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6 Degrees of Cats
6 Degrees of Cats episodes
- BREAKING NEWS - 6 Degrees of Cats Live Taping on September 28th in NYC!
Cats and comedians go hand in hand - they’re funny and they speak truth to power! Exactly what we need in these dark times. That’s why we're bringing NYC cat lovers together for a night of trivia, games and humor in honor of the animal kingdom’s original comedians!
On Monday, September 28, 2026, from 9:30-10:30 PM ET, 6 Degrees of Cats podcasttakes over Caveat (21A Clinton St.) as part of the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival NYC. This live podcast taping brings cat lovers across NYC together for an hour of comedy-infused master-level trivia, deep-dive dialogue, guest and audience competitions - and mass media subversion by way of historical facts and contemporary understandings.
Featured guests include:
- Mohanad Elshieky: Comedian known for Conan, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, writing for NPR's Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! and co-hosting You Could Do That on Television.
- Gemma Smith: Producer of NYC’s premiere cat-themed cabaret, Catbaret, burlesque performer and host of the Tails & Tassels podcast.
- Additional surprise guests to be announced.
EVENT DETAILS
- What: 6 Degrees of Cats Live! An hour of comedy, culture trivia - and cats!
- When: Monday, September 28, 2026, 9:30-10:30 PM ET
- Where: Caveat, 21A Clinton St., New York, NY
- Tickets: $22 ($24.80 after fees) at https://tinyurl.com/Sept28-cats
- Age Restriction: 21+
- Part of: Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival NYC
Doors open shortly before showtime. Seating is limited. The first 50 ticket holders receive a free limited-edition sticker. (No actual cats will be present - for their health, and ours!)
3 min - Listen now! The Secret Life of TK Dutes - A Season of Loss
As we finalize our Season 3 finale, turn on your notifications for 6 Degrees of Cats to be the first to listen when it drops VERY SOON! Watch your emails, Substack subscribers. (Not signed up yet? 6degreesofcats.substack.com!)
In the meantime, we want to spotlight an episode of a groundbreaking new podcast, The Secret Life of TK Dutes, featuring 6 Degrees of Cats returning guest expert Keisha "TK" Dutes, last heard from in Season 2's Beyond Taylor Swift: Who Are Cat People? episode - and produced by yours truly, Captain Kitty (a.k.a. Amanda B.).
In this episode, "A Season of Loss", TK is joined by wellness coach and dear friend Tah Whitty as they uncover the various nuances of grief in its many forms, as well as the teachings of the fur family - Feisty Mrs. Peabody and Henry - they have loved, lost and bring in memory to the next stage of their journeys into what Tah calls "newness".
Please enjoy the first 20 minutes of this episode then jump over to The Secret Life of TK Dutes on your podcast player to listen to the rest of the episode, and the producer chat between TK and yours truly.
Visit tastykeish.com/secretlifepod to learn more about the podcast. And follow @tastykeish and @philosfuturemedia on Instagram to stay apprised of The Secret Life of TK Dutes and catch TK at one of the U.S. stops on her Spring 2026 Doing the Most Tour. Happy Birthday, TK!
As for 6 Degrees of Cats - more soon!
If you love 6 Degrees of Cats, please help keep us going! You can support the podcast by giving us a five star rating wherever you listen, signing up for The Captain’s Log on Substack and pledging your support, and following us on all of these links: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2026 (Instagram: totallywiredguitars)
24 min - Housecats! with YouTube star Jackson Galaxy, Community Cats podcast host Stacy LeBaron and The Urban Resource Institute
Felis catus - the “domestic house cat”. What does that label mean for the hundreds of millions of domesticated yet house-less cats - and how does the answer to this connect to both human and cat welfare? In this special episode, released during October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we’ll be joined by Community Cats Podcast host Stacy LeBaron, who will share success stories of the “mosaic of support” that benefits both humans and their feline family members. We’re grateful to also have two special guests from the Urban Resource Institute who shed light on the #1 cause of homelessness in New York City, and why cats are a part of the solution. And we’ll have a cameo from returning guest Jackson Galaxy, star of Animal Planet’s hit series, My Cat From Hell and founder of The Jackson Galaxy Project, a program of The Greater Good Charities.
If you or someone you know is healing from ongoing or past power-based interpersonal violence (IPV; domestic violence) you are not alone, there is never an excuse and you have resources - for U.S. listeners, thehotline.org has a clearinghouse of free, trauma-informed service providers. For international listeners, the No More Global Directory has region-specific hotlines at nomoredirectory.org. And if you’d like to get involved, visit righttobe.org for bystander intervention resources and more.
- Post-episode body scan exercise (materials courtesy The Greater Good Science Center at University of California - Berkeley): https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/body_scan_meditation
- Special thanks to Kristin DeFur of The Urban Resource Institute (URI) and Kyle of the TASC group for facilitating the URI interview.
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
And check out these supplementary episodes:
- Community CATalysts: Kosovans Caring for Their Animal Survivors
- Beyond Taylor Swift: Who Are Cat People?
- Our Feline Fictive Kin: Are Cats Full Fledged Family? [Season 2 Finale]
About the experts:
- Elizabeth Rose is a domestic violence survivor, mother and 2024 URI Celebration Triumph Award recipient. After escaping abuse in 2019 with her daughter Hazel and their cat Bebe, she found safety and healing through the Urban Resource Institute’s People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program. Today, Elizabeth shares her story as a testament to resilience and the lifesaving impact of programs that keepfamilies and pets together.
- Teal Inzunza, L.C.S.W., is the Associate Vice President of Justice Initiatives at the Urban Resource Institute (URI), where she leads programs supporting survivors of domestic violence and homeless families. With a background as URI’s Director of Economic Empowerment, Inzunza is a nationally recognized advocate for economic justice, LGBTQ survivor support and systemic change. She co-chairs the NYC Domestic Violence & Economic Justice Taskforce and has been honored with awards from Her Justice and the Anti-Violence Project for her transformative work.
- Stacy LeBaron has been involved in animal welfare for over 30 years and considers herself a feline entrepreneur. She currently hosts the Community Cats Podcast where she interviews renowned experts about cat overpopulation and welfare solutions. The podcast hosts three certification programs covering the topics of Trap, Neuter, and Return, Surrender Prevention, and Return to Home. Stacy is also a partner of the Community Cat Clinic in Woodstock and Duluth, Georgia; President of PAWSitive Pantry in Vermont and Massachusetts; Treasurer at the Vermont Humane Federation, the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society and Community Cat Champions; and Treasurer and Director of Strategy at The United Spay Alliance. Stacy graduated from Vassar College with a degree in Urban Studies. She now lives in Vermont and Switzerland with her husband.
- Jackson Galaxy is a cat behavior and wellness expert, YouTube creator, musician and the star of hit Animal Planet series, My Cat From Hell. Visit https://www.jacksongalaxyproject and follow @catdaddy on YouTube and all social media platforms.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
- Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles and new associate Peanut
Animal voices include:
- Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_
Music:
- Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2025
- Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)
Research used:
- Animal cruelty and domestic violence - the link between cruelty to animals and violence toward humans. Animal Legal Defense Fund. (2022, January 3). https://aldf.org/article/the-link-between-cruelty-to-animals-and-violence-toward-humans-2/
- Global Homelessness Statistics. Homeless World Cup. (n.d.). https://www.homelessworldcup.org/homelessness-statistics
- Marshall, L. (2025, August 29). Katrina 20 years later: What we’ve learned. CU Boulder Today. https://www.colorado.edu/today/2025/08/29/katrina-20-years-later-what-weve-learned
- Randall, K. (2025, August 28). Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, many of us are still missing all that we lost—and grappling with one of the country’s worst disasters. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/twenty-years-after-hurricane-katrina-many-of-us-are-still-missing-all-that-we-lostand-grappling-with-one-of-the-countrys-worst-disasters-180987253/
- The State of Pet Homelessness Project. (2024). https://stateofpethomelessness.com/
- These innovative projects are tackling homelessness around the world. World Economic Forum. (2021, October). https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/10/innovative-projects-tackling-homelessness-around-the-world/
- Tillery, B., Ray, A., Cruz, E., & Waters, E. (2017). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Hate and Intimate Partner Violence in 2017. The NYC Anti-Violence Project. https://avp.org/2017-hv-ipv-report/
- Understanding the link between animal abuse and family violence. American Humane Society. (2024, December 13). https://www.americanhumane.org/public-education/understanding-the-link-between-animal-abuse-and-family-violence/
- Walton-Moss, B. J., Manganello, J., Frye, V., & Campbell, J. C. (2005, October). Risk factors for intimate partner violence and associated injury among urban women. Journal of community health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16175959/
40 min - Scaredy Cats! Fight, flight, freeze...and feline? with arborist Duane Hook and feline behaviorist Kristyn Vitale, Ph.D. and behavioral biologist Lee Niel, Ph.D.
What’s really going on with fearful cats - and why should we rethink the label “scaredy cat”? Behavioral biologist Dr. Lee Niel shares expert insights on how to read cats’ signals and understand what they’re trying to tell us. Returning guest expert Dr. Kristyn Vitale explores the environments and conditions that can create so-called scaredy cats. Finally, meet arborist and emergency responder Duane Hook, who rescues cats stuck in trees and offers a unique perspective on feline fear, trust and resilience.
Check out Cat in a Tree Emergency Rescue at catinatreerescue.com.
Special thanks to Georgia Mason, Ph.D. of the University of Guelph.
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
And check out these supplementary episodes:
- 5 Ways to Say ”I Love Mew”: Using the 5 Love Languages…With Your Cat?
- Cats Are the Consummate Domesticate: Origins and Evolution of Our Feline Friends [Pilot]
About the experts:
- Duane Hook, an Ohio-based arborist and cat rescuer has been helping cats in North America down from trees since 2010. You can watch his harrowing rescue missions on TikTok (tiktok.com/@getmeowtahere) and YouTube (@DHook) - all happy outcomes! - and learn more about his work at getmeowtahere.com.
- Kristyn Vitale, Ph.D., is the founder of Maueyes and star of Netflix’s hit feature film, “The Mind of a Cat”. Her innovative research on cat behavior and human-animal interaction has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals and been covered by such international publications as Science, National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Times of London.
- Lee Niel, Ph.D., is a behavioural biologist trained in animal behaviour and welfare with expertise with both laboratory and companion animals. Dr. Niel holds the Col KL Campbell Chair in Companion Animal Welfare at Ontario Veterinary College at Canada's University of Guelph, and her research and teaching are focused on the behaviour and welfare of companion animals.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
- Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles and new associate Peanut
Animal voices include:
- Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_
Music:
- Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2025
- Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)
Research used:
- Adolphs, R. (2013, January 21). The Biology of Fear. Current biology : CB. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3595162/
- Cantor, C., & Price, J. (2007, May). Traumatic entrapment, appeasement and complex post-traumatic stress disorder: Evolutionary perspectives of hostage reactions, domestic abuse and the Stockholm syndrome. The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17464728/
- Chetty, R., Hofmeyr, A., Kincaid, H., & Monroe, B. (2021). The Trust Game Does not (only) Measure trust: The risk-trust. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics). https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/soceco/v90y2021ics2214804319302290.html
- Costandi, M. (2023, February 15). Your brain is wired to detect fear, outside of your conscious awareness. Big Think. https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/brain-fear-unconscious-awareness/
- Davis, D., Hogan, A. A., & Hart, D. J. (2025, September 19). Myths of trauma memory: On the oversimplification of effects of attention narrowing under stress. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1294730/full
- Dawson, L. C., Cheal, J., & Mason, G. (2019, November). Humans can identify cats’ affective states from subtle facial expressions. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336964729_Humans_can_identify_cats’_affective_states_from_subtle_facial_expressions
- Evangelista, M., Watanabe, R., Leung, V., Monteiro, B., O’Toole, E., Pang, D., & Steagall, P. (2019, December 13). Facial expressions of pain in cats: The development and validation of a feline grimace scale. Scientific reports. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31836868/
- Fitzpatrick, K. (n.d.). Animal lover. Dorothy Parker Society. https://dorothyparker.com/dorothy-parker-haunts/animal-lover
- Fraidy-cat - etymology, origin & meaning. etymonline. (n.d.). https://www.etymonline.com/word/fraidy-cat
- Graham, C., Pearl, D. L., & Niel, L. (2024, January). Too much too soon? risk factors for fear behaviour in foster kittens prior to adoption - sciencedirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159123003131
- Hancock, P. A., Kessler, T. T., Kaplan, A. D., Stowers, K., Brill, J. C., Billings, D. R., Schaefer, K. E., & Szalma, J. L. (2023, March 27). How and why humans trust: A meta-analysis and elaborated model. Frontiers in psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10083508/
- Hardee, J. T. (2003). An overview of empathy. The Permanente Journal. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5571783/
- Indecency, Obscenity, Profanity and the 7 Words Forbidden by the FCC. Pacifica Network. (2025). https://pacificanetwork.org/indecency-obscenity-profanity-and-the-7-words-forbidden-by-the-fcc/
- Kolaitis, G., & Olff, M. (2017, September 29). Psychotraumatology in Greece. European journal of psychotraumatology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5632764/
- Lamotte, S. (2021, October 27). Why am I a scaredy-cat and you’re not? The Science of Fright. KSL.com. https://www.ksl.com/article/50269734/why-am-i-a-scaredy-cat-and-youre-not-the-science-of-fright
- Li, Y., Zhi, W., Qi, B., Wang, L., & Hu, X. (2025, September 19). Update on neurobiological mechanisms of fear: Illuminating the direction of mechanism exploration and treatment development of trauma and fear-related disorders. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1216524/full
- McLeod, S. (2025, March 18). Albert Bandura’s social learning theory in psychology. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html
- professional, C. C. medical. (2024, December 19). What is the limbic system?. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/limbic-system
- Ray, K. S. (2020, May 17). Scaredy cat: Why is that?. De facto Cat. https://defactocat.wordpress.ncsu.edu/2020/02/15/scaredy-cat-why-is-that/
- Scaredy-cat. Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/scaredy-cat
- Schlote, S. (2023). History of the term “appeasement”: A response to bailey et al. (2023). European journal of psychotraumatology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10078115/
- Schmidt, N. B., Richey, J. A., Zvolensky, M. J., & Maner, J. K. (2008, September). Exploring human freeze responses to a threat stressor. Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2489204/
- Why are cats scared of thunder and fireworks?. Purina US. (2025, June 5). https://www.purina.com/articles/cat/behavior/understanding-cats/are-cats-scared-of-thunder-fireworks
- Zak, P. J. (2024, February 20). The neurobiology of trust. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-neurobiology-of-trust/
36 min - Cats, Camera, Action! Felines on Film with film critic Angelica Jade Bastién, cinéastes Mye Hoang and Rob Bennett (25 Cats From Qatar) and photographer BriAnne Wills (Girls and Their Cats)
Who loves cats and cinema? On this episode, the crew of your favorite cat-themed culture, history and science podcast make our first foray into feline film studies! Join us for a 40 minute discussion on the roles cats have played onscreen - from overlooked props and stereotypes to scene-stealing stars who shape stories and symbolize mystery, power and resilience. Host Amanda “Captain Kitty” B. is joined by film critic Angelica Jade Bastién, 25 Cats from Qatar and Cat Daddies filmmaker Mye Hoang (with cinematographer Rob Bennett), and Girls and Their Cats video series creator Brianne Wills to unpack how filmmakers use the “five Cs of cinematography” to portray cats, the cultural tropes tying felines to witches and “mad women” and the rise of cat-pawsitive storytelling in both film and digital media. From Hollywood classics to international documentaries and everyday cat videos, we explore how these furry icons are reshaping the zeitgeist - and how we can celebrate and sustain this New Wave.
Note: There is a brief mention of gender-based violence. If you or someone you know has experienced domestic or intimate partner violence or assault, please connect with 1-800-656-HOPE (US) or visit domesticshelters.org for international resources. You are not alone, nobody deserves it and you have options.
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
And check out these supplementary episodes:
- Witches, Whiskers and Whisky: Re-introducing the Original Cat Lady of Halloween! [Season 2 Premiere]
- Cats vs Cupid: Why Cats are the Better Valentine’s Day Mascot
- Did You Know the Vikings had Cats? Magic, Freya and Norse Folklore
- Felines & Fatherhood: Exploring Masculinity, Father’s Day, and the Unique Bond Between Men and Cats
About the experts:
- Angelica Jade Bastién is a critic and essayist at New York Magazine’s site Vulture. She has been featured on Rotten Tomatoes and her work has been published in many publications including Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, and within Criterion Blu-ray releases. She lives in Chicago with her two cats. You can subscribe to her newsletter, Madwomen & Muses on Substack.
- BriAnne Wills is a fashion and beauty photographer and the creator of Girls and Their Cats, a photo and YouTube series created by BriAnne as a way to debunk the crazy cat lady stereotype and to showcase cat-owning women in a positive light. Originally from Oregon, she currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and two cats, Liza and Tuck. She’s photographed over 400 women around the US, all as unique as their feline friends. Subscribe to the Girls and Their Cats YouTube channel and sign up here to be featured in her next video shoot.
- Mye Hoang is a Los Angeles–based producer and director of cat-themed documentaries 25 Cats From Qatar (2025) and Cat Daddies (2022). She produced the award-winning noir thriller Man From Reno (LA Film Festival Best Feature, Spirit Award Nominee 2015) and Lynn Chen’s I Will Make You Mine (SXSW 2020), and her first narrative feature, Viette (2012), a Vietnamese American coming-of-age story, screened at dozens of festivals including the Asian American International Film Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Fest. Hoang is the founder and former Executive Director of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, former Artistic Director of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and holds a BA in Cinema from Southern Methodist University. Visit 25catsfromqatar.com to purchase the film on Blu-ray and visit catdaddiesmovie.com Cat Daddies to watch On Demand or purchase on DVD.
- Rob E. Bennett is a Los Angeles–based cinematographer whose work spans documentary, narrative, and commercial projects. In collaboration with director Mye Hoang, he shot 25 Cats from Qatar (2025) and Cat Daddies (2022), both praised by critics for their evocative and carefully crafted visuals. Follow more of his work at rawbennett.com and on Instagram @rawbennett.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
- Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles and new associate Peanut
Animal voices include:
- Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_
Music:
- Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2025
- Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)
Research used:
- Academy of Film, Theatre & Television Blog. (2017, May 26). 5 C’s of cinematography. https://www.aftt.edu.au/news/latest-news/5-c-s-of-cinematography
- AFI Docs. (2010, May 21). Martin Scorsese: Documentary vs. Narrative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJtBd0VdImw
- Alexandra, R. (2024, January 12). How the “crazy” cat lady became one of pop culture’s most enduring sexist tropes. KQED. https://www.kqed.org/arts/13891913/how-the-crazy-cat-lady-became-one-of-pop-cultures-most-enduring-sexist-tropes
- Arosteguy, S. (2021, November 3). 10 things I learned: The incredible shrinking man | current | the criterion collection. Criterion.com. https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7591-10-things-i-learned-the-incredible-shrinking-man
- Cinema Cats. (2019, June 27). https://cinemacats.com/
- Flood, A. (2018, June 19). Garfield’s creator, 40 Years on: “I’m still trying to get it right.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/19/garfield-jim-davis-40-years
- Hoang, M. (2025). 25 Cats from Qatar. Grey Hat Productions. https://www.25catsfromqatar.com/
- Kinds of movies: Narrative film, Documentary film, and experimental film - 666 words: Essay example. IvyPanda. (n.d.). https://ivypanda.com/essays/kinds-of-movies-narrative-film-documentary-film-and-experimental-film/
- Krause, M. (2019, October 15). What is Zeitgeist? examining period-specific cultural patterns. Poetics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304422X18301931
- Leith, M. (2001, October 16). The end of the other. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC81547/
- Lynn, H. (2023, November). The impact of Film on culture: Reflections on movie industry, violent impact and politicized content production. Communications in Humanities Research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375767695_The_Impact_of_Film_on_Culture_Reflections_on_Movie_Industry_Violent_Impact_and_Politicized_Content_Production
- Monohan, S. (2022, December 19). I predicted the “vibe shift” – and watched it sweep the world. here’s what it actually means. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/dec/19/how-can-you-spot-a-vibe-shift-that-transforms-popular-culture-ask-me-i-literally-invented-the-term
- National Science and Media Museum. (2020, June 18). A very short history of cinema. National Science and Media Museum. https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/very-short-history-of-cinema#:~:text=The%20first%20to%20present%20projected,film%20printer%20all%20in%20one.
- Pew Research Center. (2023, November 10). Newspapers fact sheet. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/newspapers/
- Rawlings, S. W. (1985, April). Household and family characteristics: March 1984. Current population reports. Series P-20, Population characteristics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12158811/#:~:text=Of%20the%2085.4%20million%20households,1980%2C%20and%2048.1%20in%201970.
- Seelye, K. (2006, October 31). Newspaper Circulation Falls sharply. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/31/business/media/31paper.html
- Welk, B. (2021, August 8). 10 crazy cat ladies in movies and TV, from “alien” to “the office” (photos). The Wrap. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/10-crazy-cat-ladies-movies-153038868.html
41 min - Spooky Cats! Spies and Secrets with espionage historian Andrew Hammond, Ph.D., Japan historian and translator Zack Davisson and veterinarian Gabriela Canales, D.V.M.
Cats - stealthy, sneaky - and spooky! Hidden in plain sight. All the makings of…the purr-fect spy! Or so we think. Listen in on a fun, feline fact-filled episode about how, if, when and why cats have ever been associated with - or agents of - covert operations, intelligence gathering and all things espionage. Feline anatomy expert Gabriela Canales, D.V.M. will spotlight the special skills and attributes that may or may not have inspired espionage professionals in 14th Century Japan and during the Cold War. Listen in as we run this theory by Japan folklore expert and historian Zack Davisson and espionage historian Andrew Hammond, Ph.D. - and then decide if your cat is in cahoots with your Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices!
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
And check out these supplementary episodes:
- Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat, Part 1: Research and Righting Reflexes
- Cat Eyes: Make-up, Magic and Myopia with writer Zahra Hankir, Animal Communicator Alicia Halloran and Cat Ophthalmologist Steve Hanes
About the experts:
- Gabriela “Gaby” Canales, D.V.M., is the co-medical director of West Chelsea Veterinary in New York City. Dr. Canales trained at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and completed a one-year internship in Medicine and Surgery at BluePearl Veterinary Partners. When not attending to her patients or her own cats, Priscilla and Bert, Dr. Canales drums in NYC riot grrrl punk band Frida Kill, which can be found on Instagram @fridakillkills.
- Zack Davisson is an award winning translator, writer, and scholar of Japanese folklore and ghosts. He is the author of “Yurei: The Japanese Ghost”, "The Ghost of Oyuki" and “Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan” from Chin Music Press. Davisson translated Shigeru Mizuki’s Eisner Award winning and Harvey-nominated “Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan” and several Dark Horse publications by Satoshi Kon including “Opus”, “Seraphim: 266613336 Wings” and “The Art of Satoshi Kon”. He was also a researcher and on-screen talent for National Geographic’s TV special “Japan: Lost Souls of Okinawa” and maintains Japanese folklore website hyakumonogatari.com. You can follow Zack on Bluesky @ zackdavisson.com.
- Andrew Hammond, Ph.D., is a Scottish historian specializing in European and North American intelligence who received his Ph.D. in Modern History and International Relations from Warwick University. He has provided his expertise for such media outlets as the BBC and the History Channel, as well as the International Spy Museum where he served as historian, curator and host of their podcast from 2020-2025. Dr. Hammond is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Global and National Security Institute and is currently appointed as Senior Director for Content & Interpretation at the National Liberty Museum. He can be followed on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewhammond2000.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
- Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles and new associate Peanut
Animal voices include:
- Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_
Music:
- Leathered: "Look Alive", “Giver” © 2025
- Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)
Research used:
- Alexy, Alison (host). (2021, June 18). Season 2, Episode 5 | Vyjayanthi Selinger [Audio podcast interview]. In Michigan Talks Japan Season 2, Episode 5 | Vyjayanthai Selinger. Michigan Talks Japan Podcast. https://ii.umich.edu/cjs/podcast/season-2--episode-5---vyjayanthi-selinger.html
- “The anatomy of cats: Bones, flexibility, and injury awareness.” British Animal Hospital. (2024, October 3). https://territory-uae.com/uae/the-anatomy-of-cats-bones-flexibility-and-injury-awareness/
- Edwardes, C. (2001, November 4). CIA recruited cat to bug Russians. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1361462/CIA-recruited-cat-to-bug-Russians.html
- Evans, A. (2007, November 3). Hermes: God of public diplomacy. Global Dashboard Blog covering International affairs and global risks. https://globaldashboard.org/2007/11/03/hermes-god-of-public-diplomacy/
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting. (n.d.). Fingerprint recognition. Fingerprint Recognition. https://ucr.fbi.gov/fingerprints_biometrics/biometric-center-of-excellence/files/fingerprint-recognition.pdf
- Harris, A. (2013, January 18). The surprisingly long history of the term “Catfish.” Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/culture/2013/01/catfish-meaning-and-definition-term-for-online-hoaxes-has-a-surprisingly-long-history.html
- Judge, C. B. (1944, July). Commandos and their methods. Proceedings. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1944/july/commandos-and-their-methods
- Little, B. (2025, May 28). When the CIA learned cats make bad spies. History.com. https://www.history.com/articles/cia-spy-cat-espionage-fail
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan. (n.d.). Ninja: Mystery and Legend of Hero. Kids web Japan. https://web-japan.org/kidsweb/cool/12-10/index.html
- Perreira, J. (2019, November 14). Do military commandos really “go commando?” Forces News. https://www.forcesnews.com/military-life/fun/do-military-commandos-really-go-commando
- Turnbull, S. (n.d.). The ninja: An invented tradition?. DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jgi/vol9/iss1/3/
- VanHooker, B. (2019, October 10). The back-stabbing cultural history of the rat. MEL Magazine. https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-cultural-history-of-the-rat
- Wickman, F. (2011, December 7). When did rats, moles, and canaries become snitches?. Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2011/12/nypd-on-the-west-indian-day-parade-when-did-rat-become-the-word-for-snitch.html
- Widyastuti , R., & Yang, C. K. (2018). Cat’s nose recognition using you only look once (YOLO) and scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) | IEEE conference publication | IEEE xplore. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8574870
- Zolfagharifard, E. (2014, November 14). The ninja robots based on cats: Scientists study felines falling in mid-air to create super-agile Droids. Daily Mail Online. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2835005/The-ninja-robots-based-CATS-Scientists-study-felines-falling-mid-air-create-super-agile-droids.html
36 min - Cat Eyes: Make-up, Magic and Myopia with writer Zahra Hankir, Animal Communicator Alicia Halloran and Cat Ophthalmologist Steve Hanes
Welcome back to 6 Degrees of Cats, the world’s #1 (& only) cat-themed culture, history and science podcast!
In this 40-ish minute odyssey of the mind, we head back to the Fertile Crescent with the help of Zahra Hankir, author of New York Times Book Review Editors pick, Eyeliner: A Cultural History, to explore why the aesthetics of the “cat eye” belie the deep symbolic and protective properties this design invokes - and how eyeliner connects us to our ancestors and cultures across the world! We then travel to other realms to see what else those mesmerizing, chatoyant eyes may be picking up - carbon monoxide? Mice in the walls? GHOSTS? - with clairvoyant animal communicator Alicia Halloran of Healing Habitat. Then, with the help of Dr. Steve Hanes of the Veterinary Eye Center of NYC, we train our gaze directly into the physical eyeballs of our feline friends to observe the biomechanics and optical oddities that might help explain at least some of that infamous creepy cat stare phenomena. (Why is there no X-File on this yet?)
By the end of this episode, you’ll feel especially reverent of the extra-sensory vigilance our house guardians possess!
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
And check out these supplementary episodes:
- The Golden Age of Cats: The Medieval Middle East, Muezza and the Mark of Muhammad (or Mary)
- Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat, Part 1: Research and Righting Reflexes
- Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat, Part 2: Exploring Science Fairs, Schrodinger’s Cat, and the Fascinating Concept of Cats as Liquids
About the experts:
- Alicia Halloran is a trained animal communicator and holistic coach who specializes in spiritual behaviorism and clairvoyant healing. Since 2005, she has helped animals and their people through her business, Healing Habitat. Learn more about Alicia’s work at aliciahalloran.com or follow her on Instagram at @odieseyes.
- Zahra Hankir, M.A., M.S., is the author of Eyeliner: A Cultural History (Penguin Random House), a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Pick. She is a Columbia University–trained journalist with an academic background in Middle Eastern Studies, Islamic movements and international politics. Visit www.zahrahankir.com for more information on her work and upcoming publications.
- Steve Hanes, V.M.D., M.S., D.A.C.V.O. is a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist at the Veterinary Eye Center of NYC. Dr. Hanes received his veterinary studies degree at the University of Pennsylvania and interned in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Florida, later completing his comparative ophthalmology residency at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Please visit https://www.vecnyc.com/doctors/steve-hanes to learn more about Steve and the Veterinary Eye Center of NYC.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
- Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles and new associate Peanut
Animal voices include:
- Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_
Music:
- Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2025
- Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)
Research used:
- Abbasi, S. M. (2017). A study of the evil eye phenomenon and how it is translated ... Indian Journal of Scientific Research. https://www.ijsr.in/upload/108373904925.pdf
- Cat’s Eyes. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. (n.d.). https://naturalhistory.si.edu/explore/collections/geogallery/10025988
- Crivellato, E., & Ribatti, D. (2006, October 23). Soul, mind, brain: Greek philosophy and the birth of Neuroscience. Brain Research Bulletin. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S036192300600298X?via%3Dihub
- Earsc. (2021, April 7). World from space: “how we use technology inspired by bats to see water availability in fields.” EARSC. https://earsc.org/2021/04/07/world-from-space-how-we-use-technology-inspired-by-bats-to-see-water-availability-in-fields/
- Gem-A. (2025, February 19). Understanding the cat’s eye effect in gemstones: Gem-a. Gem. https://gem-a.com/gem-hub/understanding-the-cats-eye-effect-in-gemstones/
- Hankir, Z. (2023). Eyeliner: A cultural history. New York: Penguin Books.
- Jiang, J., Borowiak, K., Tudge, L., Otto, C., & von Kriegstein, K. (2017, February 1). Neural mechanisms of eye contact when listening to another person talking. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5390711/
- Johnston, A. M., Turrin, C., Watson, L., Arre, A. M., & Santos, L. R. (2017, July 13). Uncovering the origins of dog-human eye contact. https://caplab.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/2017-johnstonetal.pdf
- Peissig, J. J., Killian, A., & Mousavi, M. (2016, September). The role of the eyes and makeup in attractiveness [poster]. The Role of the Eyes and Makeup in Attractiveness. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307891875_The_Role_of_the_Eyes_and_Makeup_in_Attractiveness
- Prantl, L., Heidekrueger, P. I., Broer, P. N., Knoll, S., Thiha, A., & Gründl, M. (2018, June 11). Female eye attractiveness – where beauty meets science. Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1010518218302828
- Ramsay, P. S. (2013, March). Heinrich Hertz, the father of frequency. The Neurodiagnostic Journal. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23682537/
- ReFaey, K., Quinones, G. C., Clifton, W., Tripathi, S., & Quiñones-Hinojosa, A. (2019, May 23). The eye of horus: The connection between art, medicine, and mythology in Ancient Egypt. Cureus. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6649877/
- Rodriguez McRobbie, L. (2024, October 30). The Ouija board can’t connect us to paranormal forces-but it can tell us a lot about psychology, grief and uncertainty. Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ouija-board-cant-connect-us-to-paranormal-forces-but-it-can-tell-us-a-lot-about-psychology-grief-and-uncertainty-5860627/
- Salem, O. (2024, March 15). More than meets the eye: Looking twice at the history of eyeliner - with Zahra Hankir. New Lines Magazine. https://newlinesmag.com/podcast/more-than-meets-the-eye-looking-twice-at-the-history-of-eyeliner-with-zahra-hankir/
- Schulz, J. (2012, November 28). Eye contact: An introduction to its role in communication. College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/eye_contact_an_introduction_to_its_role_in_communication#:~:text=Eye%20contact%20during%20a%20conversation,discussion%2C%20dialogue%2C%20or%20chat.
- The true prophecies or prognostications of Michael Nostradamus, physician to Henry II, Francis II, and Charles IX, kings of France and one of the best astronomers that ever were a work full of curiosity and learning / translated and commented by Theophilvs de Garencieres ... The true prophecies or prognostications of Michael Nostradamus, physician to Henry II, Francis II, and Charles IX, kings of France and one of the best astronomers that ever were a work full of curiosity and learning / translated and commented by Theophilvs de Garencieres ... | Early English Books Online 2 | University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. (n.d.). https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A52521.0001.001/1:9.2?rgn=div2&view=fulltext
- Volandes, S. (2020, May 14). The history of the evil eye — the best evil eye jewelry. Town & Country Magazine. https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/jewelry-and-watches/a32446159/evil-eye-jewelry-history/
- Wilson, M. (2022, February 24). The eye of providence: The symbol with a secret meaning?. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20201112-the-eye-of-providence-the-symbol-with-a-secret-meaning
39 min - Cats Are Cuter than Babies: Cats and Art with Catnip Mag Publisher Anja Charbonneau, YouTube star Ergojosh and Artist Natalia Garcez
The time has come to settle the score – are cats cuter than babies? Join us for an evidence-informed artistic analysis of the aesthetics of cats and how and why we love to depict them in illustration, animation and graphic art. (And why cats are, indeed, cuter than babies.)
In this fun, feline and fact-filled episode, listen in on how and why cats became the muses for one illustrator of grumpy cats - Natalia Garcez - and a source of inspiration for hundreds of thousands of families across the world. Joining Natalia is digital artist and YouTube star Ergojosh who breaks down the “cat face theory” circulating on TikTok and why Disney and Pixar’s production teams may favor cat facial anatomy for cute inspiration. And join host Captain Kitty (a.k.a. Amanda B.) as she leverages her Cat Oracle Deck for artistic, intellectual and even spiritual guidance with the help of Catnip Magazine’s Anja Charbonneau.
Special thanks to Broccoli Magazine for providing the team a Cat Oracle Deck.
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
And check out this supplementary episode:
- Cats Are the Consummate Domesticate: Origins and Evolution of Our Feline Friends [Pilot]
About the experts:
- Anja Chabonneau is the Editor in Chief and Creative Director of Broccoli Magazine, a publisher of unusual delights including Catnip Magazine, Broccoli Magazine and the Cat Oracle Deck. To purchase a Cat Oracle Deck, visit https://broccolimag.com and follow @catnip_mag and @broccoli_mag on Instagram.
- Natalia Garcez is a Brazilian-born graphic designer and illustrator of grumpy cats based in Copenhagen whose Instagram account, @casagiraceramics (formerly “chonkygrompy”) inspired hundreds of thousands of children to paint chunky, grumpy cats with their parents. Learn more about Natalia by following her Instagram account or visiting https://www.nataliagarcez.com.
- Joshua “Ergojosh” Stephens is a digital artist specializing in character design who educates his 700k+ YouTube subscribers with videos that have been seen over 54 million times. Follow Ergojosh on YouTube or @ergo.josh on Instagram, and visit his website on at ergojosh.com to learn more about his online courses on digital illustration.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
- Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky, Snuggles and Peanut
Additional voices include:
- Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_
- Edward Anthony (@itsmyunzii)
Music:
- Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2025
- Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)
Research used:
- chonkygrompy [@chonkygrompy]. (n.d.). A very special client ordered a painting of all her current … [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@chonkygrompy/video/7254117947654901018?lang=en
- Clark, F. (Host). (2023, August 1). Art for mental health: The well-being benefits of practicing art [Audio podcast episode]. In [AMA Update]. https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/art-mental-health-well-being-benefits-practicing-art-frank
- Ergojosh. (2019, December 5). Draw faces easily! [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/KdpkxdP9Thw
- Glocker, M. L., Langleben, D. D., Ruparel, K., Loughead, J. W., Gur, R. C., & Sachser, N. (2009, March). Baby schema in infant faces induces cuteness perception and motivation for caretaking in adults. Ethology : formerly Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychologie. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3260535/
- Goodwin, B. C., Browne, M., & Rockloff, M. (2015, December 1). Measuring preference for supernormal over natural rewards : A two-dimensional anticipatory pleasure scale. Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10480800/
- Hansen, K. (2023, September 1). These famous cartoon cats stand the test of time (and cuteness). BuzzFeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/kaileyhansen/famous-cartoon-cats
- Kringelbach, M. L., Lehtonen, A., Squire, S., Harvey, A. G., Craske, M. G., Holliday, I. E., Green, A. L., Aziz, T. Z., Hansen, P. C., Cornelissen, P. L., & Stein, A. (2008, February 7). A specific and rapid neural signature for parental instinct. PLOS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0001664
- Kringelbach, M. L., Stein, A., & Stark, E. (2016, July 4). How cute things hijack our brains and drive behaviour. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-cute-things-hijack-our-brains-and-drive-behaviour-61942
- O’Neil, M. J., Danvers, A. F., Hu, J. I., & Shiota, M. N. (2024, September 16). Prototype facial response to cute stimuli: Expression and recognition. Personality & social psychology bulletin. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39282978/
- Varnum, M. E. W. (2023, January 15). The powerful psychology of cuteness. Psychology Today.
29 min - Catnaps! Part 2: Cats, Dreams & the Unconscious with Jungian analyst Mary Bowen & Nap Ministry’s Tricia Hersey
In part two of this sleep and dream series in "6 Degrees of Cats," your favorite cat-themed history, culture, and science, let’s find out what your dreams (and your cat’s) mean…if anything!
Returning to the podcast are Jungian analyst Mary Bowen, the senior most Pilates practitioner to have studied under Joseph Pilates who explains Jung’s deepest mission for us in the unconscious and relates it to her own journey. We’ll also excavate the profound collective consciousness of The Dreamspace with The Nap Ministry founder and Bishop Tricia Hersey, M.Div., author of New York Times bestseller “Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto” (Little, Brown Spark) whose follow up, “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape” (Hachette), helps us navigate a path to true liberation and connection to self and others.
And cats, of course.
After this episode, take note of your dreams and discuss them with your cat. Or with your fellow 6 Degrees of Cats listeners on The Captain’s Log!
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
And check out these supplementary episodes:
- Catnaps! On Pilates and Rest with pilates practitioner Mary Bowen (Lifelong Pilates Plus Psyche with Mary Bowen) and author and activist Tricia Hersey, M.Div (The Nap Ministry)
- Felines & Fatherhood: Exploring Masculinity, Father’s Day, and the Unique Bond Between Men and Cats
About the experts:
- Mary Bowen is the most senior Pilates elder still teaching who knew and studied with Joseph and Clara Pilates. To study with Mary please visit https://pilates-marybowen.com.
- Tricia Hersey, M.Div, is the Atlanta, Georgia-based founder of The Nap Ministry, an organization that examines the liberating power of naps and author of “Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto” (Little, Brown Spark) and “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape” (Hachette), both available at major and independent book retailers. You can follow Bishop Hersey’s work on Instagram, Facebook, Threads and X via @thenapministry and learn more about her work and how to participate in a Collective Rest Experience by visiting her website at thenapministry.wordpress.com.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
- Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles and associate producer Peanut
Animal voices include:
- Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_
Music:
- Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2025
- Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)
Research used:
- Bartels, M. (2024, March 2). What do dogs and cats dream about?. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-do-dogs-and-cats-dream-about/
- Bautze-Picron, C. (2003, June 30). The five Dreams of the Bodhisatta in the Murals of Pagan. Berliner Indologische Studien, 2003, 15-17, pp.341-368. https://www.themathesontrust.org/papers/buddhism/Bautze-Five_Dreams_of_the_Bodhisatta.pdf
- Benvenuto, S. (2022, August 3). Freud’s concept of narcissism - European Journal of Psychoanalysis. European Journal of Psychoanalysis -. https://www.journal-psychoanalysis.eu/articles/freuds-concept-of-narcissism/
- Brinkhof, T. (2023, July 28). In “The red book,” Carl Jung recorded his encounters with entities from “Inner space.” https://bigthink.com/high-culture/carl-jung-unconscious/
- Carr, M. (2016, June 30). A brief history of dream research. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dream-factory/201606/brief-history-dream-research
- Cat dreams. Dream Dictionary. (2023b, November 22). https://www.dreamdictionary.org/dream-dictionary/cat-dreams/
- Dal Sacco, D. (2022, May 11). Dream recall frequency and psychosomatics. Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9171870/
- Farah, S. (2023, February 2). The archetypes of the anima and animus. Applied Jung. https://appliedjung.com/the-archetypes-of-the-anima-and-animus/
- Freud, S. (1997). The interpretation of dreams (A. A. Brill, Trans.). Wordsworth Editions.
- Historical Adventure. (2023, August 4). Hesiod: The farmer who wrote the “‘Genesis’” of Greek Mythology. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ugG6z7dpk
- Howell, S. (2021, November 7). Do cats dream?. The Dodo. https://www.thedodo.com/dodowell/do-cats-dream
- Jouvet, M. (2003, March 19). What does a cat dream about?. Trends in Neurosciences. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0166223679901103?via%3Dihub
- Karim, N. (2021, July 18). Dreamcatchers are not your “aesthetic.” The Indigenous Foundation. https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/articles/dreamcatchers
- King, Martin Luther. (1963, August 28). “I Have a Dream.” March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC. https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety
- Langdon, S. (1917). A babylonian dream tablet on the interpretation of dreams. The Museum Journal. https://www.penn.museum/sites/journal/586/
- Linden, S. van der. (2024, February 20). The science behind dreaming. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-behind-dreaming/
- McLeod, S. (2024, May 22). Sigmund Freud: Theory & contribution to psychology. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/sigmund-freud.html
- McNeil, T. (2021, February 18). A new theory for why we dream. Tufts Now. https://now.tufts.edu/2021/02/18/new-theory-why-we-dream
- Mednick, S., Nakayama, K. & Stickgold, R. Sleep-dependent learning: a nap is as good as a night. Nat Neurosci 6, 697–698 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1078
- Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association. (2018, December 17). Jungian psychology: East and West, encountering differences. Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association. https://pgiaa.org/news-announcements/jungian-psychology-east-and-west-encountering-differences/
- Prema, C. K., & Joshi, T. (n.d.). Review of Dream interpretation: ancient cultures and scientific research. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 12(2).
- Vedor, J. E. (2023b, October 11). Revisiting Carl Jung’s archetype theory a psychobiological approach. Biosystems. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0303264723002344
- Walker, M. (2017, October 24). Why your brain needs to dream. Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_your_brain_needs_to_dream
- Wamsley, E. J., & Stickgold, R. (2010, December 7). Dreaming and offline memory processing. Current biology : CB. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3557787/
31 min - [Season 3 Premiere] Catnaps! On Pilates and rest with Pilates practitioner Mary Bowen and The Nap Ministry founder Tricia Hersey, M.Div.
We are excited to kick off Season 3 of "6 Degrees of Cats," your favorite cat-themed history, culture, and science through part one of a two-part series on CATNAPS!
Meet Mary Bowen, the senior Pilates practitioner to have studied under Joseph Pilates who explains how and why cats are the ultimate pilates instructors and learn about the history of this art of holistic movement. The Nap Ministry founder and Bishop Tricia Hersey, M.Div of NY Times bestseller “Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto” (Little, Brown Spark) and “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape” (Hatchette), helps us further appreciate the deep divine teachings of cats and their nap genius.
So cozy up next to your nearest snoozing furfriend to celebrate the launch of season three with part one of this restorative, revolutionary two-part series inspired by the expert nappers in our homes - our cats!
Special thanks to Dianne Scotece of Muscle Inspires New Empowerment, a 401(c)3 program helping survivors of intimate partner violence heal through power lifting and more.
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
And check out these supplementary episodes:
- Cats Are the Consummate Domesticate: Origins and Evolution of Our Feline Friends [Pilot]
- Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat, Part 1: Research and Righting Reflexes
- Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat, Part 2: Exploring Science Fairs, Schrodinger’s Cat, and the Fascinating Concept of Cats as Liquids
About the experts:
- Mary Bowen is the most senior Pilates elder still teaching who knew and studied with Joseph and Clara Pilates. To study with Mary please visit https://pilates-marybowen.com.
- Tricia Hersey, M.Div, is the Atlanta, Georgia-based founder of The Nap Ministry, an organization that examines the liberating power of naps and author of “Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto” (Little, Brown Spark) and “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape” (Hachette), both available at major and independent book retailers. You can follow Bishop Hersey’s work on Instagram, Facebook, Threads and X via @thenapministry and learn more about her work and how to participate in a Collective Rest Experience by visiting her website at thenapministry.wordpress.com
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
- Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles and new associate Peanut
Animal voices include:
- Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_
Music:
- Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2025
- Licensed samples from Loopcloud
- Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)
Research used:
- Abrams, A. (2017, April 27). 9 sleep habits from around the world. Time. https://time.com/4713813/sleep-habits-napping-siesta/
- Harvey, J. B. (1988). The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management. Lexington Books.
- Bartels, M. (2024, March 2). What do dogs and cats dream about?. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-do-dogs-and-cats-dream-about/
- Freud, S. (1997). The interpretation of dreams (A. A. Brill, Trans.). Wordsworth Editions.
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30 min
About 6 Degrees of Cats
From the publisher's feed
Why were cats gods in ancient Egypt but Satan’s familiar by Europe’s Middle Ages? Why do serial killers and despots hate cats? When did cats get into jazz? And how the heck does all of this random cat…
stuff connect to us in the here and now? Listen to 6 Degrees of Cats, the world’s #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, history and science podcast to join cat worshipper Amanda B. as she investigates these and other hard hitting questions with a diversity of guest experts from across the globe. Subscribe now, and join the clowder by visiting http://www.6degreesofcats.com or follow @6degreesofcats on all major social media platforms.