out together around 8,000 years ago, when farming started taking off. There, cats became the pest control, picking off mice that were attracted to the crops. Humans allowed cats to hang around and eventually, cats domesticated or teams themselves. Besides being lovable house companions who are trending on social media. Cats have helped out humans a lot over the centuries. Sometimes in ways you might not expect. No way. A cat named Stubbs was elected mayor of an Alaskan town. The British Prime Minister has an official chief Mouser at his house. And one calico cat even serves as a station master for Japanese railway. So today as we celebrate International Cat Day and raise awareness of cool cats from around the world. Let out a meow and a roar for these fantastic felines.

Bethany Van Delft 2:17

On International Cat Day, we need to take a moment to talk about BIG cats. There are seven fierce felines that make up the big cat grouping: tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards, snow leopards, cheetahs and cougars. The biggest of the bunch is the tiger. This majestic animal can weigh up to 660 pounds and grow to 10-feet long. This made us wonder what is it like to take care of a tiger? To help us answer that question, we went to our favorite wildlife vet and author of the Nat Geo kids book, Wild Vet Adventures: Saving Animals Around the World with Dr. Gabby Wild. Here's what Dr. Wild had to say.

Dr. Gabby Wild  3:05  

Yes, I've treated many tigers. They're absolutely beautiful and sometimes I have to treat them in a more wildlife setting. Other times I treat them in more of a zoo setting and the difference is that the zoo-trained tigers are used to people, so we can actually give them commands to either stand up so I can look under their bellies and look at them. They actually respond to us because they know that we're veterinarians and what we're trying to do. Whereas, the more wild tigers are obviously a little bit more dangerous and we just have to sedate them right away. They're not gonna, they're not gonna listen to any commands. Even the train tigers are extremely dangerous. Don't kid yourself.

Bethany Van Delft  3:48  

Looking into the belly of a 600-pound tiger. That is so brave, Dr. Wild. I'll take a pass on that one.

Bethany Van Delft  4:02

This special day for cats was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The organization wanted to recognize how long cats have been around and bring awareness to the ways we can help protect our furry friends. One way to do that is if you're thinking about getting a cat, consider adopting from an animal shelter near you. At the beginning of the pandemic. Many shelters around the United States were running low on pets because people were looking for companions while they were in lockdown. But now shelters have started returning to their pre-pandemic levels as people start going back to work in school. If you or your family are ready to welcome a purr-fect pet into your home. Here are three tips to help your cat’s transition go smoothly. Number one, get them settled. Your cat might be a bit scared or shy when going to a new home. Let them gradually ease into their new space and let them approach you on their own terms. It also helps to have the space set up before your cat arrives. That means being separated from other cats in your home for about two weeks, and litter boxes and bowls all in place. Number two, establish a routine. To help your cat get used to their new space, it helps to feed and play with them at about the same times every day. And number three, paws-itively play. Cats are smart and love to play. It also helps train their brain and enrich their lives. Some cats prefer different kinds of toys, so be sure to try a few. And don't forget the cat scratcher. Cats actually scratch to express their emotions. And it also helps keep their nails healthy. How claw-some is that? And thank you to our listener Camille, who wrote in reminding us the importance of pet adoption. Thanks, Camille.

Bethany Van Delft  6:06  

There's so many cool things about cats, big and small. Joining us today to share a few of them is show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan and her son, Owen.

Tracy Kaplan  6:18  

Hey Owen, I'm so glad you can join me today to talk about International Cat Day. You know that I love kitty cats. I thought today we could talk about some facts about how big and little cats communicate. What do you think? 

Owen  6:30  

Sure. 

Tracy Kaplan  6:46

All right. So, what's the difference between how big cats and small cats communicate?

Owen  6:38 

Well, small cats can purr. But, they can't roar and big cats can roar, but they can't purr.

Tracy Kaplan  6:46  

That is true. With one exception. Do you know which big cat can't roar? But, can purr?

Owen  6:52  

Hmmm. I think I know it, the cheetah. 

Tracy Kaplan  6:54  

That's right. So, now let's talk about our little, domesticated house cats. How do they communicate?

Owen  7:02  

So, to one trying to communicate to their owners, they will meow, but to other cats they'll use body language like their eyes and their tails. 

Tracy Kaplan  7:14  

Wow. So, if two cats are together, they don't meow at each other to say like, Hey, what's up? They're just meowing at us humans to say hey, you feed me. Is that right? 

Owen  7:23  

Basically. Other things like, sometimes they'll want attention. But yeah, pretty much.

Tracy Kaplan  7:31  

And I know they communicate a lot with their tails, right? 

Owen  7:34  

Yeah. 

Tracy Kaplan  7:34  

And do you know what it means when their tail is straight up? 

Owen  7:37  

No.

Tracy Kaplan  7:38  

 It means they're happy. And you know what it means when that's puffed out?

Owen  7:42  

That means they're like, scared.

Tracy Kaplan  7:44  

Exactly something scared them. And then I don't think a lot of listeners know this. But we have a Ten News team cat.

Sound Bit  7:53  

Awhh. 

Tracy Kaplan  7:55  

What's the team cat's name? 

Owen  7:56  

Midnight. 

Tracy Kaplan  7:57  

Yeah. And we're so happy to talk about it cat adoptions today in the show because we adopted midnight from our local animal shelter. Anything you want to say about Midnight?

Owen  8:08  

She's really sweet and mom gives her too many treats.

Tracy Kaplan  8:14  

That is true. Happy International Cat Day Midnight.

Bethany Van Delft  8:19  

Why? Thank you, Tracy and Owen. We've posted a picture of Midnight on The Ten News Instagram, @thetennews. Check it out. And while you're there, if you're not already following us, please do so. And post your favorite cat pic or send it to us at Hello@TheTenNews.com. Up next, it's time for...

Sound Bit  8:48  

What, what, what's the big idea?

Bethany Van Delft  8:51  

Trivia on The Ten. We can't get enough of cats. Who can resist a group of kittens. Not only are they cute, but they have a special name. What is it? Is it A) kit? B) a Kaboodle? or C) a Kindle?

Bethany Van Delft  9:16

Did you guess it? The answer is... C) a Kindle.

Bethany Van Delft  9:25

Way cuter than the Amazon reading tablet in my opinion. A group of kittens from the same litter or born from the same mom is called a Kindle. And if you just have a group of cats, that's called a clowder.

Bethany Van Delft  9:45

Time's up. But, before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Look out for new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten News is a cup section of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcast and is distributed by iHeart Radio. The Ten News creative team are all out of cat puns and includes Kate Hale, Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, and Andrew Hall. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft. And thanks for listening to Ten News. And now I am going to go curl up on the couch and get me some snuggle time with the Kindle and the clowder. Meow.